Sennheiser’s latest hearing aids aren’t like traditional hearing aids

It’s taken longer than we’d hope, but since October, the FDA finally established a framework for new category of hearing aids that don’t need a medical exam, prescription or a fitting by an audiologist. Unsurprisingly we’re seeing the first OTC products being announced at CES. Sennheiser, a staple of the consumer audio industry, has introduced the Conversation Clear plus.

The name implies that the earbuds are designed to facilitate dialogue rather than provide a holistic hearing experience. Sennheiser claims that the earbuds make it easier for people to understand each other in noisy environments. According to Sennheiser, this can be achieved in many ways. A Sonova chip is the core of the device. Sonova is responsible for many legacy brands in hearing aids like Unitron or Phonak. bought Sennheiser’s consumer audio business It was 18 months ago.

The Conversation Clear Plus is a similar design to regular wireless headphones. This will help remove any stigma associated with traditional hearing aids. They share many features with regular headphones, which is not surprising. Even though the application is more focused on background noise, active noise cancellation is included.

Like most wireless headphones you’ll have the option to adjust the amount of noise reduction and there’s a companion app for further tuning your hearing experience. Sennheiser identifies three main functions: Relax, Communication, and Streaming. Those are all fairly self explanatory, but the last one marks a key difference between this category and legacy hearing aids — the ability to stream music and audio from your phone. Some hearing aids can do this, but it’s often a sub-optimal experience given that it’s not what they were primarily designed for. Given Sennheiser’s credentials in the headphone world, it seems likely streaming will be comparable to its consumer headphones.

The Conversation Clear Plus boasts a nine-hour battery life per recharge, plus an additional 27 hours/three charge via the case.

OTC hearing aids promised significant cost savings. A set of OTC hearing aids with an appointment from an audiologist typically costs several thousand dollars. The Conversation Clear Plus will cost $850. Due to the differences in form factors, the experiences between these two product categories will be quite different. However, the modern, sleek design will appeal to many people who might be offended by the traditional clinical design of hearing aids.

Pre-orders of the Conversation Clear Plus are available starting January 5th and go on sale beginning Jan 20th.