Phonak announce Virto B hearing aid with Biometric Calibration

At the sametime as announcing the Audéo B-Direct, Phonak also announced the latest additions to their Phonak Virto B range. Following on from the Spring launch of the Phonak Virto B-Titanium the newest  models to the Virto B range sees the Phonak Belong platform incorporated into a range of custom in-the-ear (ITE)  hearing aids to suit your needs. 

World's first hearing aid with Biometric Calibration

The Phonak Virto B are the world's first hearing aids with Biometric Calibration. Using over 1600 biometric data points, unique to your ear, Phonak calculate the unique calibration settings for each Virto B hearing aid. Phonak claim this results in a 2dB improvement in directionality leading to better hearing performance.

What this means for you

As your ears are unique, just like your fingerprints, the characteristics of our ear anatomy influences on how sound is captured, directed towards your ear drum and converted into information that your brain can understand. The custom-made fit to your ears, ensures the Phonak Virto B will be able to reliably sense where sound is coming from and provide a better hearing performance. This improvement is to be confirmed in a soon to be released study by Phonak. The Biometric Calibration combined with Phonak's AutoSense Operating System (OS), which automatically senses your surroundings and adjusts your hearing aids, should result in an improved performance and sound quality.

A model for you

Six models will be available from launch in four performance levels from the truly invisible Virto B-10 Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) to the larger Virto B-13 Full Shell (FS). See the Phonak Virto B brochure for further details.

References

[Phonak]: Phonak to release a game-changing Bluetooth hearing aid that connects directly to any cell phone* and TV, based on a revolutionary new chip technology [https://www.phonak.com/uk/en/press/bluetooth-hearing-aid.html]: [Aug 17 2017]

[Phonak]: Phonak Virto™ B [https://www.phonak.com/uk/en/hearing-aids/phonak-virto-b.html]

Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct - Order now at Key to Hearing, Bournemouth

Phonak release a hearing aid that is Made For All mobile phones

Phonak have announced the launch of their new Made For All (MFA) hearing aid the Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct. The Audéo™ B-Direct directly connects to iPhones however unlike their competitors products it can also connect to Android and Windows phones without the need for a body worn streamer or microphone. Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct features Phonak's new propitiatory SWORD™ (Sonova Wireless One Radio Digital) chip and uses the innovative Belong platform on the AutoSense OS (Operating System).

Bluetooth Connectivity works with all mobile phones

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct works with all mobile phones that have Bluetooth® 4.2 wireless technology or newer and will work for phone calls with any mobile phone supporting at least Bluetooth 2.1. This should cover any Bluetooth mobile phone released in the last 10 years and may even work with phones older than this.

Remote Control App

The updated Phonak Remote is an app that primarily allows you to control the volume and change the program of your Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids. The Phonak Remote app will work on smartphones that feature Android OS 6.0 or iPhone 5s and newer running iOS Version 10.2 or newer.

Truly Hands Free

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct is truly hands free. As long as your hearing aids are connected to your mobile phone you can accept calls by a short press of the button on the hearing aid. The most amazing part is that you do not need to hold the phone to your mouth to talk with the microphones on the back of your hearing aid picking up your voice. The iPhone and Android compatible hearing aids released to date have required you to have your mobile phone microphone within range of your mouth or required an intermediary device to allow the caller to hear your voice.

Easier TV listening with new TV Connector

Phonak are also releasing a new TV Connector which, using Phonak's new AirStream technology, connects the Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids to your TV via a headphone jack or optical out connection. Unlike their previous TV Link which required an intermediary streamer to pass the sound to your Phonak hearing aids the new TV Connector will connect directly to your Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids as soon as the TV is turned on. The TV Connector is also capable of connecting to multiple Phonak Audéo B-Direct hearing aids simultaneously, ideal for watching the TV with your partner or friends who may also wear Audéo B-Direct devices.

Don't miss a call whilst listening to the TV

If you are using the TV Connector and have an incoming call the TV audio will cease and an alert will be played in your Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids. Once the call has finished the TV audio will automatically begin streaming into your hearing aids.   

Colours, Size and Fitting

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct will be available in nine colours and can be fitted with domes, SlimTips or cShells. It is powered by a size 13 zinc-air battery which makes the Audéo™ B-Direct larger than the current Audéo B-10 and Audéo B-312 models. 

Our thoughts

This looks to be a significant technological advancement by Phonak. Over 80% of smartphones purchased are Android and Phonak are the first major manufacturer to launch a phone that caters to the largest user base. 

The fact that the Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids do not require you to hold your mobile phone to your mouth or alternatively use a neck worn microphone is really impressive. As a comparison the recently released Apple AirPods have forward facing Dual beam-forming microphones that point towards your mouth so it will be interesting seeing how the microphones on the back of the Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids cope with picking up your voice when using the phone in noisy situations.

The Phonak Remote app does not currently appear to have as many features as those offered by Starkey and ReSound for use with their smartphone compatible hearing aids. Will Phonak develop the app to allow the user more individual adjustments or allow setting to automatically change based on GPS location tags?

How long will the batteries last? For those that use there Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct hearing aids to talk more on the phone or use the TV Connector for long periods of time the battery will drain more quickly. Will they last a minimum of 5 days?

The new SWORD™ chip will be used in future releases across the Sonova platform so expect to see this Bluetooth connectivity in future releases from Unitron next year.

We look forward to finding out more at the official UK launch on Friday 8th September in London.

Register your interest

The Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct is available to pre-order from today with delivery in the UK from Friday 1st September. Find out more by looking at the official Phonak Audéo™ B-Direct brochure and if you are interested by drop us a message on our contact page and we'll keep you updated.

References

[Phonak]: Phonak to release a game-changing Bluetooth hearing aid that connects directly to any cell phone* and TV, based on a revolutionary new chip technology [https://www.phonak.com/uk/en/press/bluetooth-hearing-aid.html]: [Aug 17 2017]

Let us help you take care of your hearing aid

Hearing Aid Care Advice

Caring for your hearing aid is important to ensure long life and reliability. Damage to you hearing aid can be caused by exposure to sweat, earwax and dirt. By maintaining your hearing aid’s physical condition you can assure a long-term functioning device.

Oticon Alta hearing instruments

General Advice to Protect your Hearing Aid

Protect from Dirt

Ensure that your hands are clean and dry when inserting or removing your hearing aid. The microphone area is very small and can become blocked if not handled correctly.

Protect from Moisture

Hearing aids like to be kept clean and dry. Ensure that you do not expose your hearing aid to excessive moisture. Remove your hearing aid(s) before showering/bathing or swimming.

General Tips for Hearing Aid Maintenance

• Store your hearing aid in a cool dry place.
• Protect your hearing aid from excessive heat.
• Protect your hearing aid from sprays such as hairspray.
• Use the cleaning tools provided to brush or wipe any excess wax or moisture off of the device/earmould.
• Do not insert the tools into the sound outlet (receiver) as this could damage the hearing aid.
• Only use the wax filters and instructions provided.
• Change the wax filter regularly.
• Switch your hearing aid off when not using it.
• If you are not wearing the hearing aid for a long period of time, remove the battery

Let us help you take care of your hearing aid

Ask your hearing care professional if you are unsure about cleaning and maintenance.

Update on hearing aid batteries now mercury free

As of the 1st October 2015 the hearing care industry has adopted a move to Mercury Free battery solutions in line with the European Directive to help reduce polluting the environment.

What you need to know

• Hearing aid battery manufacturers now only supply mercury free batteries
• We have now started to supply mercury free batteries to you
• Mercury free batteries can be used in all hearing aids
• Running time for mercury free batteries is the same as standard batteries
• Any batteries containing mercury can be used until they have run out.

Click the link to find out more about hearing aid batteries.

Hearing Aids Reduce Risk of Cognitive Decline

A long term study has shown that for people with a reduced hearing range, wearing hearing devices reduces the cognitive decline associated with hearing loss. A 25-year study recently published in an American journal compared the path of cognitive decline among older adults who were using hearing devices and those who were not. The study found that those people who would have benefited from hearing devices, but did not wear them, were more likely to score lower on a well-established cognitive function exam conducted during the 25-year follow-up period.

The study shows the importance of looking after your hearing and making sure that it is the best it can possibly be. At Key to Hearing we recommend annual hearing evaluations so you have evidence if and when your hearing range changes. Without this proof it can often be difficult to notice when you are missing out on the sounds you used to hear.

Contact us if you would like to book an evaluation.

References

[Oticon]: First Study to Show Hearing Aids Reduce Risk of Cognitive Decline: [http://www.oticon.com/about/press/2015/pressrelease-reduce-risk-of-cognitive-decline]