NuHeara IQBuds

NuHeara IQBuds

Nuheara IQbuds™ BOOST, a personal sound amplification product (PSAP) device, will be carried by ADCO Medical Suppliers, a General Services Administration (GSA) contract holder authorized to supply audiological equipment to the US federal government, including the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) which supplies about 1 of 5 hearing aids in the United States. Nuheara, which is based in Perth, Australia, and has offices in San Francisco, produces devices that augment consumers’ hearing according to their personal hearing preferences and connects hands-free with their voice-enabled smart devices.

According to the ADCO press release, “IQbuds™ BOOST are the perfect hearing solution for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss, who feel they are not yet ready for a hearing aid.” However, NuHeara is not a hearing aid (an FDA Class I medical device) intended to address hearing loss, and thus would be classified as a PSAP. It is not known if the VA intends to purchase and use these products.

“Nuheara is on a mission to transform the way people hear by providing affordable and accessible hearing solutions,” said David Cannington, co-founder and EVP of sales and marketing of Nuheara in the press statement. “By developing strong relationships with quality partners like ADCO we are confident that we can expand our reach to include more customers across multiple channels. We are excited to have our new wholesale distributor ADCO on board with us to share the vision of changing people’s lives.”

Nuheara is generally considered one of the better PSAPs in terms of utility and sound quality. Before starting Nuheara in 2014, Cannington and Nuheara CEO Justin Miller helped found Sensear, a smart digital 360° hearing protection and communication system. Several of Nuheara’s executives previously worked at Sensear and Hearmore, and VP of Products Alan Davis worked at Dolby Labs. The IQbuds™ BOOST was developed with assistance from the National Acoustics Laboratories (NAL) in Sydney, Australia. It assesses users’ hearing thresholds then uses the NAL-NL2 prescription formula to individualize the sound. It also features an “audio beamforming” technology for enhanced directionality when listening in noise. Nuheara became a public company with a listing on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) in 2016.

The Hearing Review contacted both ADCO and Nuheara for this article but did not receive an immediate reply.