Understanding speech in a noisy environment is the battlefield for hearing aid manufacturers. In 2022 and 2023 they all brought up their A-game, but still, Oticon BrainHearing seems to be the one standing out. This article explains the features of Oticon hearing aids, the BrainHearing technology.
You landed on this article because you are in search of a pair of hearing aids to help manage your hearing loss. You need the best technology available to help understand speech in the crowd and in the presence of background noise, but also at the best price. You may have heard that Oticon BrainHearing is the best technology among the big-6 hearing aid manufacturers and you are curious to know if this is true and how you can purchase a pair of Oticon hearing aids with BrainHearing feature so you hear better in the coffee shops and restaurants. If this is you, then continue reading to learn more about the Oticon range of hearing aids, their advantages, their price range and where to buy Oticon hearing aids at the best price.
In this article you will learn about:
Why understanding speech in noise is difficult?
How do other hearing aid manufacturers manage speech processing in noise?
How Oticon BrainHearing is different compared to other technologies in speech processing?
Does the Oticon BrainHearing boost speech intelligibility in the presence of background noise?
What is Oticon BrainHearing and how does it work?
What is Oticon More Sound intelligence and how does it work?
What is the range of Oticon hearing aids?
What's the best budget-friendly Oticon hearing aid?
Do Oticon hearing aids connect to my smartphone and my laptop?
What are the pros and cons of Oticon hearing aids?
What is the life expectancy of Oticon hearing aids?
Why should you choose Oticon hearing aids?
What are the available hearing aid accessories for Oticon REAL?
Has Oticon REAL got its own App?
What are the differences between Oticon REAL technology levels 1, 2 and 3?
I inherited a pair of Oticon Real hearing aids, can I use them for myself?
Where can I repair my Oticon hearing aids?
Why understanding speech in noise is difficult?
Hearing speech in the presence of background noise is harder for several reasons. One is that the level of noise could be so loud that starts masking the speech signal that the audience wishes to hear. Most premium hearing aids are able to strip off different background noise signals of the received signal and only amplify the speech signal. But what if the background noise is the same spectrum of human speech, like the background noise you hear in a coffee shop a busy restaurant or a busy art gallery? In such a case processing the main speech from the background noise becomes a difficult task for the hearing aid.
How do other hearing aid manufacturers manage speech processing in noise?
Each of the hearing aid manufacturers has a different approach to processing the sound to clarify and make the speech part of it more understandable to the wearer. The sound processing happens in the hearing aids in real-time and it accounts for most of the latency (or delay) of the sound heard through the hearing aids. The delay is about 5 to 7 milliseconds for most of the hearing aid manufacturers except for Widex which is less than 1 msec, (read more here).
Until about a couple of years back directional microphones were the proven and the best technique that manufacturers hired to improve the SNR of the received signal (signal-to-noise ratio). The wearer would receive a higher amplification for the signal s/he received from the front (beaming effect). This would diminish the noise and other unwanted signals that are at the sides and behind the wearer.
In addition to directional microphones, Signia adopted a technique in which the speech is stripped off from the received signal and trimmed and shaped in a separate processing path while the background signal is also processed on a different path simultaneously. This dual processing approach in the Signia AX series provided a step up in improving wearers' speech intelligibility.
Starkey, Widex and Resound hired algorithms that use artificial intelligence (AI) to determine the soundscape and based on the level of speech and noise adapt one of several different profiles for speech processing.
How Oticon BrainHearing is different compared to other technologies in speech processing?
Until now, sound processing systems have been designed using theoretical models and man-made hypotheses of how to best enhance speech and reduce background noise.
But Oticon More hearing aids debut a new hearing aid technology – the Deep Neural Network (DNN) – that mimics the way the brain functions. Based on Oticon's vast sound processing experience, they have trained the Deep Neural Network (DNN) with 12 million real-life sound scenes. Oticon More was their most advanced hearing aid technology ever. The DNN has learned to recognize all types of sounds, their details, and how they should ideally sound.
This makes it so much more than standard artificial intelligence software. It’s a unique and dedicated hearing aid technology, developed for real-time operation in everyday life.
With this integrated intelligence, Oticon More makes sounds more distinct, while working seamlessly across varying listening environments – all in order to optimally support the brain.
Update October 2023 - Starkey released Starkey Genesis which also uses a deep neural network and AI algorithm on a super fast S1 processor that allows more processing power at a faster rate. Please read more about Starkey Genesis in this article.
What is Oticon BrainHearing and how does it work?
The brain’s hearing centre comprises two subsystems. Two subsystems work together inside the brain to help the brain make sense of sound: the orient subsystem and the focus subsystem.
Orient subsystem - The orient subsystem always comes first. When we hear, it scans all surrounding sounds – no matter their nature or direction – to create a full perspective of the sound scene. It then creates an overview of the sound objects around us.
Focus subsystem - The focus subsystem helps people select which sounds to listen to. Once we have an overview of the sound objects around us, we use the focus subsystem to identify the sound we want to focus on, listen to or switch attention to, while filtering out irrelevant sounds.
When sounds reach the inner ear, they are converted into a signal that is sent to the brain. This is what we call the neural code which is sent via the auditory nerve to the brain’s hearing centre – the auditory cortex. There, these neural codes become meaningful sound objects, which the orient and focus subsystems can use. The Orient subsystem needs a good neural code to create an overview of the sound objects and begin separating sounds to determine what is going on in the surroundings. This provides the brain with the best conditions to decide what to focus on and listen to.
The Focus subsystem navigates through the full perspective of the sound scene. It identifies the sound it wants to focus on, listen to or switch attention to, and irrelevant sounds are filtered out.
Please see the following video to learn more about the Orient subsystem and the Focus subsystem of the brain and how the BrainHearing technology roots into the brain's neural networking system.
How Oticon More and Oticon REAL can achieve super-fast neural network processing?
The Polaris platform is the backbone of Oticon More. It is purpose-built for hearing aids. This focused approach allows it to constantly run a trained Deep Neural Network while powering all the hearing aid technology advances in Oticon More with more speed, precision, and capacity than was ever possible before.
16 times more capacity to execute advanced algorithms
Intelligent use of industry-leading 64-channel processing
Twice as much computation capacity and speed
Deep Neural Network processing
Double the precision in 1.5-5kHz frequency bands
Please learn more about the technology behind Oticon More and its BrainHearing here.
What is Oticon REAL Sound intelligence and how does it work?
Oticon More features the latest hearing aid technology – MoreSound Intelligence – which captures and optimizes sounds. This provides access to the complete sound scene, where individual sounds stand out in clear contrast to each other.
Scanning and analysis of the sound scene - MoreSound Intelligence scans the full sound scene 500 times per second, resulting in a precise analysis of all sounds and the complexity of the surroundings. It then applies the user’s personal listening preferences to establish a clear target for how to handle all varying sound scenes.
Processing and contrast enhancement - Once the sound scene is analyzed, MoreSound Intelligence precisely organizes the sounds around the user, and then utilizes the DNN’s vast training from real life to process and create contrast between the identified sounds1. The result is a more natural representation of all sounds in a clear, complete, and balanced sound scene.
Does the Oticon BrainHearing concept work?
Amazing new results from testing in real-life, complex sound scenes show that Oticon More hearing aids give the brain better access to speech. At the same time, they give faster access to more of the relevant sounds all around, in higher fidelity. And this leading sound quality is preferred by 8 out of 10 people with hearing loss, across different sound environments. Extensive real-life tests show that Oticon BrainHearing offers the wearer:
More speech - Better access to speech coming from around the wearer
More sounds - Access to more of the relevant sounds in the sound scene
Faster adaptation - More rapid adjustment to changes in the sound scene
Higher fidelity - Better preserved sounds with more contrast and details
8 out of 10 people prefer the sound quality of Oticon More. After measuring the audiological performance of the three hearing aids, Oticon then studied how people experience sound quality. They asked people with diverse types of hearing loss to evaluate the sound quality in different sound environments, in a preference test.
Oticon More outperformed the competition. Not only did Oticon More get the highest average rating in the different sound scenes. An amazing 8 out of 10 people preferred the sound quality of Oticon More than the two competitors when listening to speech through a facemask and conversations in a restaurant or a café.
Please read more on Oticon's report on its BrainHearing performance here.
What is the range of Oticon hearing aids?
Here is the range of Oticon hearing aids available to the market:
Oticon Intent (update March 2024) - Oticon Intent was introduced to the market just a year after Oticon Real, yet brought a lot of upgrades more specifically a new deep neural network chipset (DNN) 2.0, and a 4D sensor that includes body and head motions into the processing of speech cues resulting of 35% better speech understanding compared to Oticon Real.
Oticon REAL - It was introduced to the market in March 2023. Oticon Real offers better wind sound and interruptive sudden noise.
Oticon MORE - The flagship of Oticon hearing aids that take advantage of BrainHearing and deep neural network (DNN) technologies.
Oticon Own - ITE, ITC and IIC range in the ear and invisible in the canal Oticon hearing aids.
Oticon Zircon - Oticon's Essential series.
Oticon Xceed - The most powerful of Oticon hearing aids, suitable for Severe to Profound hearing loss. Xceed hearing aids are Bluetooth enabled and
What's the best budget-friendly Oticon hearing aid?
If you are impressed by Oticon BrainHearing and keen to consider a pair of Oticon hearing aids but also have budget constraints then you must take a look at Oticon Zircon 1. Oticon Zircon 1 comes in RIC and BTE versions. Also, it comes in rechargeable and battery-powered versions. Oticon Zircon provides access to speech at 360° even in noisy situations. The technology makes it easier for the listener to be aware of what is going on in the surroundings. To give you amazing sound quality whether you’re listening to live music or streaming, we have created a dedicated program called Oticon MyMusic. Oticon hearing aids are IP68-certified. That means they can withstand humidity and dust.
Please notice that Oticon Zircon 1 is the best hearing aid in the Essential category of Oticon hearing aids. It would be the best budget-friendly option for the elderly and seniors who do not need top-of-range hearing aids but wish to enjoy Oticon technology.
Do Oticon hearing aids connect to my smartphone and my laptop?
With the exception of Phonak hearing aids, the Oticon range of hearing aids is designed with Apple first in mind. Oticon hearing aids connect and communicate to iOS devices seamlessly. You can stream the soundtrack straight to your Oticon hearing aids and have a hands-free conversation on Oticon More and Oticon Real hearing aids.
The connectivity with Android devices however can be a bit tricky. this is consistent with Android connectivity of other premium hearing aids as users may have a mixed experience connecting the hearing aids designed for iOS, to Android smartphones.
As for the connectivity to your laptop, the Oticon hearing aids can easily connect to your Laptop or any other Bluetooth device with the help of Oticon ConnectClip.
What are the pros and cons of Oticon hearing aids?
Pros
30% better speech recognition through the proprietary Oticon BrainHearing technology.
Oticon BrainHearing is available in a wide range of hearing solutions with models available for all different levels of hearing loss
Oticon BrainHearing is available in different styles including RIC, BTE, ITE, ITC, and IIC.
All Oticon hearing aids are Bluetooth-enabled and can be remotely adjusted and reprogrammed.
Rechargeable as well as battery-powered options
Desktop and power pack charger
Cons
Users expecting a high degree of flexibility and options in Oticon's App Oticon Companion may be disappointed as the app seems to be lagging behind rivals
Streaming to Android smartphones is not as easy and smooth as streaming and connectivity with iOS devices. Although this issue is consistent with other hearing aid manufacturers (except Phonak, learn more here).
What is the life expectancy of Oticon hearing aids?
I have personally attended to patients who replaced their Oticon hearing aids after 11 years. Yes, it is amazing to own a small discrete piece of technology that can nicely operate for that long. Nevertheless, good hearing care professionals provide an extended warranty of 4 or 5 years so you can be relaxed with any technical issues or component failure of your Oticon MORE or Oticon REAL. See our warranty and aftercare terms here.
Why should you choose Oticon hearing aids?
Without a doubt, Oticon is the leader in hearing aid technologies. The Oticon range of hearing aids provides the best hearing experience in the presence of competing babble and background noise. The provided range of technologies allows any budget to take advantage of the well-designed and proven pair of Oticon hearing aids.
What are the available hearing aid accessories for Oticon REAL?
The available wireless accessories for the Oticon Real platform are:
ConnectClip works as a remote microphone, and remote control, and can even turn hearing aids into a wireless headset. This enables streaming from any Bluetooth device and allows comfortable hands-free calls
TV Adapter streams sound from the TV directly to the hearing aids
Remote Control adjusts volume, switches program, or mutes the hearing aids with the touch of a button
EduMic can be used as a remote microphone or to stream audio from computers, tablets, and more
Has Oticon REAL got its own App?
The great news is that with Oticon REAL announcement in March 2023, Oticon also introduced its new and all-in-one iPhone and Android App that is quite a step up from Oticon On App. The Oticon Companion has the feature of rete care (telecare), which allows the patient to communicate with the hearing care professional and get his/her hearing aids adjusted and reprogrammed remotely.
What are the differences between Oticon REAL 1, REAL 2 and REAL 3?
Please see the below table to learn more about the differences between different technology levels of Oticon REAL hearing aids. Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions about Oticon REAL hearing aids and their price comparison.
I inherited a pair of Oticon Real hearing aids, can I use them for myself?
Yes, there are some considerations in using second-hand hearing aids, but technically speaking, there is a good chance that you can use the inherited Oticon Real hearing aids for yourself. Please see this article to learn how we can help with your second-hand hearing aids.
Where can I repair my Oticon hearing aids?
The best option is to get back to your hearing care professional. However, we also do service, repair, replacement of the rechargeable batteries and reprogramming of Oticon hearing aids. Please use this link to register a service or repair request or reprogram Oticon hearing aids.
References:
Santurette et al. (2023). SuddenSound Stabilizer – Evidence and user benefits. Oticon Whitepaper.
Christensen, J., Whiston, H., Lough, M., Gil-Carvajal, J., Rumley, J., & Saunders, G. (2022). Real-life benefits of Deep Neural Network-based noise reduction in hearing aids. Manuscript in preparation.
Gade et al. (2023). Wind & Handling Stabilizer – Evidence and user benefits. Oticon Whitepaper.
O’Sullivan, J., et al. (2019); Hausfeld, L., et al. (2018); Puvvada, K. C. & Simon, J. Z. (2017).
Hands-free communication is available with iPhone 11 or later running iOS 15.2 or later, and iPad running iPadOS 15.2 or later.
Updates:
February 2024: Oticon released Oticon Intent which uses an elevated technology chipset and includes a 4D motion sensor that provides 35% better access to speech cues versus Oticon Real. Please read the full article here.
March 2024: I received my Oticon Intent demo kit and started reflecting on the performance of the hearing aid in speech understanding in noisy and challenging environments. Please follow the trial results of Oticon Intent here.
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