Oticon Real is now available to veterans through the VA, department of defense and other federal agencies.

Oticon Real, a new family of hearing aids with BrainHearing technology, is now available through the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies.

Oticon Real represents the next step in BrainHearing technology, providing access to the full spectrum of real-world sounds with exceptional detail and clarity. New technologies balance sudden disruptive sounds and clean up wind and handling noise while significantly reducing listening effort, so veterans can be comfortable and stay sharp in the real world.

“Oticon continues to power innovative technology with meaningful benefits for veterans with hearing loss,” said Mike Marcinek, vice president, general manager, government services and pediatrics. “Traditional hearing aid technology relies extensively on directionality, which focuses on one speaker and suppresses surrounding sounds. Oticon Real provides access to the full, open sound scene while increasing protection from disruptive sounds that challenge more than 7 out of 10 hearing aid users.”

Oticon Real is powered by the new Polaris R platform which features new detectors for fast and precise processing of disruptive sounds and wind and handling noise. An on-board Deep Neural Network (DNN) trained with 12 million real life sound scenes optimizes the way Oticon Real makes sounds more distinct, working seamlessly across varying listening environments.

Two new innovations, SuddenSound Stabilizer and the Wind and Handling Stabilizer, help Oticon Real enhance DNN-based sound processing.

Using the new detectors, SuddenSound Stabilizer monitors the sound environment and adapts amplification to keep both soft and loud sudden sounds available, balanced, and comfortable. SuddenSound Stabilizer can handle more than 500,000 sudden sounds during a typical day, instantly reducing and releasing gain as the sounds occur, without compromising comfort or access to speech. SuddenSound Stabilizer reduces listening effort by 22% in the presence of sudden sounds, according to the company.

The new Wind and Handling Stabilizer protects against uncomfortable wind and handling noise. Wind can cause unpleasant sounds in a hearing aid and handling sounds, such as hands, hair, glasses, or a facemask touching the hearing aid microphones also creates unpleasant sounds.

Unlike traditional hearing aids that allow wind and handling noise to enter both microphones, Oticon Real selects the microphone with the cleanest sound input, reducing disruptive sound from entering the system. Double-patented technology detects and cleans up wind and handling noise 500 times per second.

Oticon Real also features Bluetooth Low Energy technology with an extensive range of connectivity options, including hands-free calls on select iPhone and iPad devices and direct streaming from select Android devices.

The Oticon Companion app is an all-in-one solution that allows veterans to easily control and personalize their hearing aids with features to find my hearing aid for lost devices, manage connected devices and receive remote counseling and programming from their hearing care professional when needed.

The Oticon Real family includes four styles (miniRITE R, miniRITE T, miniBTE R and miniBTE T) and nine color options, including new olive green. Convenient charger options and modern connectivity enable direct streaming, and hands-free calls.

Photo courtesy of Oticon