Opn open deviceA new hearing aid called Oticon Opn™ employs an “open sound” approach to manage multiple speech and noise sources, even in complex listening situations. It is characterized as a paradigm shift in hearing aids that combines breakthrough technologies proven to enable people with hearing loss to experience less listening effort and enjoy better speech understanding.

 

According to the company, the new OpenSound Navigator™ scans the environment 100 times per second to analyze and balance every sound individually. Environmental sounds are said to be accessible, but not disturbing.

With this open sound experience, Oticon reports that it makes traditional directionality, designed to focus on the main sound in front and suppress background sounds, a thing of the past. Users can now focus on a conversation while staying attentive to people and things around them, and switch focus quickly and easily.

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“Oticon Opn is the first hearing aid proven to make it easier on the brain,” said Don Schum, PhD, vice president of audiology and professional relations for Oticon Inc. “In testing using pupillometry, a well-recognized measure of stress on the brain, Opn users experienced 20% less listening effort when trying to understand speech. Additional studies show that because Oticon Opn users have freed up mental resources, they are able to remember 20% more of what is said. Testing also shows that Opn increases speech understanding, the parameter most important to users, by 30% over other Oticon hearing solutions.”

Oticon Opn

Oticon Opn contains a tiny chip that is said to have the speed needed to manage multiple sound sources, analyzing and processing sound data 50 times faster than before. A 64-band frequency resolution enables a more precise sound analysis and better sound quality to support the brain’s ability to make sense of sound. Opn makes it easier for people with hearing loss to communicate and stay socially active, with less listening effort and more ability to remember what is being said.

It also connects directly to your iPhone®, so you can use your phone like everyone else.  And you can use your hearing aids like stereo headphones to talk on the phone or stream music directly to your hearing aids.

Opn also connects to the Internet via If This Then That (IFTTT.com), a web service that automates other web-based functions to make life easier. Users can connect to a wide range of IFTTT-enabled devices used in everyday life such as door bells, baby monitors, and thermostats.

If you’re interested in learning more about Oticon Opn and what it could do for you, contact us today for a free consultation and hearing evaluation.