In my humble opinion the best out there! 18 months on!
So…here it goes
What hearing aids can deem themselves as a WANT product - none (well maybe the Active/Active Pro)
This is, I believe, a true statement when you take into account Hearing aid stigmas, getting old or feeling older maybe and not wanting to admit it, plus the fact that over 80% of the UK’s population still associate hearing aids as big bulky things from the national health service (we know this has improved over the years but if you don’t need hearing aids you don’t look at hearing aids).
The facts are all there, it takes 7 times to walk past a hearing aid shop before walking in, 7-10 years or so to admit a problem, etc. I think all these are probably true marketing and mindset statements for most people.
I also think it’s true to say that no matter what, hearing aids are still not cool to look at, with most manufacturers churning out tweaked increments of their unique designs shaving millimeters off, and rounding corners to look as closely as possible to each other! As a person, I try to think outside the box and try not to conform with the crowd and this also attracts me to companies that follow a similar out of box-ness, e.g Tesla (wish I could afford one), Apple in the early days, Dyson, etc - you see if we don’t innovate things stay still and dull.
Not revealing any names, at a conference of many manufacturers nearly 4 years ago, just as I was in the throws of setting up my EarGuru business I witnessed what can only be described as sniggers and swipes and back-handed comments from some manufacturers at one of Signia’s latest development - Own Voice processing - which let me tell you works and works well, but also a new slim form factor of hearing aids - which they had called the Styletto. Queue up some sniggers about the name, the fixed rics, the earbud-like charger, and limited battery life, oh and it was a gimmick, so they all said.
Now I’ve seen gimmicks plenty in my many years in the hearing aid industry, anyone remembers those remote mics from GN that went in the helix! Sorry GN, but they broke, bent, and generally didn’t work, but hey you tried something new and in a similar vein, I tried them just as I did and went big-time for the styletto as I could see something in it, a willingness to try new things!
So what worked - the design - straight out of…well…Apple I guess, a bit like an iPhone 3gs with the white and gold sides with a slim body and a cracking little charger. brilliant replacement warranty in the event of a fault and a 48hr turnaround service. Own voice processing. A major reduction of hearing aid blandness.
What didn’t too well: No Bluetooth streaming, fixed rics, and low power output, and limited battery life.
Verdict - A brilliant idea, with stigma reducing capabilities - a break from the norm
WIND FORWARD 12 months - STYLETTO CONNECT
Simples- Better Chip, Bluetooth Added, Better Battery and Slightly more rounded - still brilliant, just better! -but still fixed medium rics.
WIND FORWARD to 16-18 months ago: THE KING OF THE STYLE AND PERFORMANCE
STYLETTO XPERIENCE -
Motion sensor
Dynamic Soundscape Processing
Interchangeable M and P RICS
18 HR Battery life (after firmware updates)
Improved Own Voice Processing OVP
Larger but more rounded
Affordable performance from 1x to 7x
Easily my most popular hearing aid - over 30 pairs now provided, one return due to battery life being up 20 hours use per day - other than that 100% satisfied customers.
I’m sorry to say to other manufacturers, you may claim to have better features but on looks and comfort alone, plus the OVP. This hearing aid has the greatest acceptance and experience ever, whether this is a mindset I don’t know. This hearing aid just works…not just in the top of the range guise 7x but also for 90% of people the cheaper 5x too. Making this great value for money aid, the motion sensor and processor gives great power, accuracy, and performance in noise, but, with far more natural results.
Thank you Signia, from myself and my customers for breaking the mould.
I think those initial sniggers and comments are now firmly finished, I hope some other manufacturers take a leaf from your book and start to make hearing aids look and feel for the times we are in.