Three of the world's biggest hearing aid manufacturers are all claiming market share increases in a global industry that has rebounded from last year's slowdown but that still is only seeing single-digit growth in units sold and, because of lower prices, even slower growth in overall revenue. Sonova Holding AG, the world's biggest hearing aid maker and parent of the Phonak … [Read more...] about Leading Suppliers Gain Market Share In Slow-Growth Hearing Aid Industry
Industry
Solving The ‘Cocktail Party’ Challenge Of Enhancing Speech In Noise
Here's something I've been waiting for -- a sound processing algorithm promising to isolate speech in noise and, once and for all, solve the "cocktail party" problem for hearing aid wearers. A team of researchers at Ohio State University has developed a new algorithm that identifies speech-based sound waves in noisy environments and eliminates other noise, and they claim to … [Read more...] about Solving The ‘Cocktail Party’ Challenge Of Enhancing Speech In Noise
VitaSound Puts High-End Hearing Aid Technology In A New PSAP
VitaSound Audio Inc., the Canadian hearing aid company known for its sophisticated Neuro-Compensator sound processing software, is taking its high-end technologies into the consumer market with a new personal sound amplifier. The new VitaSound Personal Audio Enhancer (PAE-300) is a multifunction amplifier that conditions and clarifies environmental sound as well as TV, phone … [Read more...] about VitaSound Puts High-End Hearing Aid Technology In A New PSAP
FDA Still Struggles To Explain Difference Between Hearing Aids And PSAPs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is continuing to split hairs as it attempts to draw a clear distinction between hearing aids, which are Class I medical devices subject to government regulatory oversight, and personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), which are not. While its recent draft guidance document updating its 2009 Regulatory Requirements has more … [Read more...] about FDA Still Struggles To Explain Difference Between Hearing Aids And PSAPs
Advanced Bionics To Settle Majority Of Outstanding Cochlear Implant Claims
Sonova Holding AG announced that its Advanced Bionics (AB) cochlear implant subsidiary signed agreements settling the majority of current liability claims related to product malfunctions, eliminating much the uncertainty surrounding the financial impact outstanding civil suits would have on its financial results over the coming year. Among the claims was a highly publicized … [Read more...] about Advanced Bionics To Settle Majority Of Outstanding Cochlear Implant Claims