Product Design | Audio Electronics | Acoustics | DIY | Audio Innovations
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Sennheiser Introduces IE 900 Flagship Earphones With Improved X3R Transducer |
Technical innovation, meticulous attention to detail, and an uncompromising demand for perfection to deliver a listening experience without compromise. These are the premises for another ambitious product development from Sennheiser, the new IE 900 around-the-ear earphones. The high-end concept required designing a completely new 7mm driver, the X3R, to match the product’s flagship status . Read More
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Biamp Hires Charlie Hughes as Principal Engineer for its Electroacoustics Division |
Biamp, the former manufacturer of professional audiovisual solutions from Beaverton, OR, now covering virtually every major market segment in pro audio and commercial installation, has appointed Charlie Hughes as Principal Engineer within the company's fast-growing Electroacoustics division. Charlie will have the opportunity to expand the company’s loudspeaker catalog that already encompasses products from Community and Apart. Read More
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Bose Unveils SoundControl FDA-Cleared Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Aids |
Bose was the first company to receive an FDA approval for an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing assistance device. The audio industry has been waiting for the actual product announcement. Now, Bose unveiled the SoundControl Hearing Aids, which as the name implies, are actual self-fitting, direct-to-consumer hearing aids. They can be personalized using a mobile app, but the SoundControl Hearing Aids do not stream music or take calls and they retail for $849.95 . Read More
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Naim Launches Uniti Atom Headphone Edition |
Increasing the options for those wanting to upgrade their music source options for high-quality headphones, Naim Audio has launched Uniti Atom Headphone Edition – a headphone-optimized version of its original Uniti Atom music streaming system. Unlike traditional headphone amplifiers and DACs, which require a separate computer or streaming device, the new Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is a fully formed music-streaming system: just add headphones. Read More
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Bluesound Introduces New Generation Node and PowerNode Hi-Res Multiroom Streaming DAC and Amplifier |
Bluesound has announced a new generation of its best-selling Node Wireless Hi-Res Multi-Room Music Streamer and PowerNode Wireless Hi-Res Multi-Room Streaming Amplifier. The upgrades include new DAC designs, more powerful quad-core processors, and touch panel controls with presets and proximity sensors, while the PowerNode now offers substantially more power. Both feature an easy-to-clean satin finish in either black or white. Read More
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PreSonus Introduces MicroStation BT Bluetooth 5 Stereo Monitor Controller |
Recognizing the ubiquity of Bluetooth, PreSonus announced a new stereo receiver solution for convenient connectivity with studio monitors and speakers. The new PreSonus MicroStation BT compact device is a Bluetooth 5.1 stereo monitor controller that is able to receive audio from a smartphone, tablet, or another Bluetooth source and feed it to existing audio systems. For better integration with studio systems, the MicroStation BT can also be hardwired to a powered subwoofer to create a 2.1 listening environment . Read More
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Sonova Acquires Sennheiser Consumer Division to Expand and Enter New Growth Markets |
Hearing solutions provider Sonova Holding AG, has signed an agreement to acquire the Consumer Division from Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG (Sennheiser). The announcement from the Switzerland-based company follows on the announcement made earlier in 2021, that Sennheiser was planning to focus on its Professional business, and aiming to secure a partnership to strengthen its market position in Consumer Electronics . Read More
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Loudsoft Appoints New North American Agent |
Loudsoft, one of the leading global providers of loudspeaker and headphone design software and test equipment, announced the appointment of Andy Lewis of Sound Product Strategy as the new North American agent. Loudsoft, offers a complete range of FINE Design Software and FINE Test & Measurement solutions, including speaker and headphones test systems, and the globally recognized FINE R+D)) Acoustic Audio Analyzer System . Read More
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Editor's Desk
J. Martins
(Editor-in-Chief)
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Direct-to-Consumer Hearing Aids
The Strategy and the Concept
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In October 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed marketing of a new device, the Bose Hearing Aid, intended to amplify sounds for individuals 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment (hearing loss). This was the first announcement of an hearing aid authorized for marketing by the FDA that enabled users to fit, program and control the hearing aid on their own, without assistance from a health care provider.
Since then, the audiology industry accelerated a convergence of traditional hearing aid devices with more widely accepted true wireless earbuds, introducing Bluetooth streaming and many of the hearing enhancement features of consumer products into actual medically prescribed (and tuned) devices. On the other side of the equation, companies such as Nuheara and Alango (Wear & Hear) have proposed affordable hearing-assistance direct-to-consumer devices that fit the needs of a much larger percentage of the population with mild hearing loss.
This week, Bose unveiled the SoundControl Hearing Aids, which as the name implies, are actual self-fitting, direct-to-consumer hearing aids. Traditional-looking behind the ear devices that can be adjusted and personalized using a mobile app, the SoundControl Hearing Aids do not stream music or take calls. And they retail for $849.95.
With the announcement of the new SoundControl Hearing Aids, as a direct-to-consumer hearing aid design, developed for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss, Bose becomes the first consumer electronics company to challenge the large hearing aid companies directly in their backyard. Following a very cautious strategy that leverages the FDA approval as over-the-counter (OTC) hearing assistance devices, the SoundControl hearing aids are even eligible for FSA and HSA reimbursement.
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Recognized as one of the most popular consumer brands in the US, Bose unveiled… FDA-cleared hearing aids. Even the imagery is evocative of medical devices. |
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I have no doubt that Bose intends to leverage this experience to also offer a True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds form factor, as soon as they will be able to implement a more efficient Bluetooth LE Audio design that would warrant at least 12 hours of continuous use - with active noise cancellation features - before any recharging.
Much has been discussed about what will be the preferred form factor and approach to this converging market segment, but even the more traditional hearing aid companies agree that current TWS designs already have much better consumer perception and will be much more widely accepted if they also offer standard hearing assistance features. In fact, both Nuheara (a consumer electronics brand) and Signia (a hearing aid company) believe that “hearing aids disguised as earbuds” are the way to go.
In a very clear and descriptive campaign, Signia is addressing head-on the fact that hearing loss is trending upward, and the stigma associated with traditional hearing aid designs. Understanding these factors, Signia is the first hearing aid company to actively promote breaking down the barriers and fully adopt consumer form factors.
Signia also recognizes that the technical hurdles that these designs face today will be quickly sorted given the innovations levels taking place in the consumer space, addressing advanced signal processing technology and battery issues, while introducing advanced AI and more sophisticated sensors. And its new hearing aids, Signia Active and Signia Active Pro, address all the needs of users with mild to moderate hearing loss, while looking fashionable.
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The Bose SoundControl Hearing Aids have a case that looks like a charging case but its just a protective case, and a smartphone app that is used only for self-fitting and selecting situational modes. |
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In the week prior to the Bose announcement, we received the news that Sonova Holding AG, the Switzerland-based hearing solutions provider, had signed an agreement to acquire the Consumer Division from Sennheiser Electronic. The announcement followed the statement made earlier in 2021 that Sennheiser was planning to reposition the company by focusing on its Professional business, and aiming to secure a partnership to strengthen its market position in Consumer Electronics.
Sonova, the company that does business under brands such as Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics, and AudioNova found the concept appealing for its strategy. Sonova already offers one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry – from hearing instruments to cochlear implants, to wireless communication solutions. The Sennheiser brand adds an important element to Sonova’s strategy: “To reach ever more consumers, wherever their journey toward better hearing begins.”
As the company stated, “Personal audio devices have become an integral part of everyday life as people interact with their digital devices increasingly through sound. As hearing loss occurs in most cases as a normal part of aging, first remedial steps may include non-medical solutions to enhance hearing in specific situations. Sonova believes that such complementary solutions will ultimately expand the traditional hearing aid market by increasing adoption rates.”
And of course, a few other companies have reacted to Bose’s claims of its product being the first direct-to-consumer hearing aid with FDA clearance to hit the US market. One such company is Olive Union, which received the exact same FDA classification in November 2020, and has secured millions of dollars in funding and pre-orders, saying it will start globally shipping its Olive Pro model as soon as next month.
When Olive Union announced this 2-in-1 product merging “real” hearing aids and Bluetooth true wireless earbuds for music enjoyment, the company was in fact just amplifying a message that has been long heard at every CES show for the past four or five years. Like other hearing aids, the Olive Pro is an FDA class II medical device, but retails for just $299, and doesn’t require a visit to the audiologist.
The product translates the vision of Owen Song, the founder and CEO of Olive Union, who was inspired by the half a billion people globally that suffer from some level of hearing loss. The personalized hearing profile for each user is created in 5 minutes and can be set up from the Olive Union iOS or Android apps. And complementing the sound profile, the devices automatically cancel background noises and feedback, amplify voices, and deliver personalized music EQ.
In this promising, but soon to become extremely competitive segment, Bose might be actually rendering a service to both consumer and audiology companies. If the SoundControl concept is successful, it will pave the way for more self-fitting assistive devices, and many hearing aid companies will follow suit. If it’s not successful (difficult to predict how Bose will measure this) all these companies will be able to invest instead with much more confidence in new consumer-friendly hearing augmentation devices.
For hearing aid companies this will show that they should offer more features and choices of form factors to consumers. And on the other side, many forward-looking tech companies will be able to move ahead from hearing assistance concepts and bet strongly in the hearing augmentation concept.
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To destroy the stigma, Signia is promoting hearing aids disguised as earbuds with its high-tech Signia Active X. |
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According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 4 people worldwide are projected to have hearing problems by 2050 (2.5 billion people). As my colleague Brent Butterworth noted in his recent review of the Nuheara IQbuds2 Max for audioXpress, “the average $2,300 per ear that one has to spend on traditional hearing aids purchased through an audiologist is clearly out of reach for many people. While people with severe hearing loss obviously need to consult health professionals for solutions tailored to their problem, people who just have difficulty understanding conversation in noisy restaurants would benefit from a less costly solution like the IQbuds2 Max.”
As Brent also notes, the wining formula for Nuheara was adding hearing assistive features as a “bonus” on a very decent TWS product with ANC. The fact that these would help anyone “hear better” is even enough to persuade them to prefer the $399 IQbuds2 Max over other existing models on a slightly lower price range.
But the problem also has a different twist, which is convincing people that not only do they need hearing aids, but making them “wish” to wear them. As I pointed out in a previous editorial, a lot of people need glasses, but they would rather not wear them. What the optical industry did was a good job in combining fashion and marketing in the frames, creating eyewear products. Like fashionable sunglasses, these medical prescription products were successfully converted into a socially acceptable concept for some, and a fashion statement for most.
Similarly, no one wants to be seen with hearing aids that look like… hearing aids. Those skin-colored hearing aids are as appealing as skin-colored underwear. Dressed up as consumer-oriented products, hearing assistance devices can become fashionable and even trendy. Users will accept and wish to wear them. And it doesn’t hurt if those hearables and augmented hearing products will eventually come branded as Gucci, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, or even Under Armour, Apple… or Bose.
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The Olive Pro by Olive Union blurs the line between hearing assistive products and consumer TWS earbuds. By offering affordable hearing for all, Olive goes as far as saying its modern design and smart AI technology is the “ultimate hearing aids killer." |
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X-Altra Moving Coil/Moving Magnet RIAA EQ Pre-amplififier
Part 1 - Design Overview and MC Preamplifier
By Andrew Russell
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In this DIY project, Andrew Russell proposes the X-Altra, a highly refined Moving Coil/Moving Magnet RIAA EQ Preamplifier that we know our readers will treasure building (and owning). This high-performance phono equalizer features an ultra-low noise LSK389B JFET from Linear Systems in the MM front end with switchable gain and resistive loading. The MC front-end utilizes "current injection" input stage with Zetex ZTX851/951 bipolar devices for use with cartridges down to 3Ω coil resistance. This article was originally published in audioXpress, February 2021. Read the Full Article Now Available Here
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The Wavecor FR070WA05 Aluminum Cone Full-Range 2.75” Driver
By Vance Dickason
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This article characterizes Wavecor’s FR070WA05, a 2.75" full-range driver with a black anodized aluminum cone, built on a proprietary injection-molded polymer four-spoke frame. Like most contemporary drivers, the area below the spider mounting shelf is totally open for increased cooling. The cone assembly with a 27mm diameter also features a black anodized aluminum dust cap (directly coupled to the 26mm vented black non-conducting black fiberglass voice coil former), and suspended with a low loss (high Qm) NBR surround and a 45mm diameter flat Conex spider (damper). Powering the cone assembly is a dual neodymium motor and a milled return cup with black emissive coating and 6mm diameter flared vent. Tinsel leads connect on one side of the cone to a pair of solderable gold-plated terminals. This article was originally published in Voice Coil, February 2021.
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