Siemens

Brand Profile: Siemens Hearing Aids

Since 1878, when Werner Von Siemens developed the Phonophor amplified telephone, Siemens has been a leader in developing hearing aids and other solutions for better hearing. Today, with headquarters in the U.S. and Germany, Siemens Hearing Instruments is one of the world’s largest suppliers of hearing aids.

Siemens’ product lines meet all levels of hearing loss, from the Siemens Life hearing aid family meeting the needs of the broadest portion of the market– consumers with mild and moderate hearing loss–to its super-power Nitro family of hearing aids for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss.

Siemens Hearing Instruments was an early leader in delivering binaural wireless communication between both left and right hearing aids, providing a more balanced and holistic rendering of the listening environment enabling better speech comprehension and localization of sound. In 2010 it added its BestSound technology to its hearing aids, including advances in three areas:

• SpeechFocus technology continuously analyzes the environment for the most favorable speech-to-noise ratio, and automatically selects the microphone configuration which has the potential to offer the best speech intelligibility for the user, regardless of whether speech is coming from the front, behind, or the side.
• FeedbackStopper facilitates feedback suppression by combining Siemens’ proven Acoustic Fingerprint Technology with a new Transient Frequency Shift, eliminating feedback before it is even noticed by the user.
• SoundLearning 2.0 is a sophisticated learning algorithm that adapts to the user’s individual hearing profile and preferences. Automatically steered by an intelligent acoustic situation detector, SoundLearning 2.0 allows the user to teach preferred gain, compression, and frequency shape independently for various acoustic situations.

In 2010, Siemens corporation considered divesting its hearing-aid business, initiating an auction that attracted interest from private equity concerns as well as several other major hearing-aid manufacturers. But instead it made a strategic decision to reverse course and re-commit to the hearing-aid business by keeping Siemens Hearing Instruments as a major independent Siemens business.

Recent Posts About Siemens Hearing Aids

Siemens Plunges Into Invisible Hearing Aid Market With New iMini, A 16-Channel Device Featuring Siemens BestSound Processing

With the launch of its new iMini hearing aid family this month, Siemens Hearing Instruments will take the plunge into the hot market for invisible in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids.

While pre-announcement details are sketchy, enough information has trickled out to confirm that the tiny Siemens iMini hearing aids will sit so deep within the ear canal as to be virtually invisible while still offering premium 16-channel programming and Siemens BestSound sound processing features, including advanced feedback cancellation and a SpeechFocus algorithm that makes it easier to understand speech in noisy environments. The company has staged a limited rollout of the brand in several locations including France and Ireland and is promising a global rollout—with a snazzy design and choice of multiple colors—on February 21.

The Siemens foray into invisible hearing aids follows the success of Starkey Laboratories, which last year entered the market with a device marketed by multiple Starkey business units—most notably the flagship Starkey SoundLens IIC hearing aid—that sits within the “second bend” of the ear canal. ReSound also recently introduced an invisible hearing aid with innovative remote microphone that extends via an invisible wire from the processing unit deep in the ear canal to a location hidden under the outer ear’s cymba concha.

Siemens’ entry into the invisible hearing aid market indicates there is strong demand for cosmetically appealing solutions that eliminate the stigma of wearing hearing aids. Other entries in the segment include Lyric Hearing, which offers an extended-wear hearing aid that is replaced by your audiologists every few months.

Let’s Hope Siemens’ Decision To Stay In The Hearing-Aid Business Signals A Commitment To Innovation And New Products

It’s pretty certain now that Siemens will not divest its multi-billion-dollar hearing-aid business after all, having tried and failed to get its nearly $3-billion asking price from the private equity firms and other industry players that were in the bidding. It’s too bad none of the serious industry bidders would step up to the plate, because new management and an infusion of new capital might have revitalized a global hearing-aid industry leader that, given the vast potential in its aweseome R&D resources and market clout, sometimes looks too much like a sleeping giant. Let’s hope Siemens’ decision not to spin out the unit signals a re-commitment to a true leadership of the hearing-aid industry, which will require an investment in innovation and new products that have the potential to jump-start industry growth and deliver a new generation of customer benefits.

Six Bidders Compete To Acquire Siemens Hearing Instruments

Siemens has narrowed down the list of potential acquirers in its auction of the Siemens Hearing Instruments business to five private equity firms plus one strategic acquirer. Siemens is among the top five hearing aid companies worldwide but, according to news reports, its shrinking sales and profit margins lagged industry leaders Sonova and William Demant in 2009. News reports put the value of the unit at more than 2 billion euros ($2.88 billion US). The winning bidder is expected to be picked by the end of February. I can’t wait to see whether the newly independent entity will inject a shot of investment and growth into a hearing-aid industry that’s badly in need of new competitive energy.

Siemens Gets Active With New Cielo And Nitro Hearing-Aid Families

Siemens Hearing is the quiet giant in the hearing-aid industry. While Phonak makes noise with its splashy Audeo ads, while Oticon promotes its stylish candy-colored open-fit hearing aids, while Widex keeps itself busy being the “blingi-est” hearing-aid company, and while GN ReSound makes headlines not getting itself acquired, Siemens Hearing just goes about its business developing new products based on cutting-edge technologies. Read more