GN ReSound’s new flagship family of Alera hearing aids will provide wireless connectivity directly with mobile phones and television sets equipped with ReSound’s new Unite assistive listening device (ALD) accessories.
Like other new wireless ALD accessories from Widex and other hearing-aid manufacturers, the ReSound Unite accessories eliminate the need for transmission through the hearing aid’s telecoil from a neckloop attached to the transmitter. And because the new ReSound Alera hearing aids communicate with the Unite accessories at 2.4 gigahertz, they eliminate the interference and delays sometimes experienced with slower wireless transmission speeds used by other manufacturers.
The ReSound Alera hearing aids use wireless technology effectively to make the user’s life easier in a variety of ways. ReSound Unite TV is a small transmitter box that attaches to the television and transmits audio from the TV directly into the hearing aids. The ReSound Unite Phone Clip is a small device with a microphone that syncs with your mobile phone and transmits the caller’s voice directly into your hearing aids. And the ReSound Unite Remote Control hand-held unit gives users push-button control of their hearing aids to manage volume controls and program settings.
The ReSound Alera hearing aids also integrate other advanced features, including:
- ReSound SurroundSound, a sound-shaping system that optimizes amplification for understanding speech, reduces amplification of unwanted noise with personalization options in seven different environments, and suppresses feedback.
- iSolate™ nanotech coating, which covers all elements of the hearing aids with a thin protective layer that bonds at a molecular level with the internal and external components, so that liquids or moisture coming into contact with any element of the hearing aids will simply roll off without being absorbed.
- And for audiologists, the ReSound Airlink wireless fitting technology, a simple plug-in to a personal computer’s USB port that communicates wirelessly with the client’s hearing aids, enables adjustments to the hearing aid programs without being tethered wires.
The new ReSound Alera hearing aids were announced at the American Academy of Audiology Conference in April, and ReSound said first shipments would start in June. The company’s web site, however, still says the new hearing aids are “coming soon,”so they may not be widely available just yet. But when the Aleras do arrive they will signal GN ReSound’s continuing commitment to innovation as a standalone company, following the saga of its brush with acquisition by Sonova in 2007, a transaction stymied by a German antitrust court. The restriction on the sale was reversed on appeal in April, but by then both Sonova and ReSound parent GN Store Nord announced they would not pursue the transaction, with GN restating its commitment to the ReSound brand and affirmingit had “no concrete plans” to sell the unit.
Joe Black says
Does anyone know where I can purchase one of the Resound hearing aid remote controls?
The one I have is broken?
Fred Rodman says
Agreed on the bluetooth connection. It sucks the life out of the 312s, which are supposed to last more than a week. Understand there are a many points of failure built in to these systems. First, there’s your bluetooth device (phone, mp3 player), then the streamer (aka phone clip), then the remote, then the hearing aids, then the hearing aids batteries.
Of all these, I’d say the phone clip is the weak point in the setup. It doesn’t hold onto the bluetooth signal as well as the Oticon Connectline device manages to. Its strength is the quality of the signal it sends to the hearing aids. Oticon provides the flip side: great bluetooth connectivity, not quite as great handshake with the hearing aids, which I suspect is due to the type of signal it is sending.
Connectline, too, shows more useful abilities: It can mute/unmute the exterior mics while streaming. It can handle TV, phone, landline phone, mp3. There’s a slight learning curve figuring out what long and short taps can do. Downside: you have to have your streamer around your neck for TV watching.
Unite’s big upside is the high frequency transmission: directly from the TV to your hearing aids, no relay station. Same from the phone clip to the hearing aids. It’s got a solid remote control that acts as switch on/off for TV sound, changes programs in the hearing aids as well as volume control for same. You pay with extremely short battery life. They die faster than 10s to with an Oticon Delta, which I currently wear
It’s really a tough call. But I think I’d fall on the Oticon side at this time, even though I prefer the Alera 7 hearing device. Connectivity is important to me.
Rebecca says
The other issue.. if your streaming bluetooth on TV you can’t hear anything or anyone else.. which is a real bummer. The phone clip picks up all background noise so the people you talk to are complaining about the quality of your voice instead of the other way around.. for the first time I can hear them, but they can’t hear me.
Rebecca says
I’ve been using these for 3 weeks and (wearing aids for 30 years).. Im not sold yet.. Battery life is 2 days, and that is only with going wireless for 2 hours a day. The phone has been a royal pain to get working correctly, so far only 1 day has it worked correctly and I had to upgrade my black berry to get it to work, Major design flaw in the clip, in that you can’t tell charge level, or even if it is on half the time. The aids while small, are nice, but I’m going back for my 3rd adjustment, as sound still isn’t what I would like it to be. Are they better than my old aids.. yes.. but are they worth the 6k a pair.. No. Especially with the short battery life.
Jeanne Ward,Au.D. says
Another amazing technology. I wish that I can buy one for my friend. He has a hearing problem and I think if he will have that he will be so happy.
Maggie Overath says
Ok, I been trying out these hearing aids….first of all I have been wearing hearing aids since age 4 years..and getting use to that dome like earplugs takes an adjustment for me. My god the hearing aid is tiny. One thing I wish Resounds would do is keep the hearing aids in mini using size 13 batteries…at least they last at least two weeks of regular use. I am a heavy media user ..I love listening to music or audiobooks- and the phone clip works great with my phone. However, the batteries 312 size are small and last only three days. So unfortunately I going to plan to tell my audiologist that this will not do. I can’t afford to keep buying batteries just to satisfied my wireless needs. 🙁 I am bummed.
Maggie Overath says
I am so thrilled to see that the technology is catching up with current technologies. I have been waiting for this! I currently wear two BTE Azure ReSounds hearing aids. I love them but with having to deal with putting the DAI boots and taking them off and often getting straggled by the audio cords, it created a wear and tear on my hearing aids. I loved the idea of not having to deal with that. I will be talking to my audiologist about this. Woohoo!!
David Sigismund says
Hi David,
I love that the major hearing aid manufacturers are all getting on the wireless connectivity bandwagon. I’m excited to get a new pair of hearing aids in next few years and I’m confident they will iron out the kinks.
couple thoughts: 1) I know a lot of older folks with hearing impairments that withdraw from the world and start watching too much TV. A sort of passive entertainment that can really melt ones brain. :). I’m not on my high horse about TV- I love watching a number of shows. But I do worry about older folks that stop being active the world because they are losing their hearing and its getting too difficult to communicate. Hearing aids help solve this problem- but I hope they start watching less TV in return!