ExSilent Ytango Is First Behind-The-Ear Hearing Aid To Place Both Microphone And Speaker In The Ear Canal

ExSilent, an independent hearing aid company which was an early entrant in the invisible hearing aid market, has expanded its product line with the Ytango, the first behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid to integrate both the microphone and speaker in an earpiece that sits within the ear canal.

By placing the microphone with the speaker in the ear canal while letting the small unit that sits on the ear handle all the digital sound processing tasks, the Ytango lets the concha and the ear canal provide the ear’s more natural acoustic sound-enhancing properties. The patented design enables the wearer to better pinpoint where sound comes from, experience less wind noise and better understand conversation in noisy situations.

ExSilent calls its new technology “MaRIC,” for Microphone and Receiver in the Canal. Many other companies have put the hearing aid’s speaker (receiver) in the ear canal, but none to date have also put the microphone there in a behind-the-ear device. In addition to acoustic benefits, eliminating the microphone from the behind-the-ear processor unit reduces its size and improves its cosmetic appeal. The module in the ear fits deeply, so it is nearly invisible as well. ExSilent has also developed a new soft dome that, like other manufacturers’ receiver-in-the-canal products, does not require a custom ear mold impression.

A Ytango Pro model adds AirTAP™, another technology first from ExSilent that was first introduced on its Qleaf Pro CIC in February 2011. AirTAP lets you select programs with a slight touch or pat on ear. The AirTAP switch lets users move smoothly through four personal preset programs to adapt to different listening situations. The Ytango Pro-T also adds a telecoil, that transfers signals from mobile phones, MP3 players and other audio equipment, through a Bluetooth-enabled neck loop directly into the user’s hearing aids.

ExSilent is demonstrating the Ytango at the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) AudiologyNOW conference in Chicago this week and will start shipping the new product this spring. At a show marked by fewer major new technologies and new-product introductions from hearing aid manufacturers than in previous years, the new ExSilent Ytango behind-the-ear hearing aid should stand out.

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