Widex Allure hearing aid, a review of the latest technology by Widex

Widex is the number one choice of hearing aid technology for musicians and those with educated ears. I have tried Widex Moment and Widex SmartRIC hearing aids and cannot wait to receive the product to try it myself, but for now please warm up by reading through this article to learn what improvements the Widex Allure brought to the Widex's range of hearing aids.

Widex Allure is the new flagship of Widex hearing aids and AWS Audiology. The hearing aid is carefully positioned for Precision Hearing, offering the users:

• natural clarity,

• superior speech-in-noise performance, and

• an intuitive user experience.

Widex Allure's key features

My understanding is that the Widex Allure does not offer completely new sound processing, but is a step up from the Widex Moment technology platform in almost all features:

• The new W1 chip used in Widex Allure provides 4x faster processing and 4x more memory than previous models. This is the key component in Widex Allure that improves all aspects of hearing with Widex Allure.

• Widex Allure offers crystal-clear speech without compromising environmental awareness. Hearing aids are primarily designed to help with speech understanding, but that doesn't mean you should compromise other audio and acoustic details around you. Widex Allure follows the zero-delay (0.5 ms) sound processing philosophy that distinguishes Widex from other hearing aid manufacturers (more on Widex sound philosophy). Now, with the W1 chip, the algorithm is better able to hire more sophisticated algorithms to process the speech and the background sound with higher precision, hence Precision Hearing. In clinical studies, Allure PureSound resulted in speech intelligibility that was 4.3 dB better than the previous generation Moment hearing aids in omnidirectional setting while maintaining the natural sound quality Widex is known for. See the research paper here.

• Speech Enhancer Pro improves speech intelligibility in noisy environments. The Speech Enhancer Pro is a complete upgrade from the one in the Widex Moment platform. This system uses a 52-band analysis to identify speech and noise in the environment and separate them before processing through 15 channels optimised for speech intelligibility. The result? 92% of listeners preferred Allure in noisy situations, with 96% reporting less noise annoyance across different listening environments when using Widex Allure for hearing speech in a noisy environment.

• Adaptive Dynamic Feedback Controller prevents whistling without compromising sound quality. This seems to be the least of your concerns knowing that your audiologist would run a feedback calibration to optimize the fitting and to control the gain in feedback frequencies. Admittedly in some fittings, especially open fittings, there will be a compromise between controlling gain to suppress the feedback and the fitting approach, not any more. Allure's Adaptive Dynamic Feedback Controller uses adaptive frequency-shifting technology that varies by frequency, size, and speed of the shift, this system prevents feedback without impacting sound quality. This feature optimizes the feedback in real-time to offer the best sound quality especially while in live concerts and listening to music, a special gift for music lovers and to audiophiles.

• Enhanced sound classification system. This is one of the areas of massive competition among the hearing aid manufacturers. Phonak Infinio offered a step up compared to the Phonak Lumity platform and now Widex Allure has stepped up the competition. Without a proper and correct classification of the soundscape, even the best and most advanced sound processing algorithms could fail to help the listener through hearing aids simply because you may be sitting in a live music concert and the hearing aid automatically set the algorithm for a noisy restaurant! Widex Allure's improved sound classification system can accurately identify 11 different sound environments. Widex Allure enhanced features a new beat detector to prevent the common problem of misclassifying environmental sounds as music.

• The use of artificial intelligence (AI) for speech intelligibility has improved in Widex Allure but not in the way you see in Phonak Infino Sphere, Oticon Intent and Starkey Edge. While the Industry trend is moving towards the Phonak Sphere type AI and DNN processing of speech, the improvement in AI in Widex Allure has taken the way it is designed in Signia and Rexton hearing aids. Now across the AWS family of Widex, Signia and Rexton hearing aids the improvement in SNR and the use of the AI is not automatic, but through the help of the AI features in the Widex mobile app. If you find yourself struggling with speech understanding you will open the Widex Allure app, and tap on AI Assistance. The AI assistance listens to the noisy environment that you are in and pulls a specific setting from the Widex cloud library which proved to be optimised for that specific noise pattern. You will have the option of accepting the change or asking the AI assistance to try another setting. This approach to noise management through AI has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of this approach is that you tap into a dynamic cloud-based library that is growing and evolving through constant learning by all Widex users. Another advantage of it is that you are in control to choose the settings. Also, the hearing aid doesn't need to carry a library of all noise samples which demands a bigger memory chip and a compromise on battery life (that's the approach to AI in Oticon Intent and Phonak Sphere). The downside of such an approach is that the user has to be able to manage the interaction with the AI assistant and the interface within the Widex Allure app. This single point may be a constraint for the elderly who may not be very digital and app savvy or even have a mobile phone. For obvious reasons, a fully automated hearing aid that needs zero intervention from the user to optimize the setting for the best noise management is a blessing.

• Widex Allure features a dedicated streaming compressor that makes streaming music and hands-free calls more clear and enjoyable. This provides a wider dynamic range for listening to music through Widex Allure which is a unique feature of Widex Allure. I was not surprised to see this feature knowing Widex's devotion to the music and sound community.

Widex Allure RIC 440

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What are the similarities between Widex Allure, Widex SmartRIC and Widex Moment?

The introduction of Widex SmartRIC in 2024 was more of a design upgrade from the base technology platform of Widex Moment, however, the move from Widex SmartRIC to Widex Allure is an upgrade on several levels. The look of the Widex Allure is very similar to Widex Moment mRIC but with a steeper angle of the microphones which is inherited from Widex SmartRIC, but not as aggressive as Widex SmartRIC.

Same as its predecessors, Widex Allure takes advantage of Widex Puresound sound processing and philosophy at its core, which brings the most natural sound in the hearing aid industry (more here).

What are the improvements in Widex Allure compared to Widex SmartRIC and Widex Moment?

Widex Allure hearing aids have improved in several ways compared to Widex Moment and Widex SmartRIC.

1. Speech intelligibility - Widex's in-house study confirmed a 4.3 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in Widex Allure compared to Widex Moment. That is great news as speech intelligibility in noisy environments remains the biggest challenge of all hearing aids.

2. Crystal clear sound - With the help of the new W1 chip Widex managed to do much better sound processing which has resulted in a better sound quality and experience. To the user, the benefit comes as a better awareness of the sound around including the speech and the rest of the details.

3. Artificial Intelligence - Widex Allure is the first Widex product that uses AI for sound processing. Similar to Signia and Rexton hearing aids the approach is through the AI assistant through the Widex app, so it is not automated and it takes the users' intervention but it works.

4. Enhanced sound classifier - With the help of a faster and more advanced W1 chip Widex Allure is able to do a better job of understanding the soundscape and classifying it hence a better chance of picking the correct set of the settings.

Is Widex Allure the best hearing aid for hearing speech in noisy environments?

I have yet to try Widex Allure myself to be able to answer this question, but given the improvements I see in Widex's initial publications about Widex Allure, the device will be one of the most advanced for speech intelligibility. My advice as always is to try a few premium models for a few weeks and experience it yourself. Another critical factor is the profile of your hearing loss and the fitting and expertise of your audiologist in setting them properly.

What user group of hearing aids Widex Allure fits best?

I'd say users with educated ears and music lovers will enjoy Widex the most. Musicians, sound engineers, music producers, and music lovers usually notice the sound quality better than others. They may notice the clarity and the pure sound in Widex Allure versus a bit of distortion in other hearing aids. Such distortion is not even noticeable to the majority of the hearing aid users.

I hold business and social meetings in noisy environments often, shall I pick Phonak Sphere, Oticon Intent, Starkey Edge or Widex Allure?

This is a tough question and I strongly suggest you try these hearing aids in real life before you commit to purchasing the one that works best for you. As you noticed Widex Allure has a different approach to AI and speech intelligibility than Phonak Infinion Sphere, Oticon Intent and Starkey Edge. Please read through other hearing aid reviews on the HearingNow hearing aid review blog.

Which one is better Widex Allure or Phonak Infinio Sphere hearing aids?

Natural sound quality and speech intelligibility in noisy environments are two of the most important factors when choosing hearing aids. PureSound and ZeroDelay technology of Widex gives a higher score to Widex Allure in terms of natural sound quality which is important for music lovers and musicians. However, in my personal experience,e the use of AI and DNN in Oticon Intent and Phonak Sphere makes them a better choice for those often conducting conversations in noisy environments. Widex Allure still mainly relies on directional microphones and its AI Assistant through the Widex Allure app for optimising the setting for hearing speech better in noisy environments.

Which one is better WIdex Allure or Oticon Intent?

At the date of publishing this article, Widex Allure is a hearing aid that can offer superior natural sound quality, especially for educated ears e.g. musicians. However, the utilisation of Ai and DNN (deep neural network) makes Oticon Intent and Phonak Infinio Sphere higher in terms of speech understanding in noisy environments. Please note that the fitting and application of best practices in fitting hearing aids also play a big role in the performance of the hearing aid in different soundscapes.

What is the app for Widex Allure?

You can download the Widex Allure app from the Apple Store or Google Play. Widex Allure has its new app. For Widex Allure you must use the app for optimum performance of Widex Allure as the artificial intelligence assistance of the hearing aid that helps with speech intelligibility works through Widex Allure.

What is the Widex Allure battery life?

When placed in its charger unit Widex Allure can go fully charged from empty in about 4 hours. When fully charged it can give 24-30 hours of run time with 7 hours of streaming budget.

What technology levels does Widex Allure come in?

Widex Allure hearing aids come in 440, 330 and 220 technology levels. Until we post a table of comparison for Widex Allure technology levels please refer to the product page in our Widex collection for a table of comparison.

Can Widex Allure be reprogrammed remotely?

At the date of this article, the Widex Allure can only be programmed and set through Widex Cloud Compass which does not have an option for remote programming. If you are housebound and need remote support from your audiologist then the best option is to step back to Widex SmartRIC hearing aids.

I have questions about Widex Allure, how can I contact you?

Please get in touch with us through our support page, or our WhatsApp number or book a free online consultation if you have any questions about Widex Allure or other hearing aids.

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References

Widex.com

Widex Allure, Improved Speech Intelligibility in Noise with Ultra-Low Delay