Hearing Loss and Dementia
March 4, 2019
Running a Family business
June 17, 2019
In Built Diagnostics & Flex Trial Hearing AIDS
Unitron a Canadian company and part of the Sonova group which also has Phonak hearing systems as part of their portfolio are a company known for their innovative approach to introducing people to hearing instruments. Unitron are and have been big on AI (Artificial Intelligence) & machine learning for over 10 years. Their new hearing aid the Discover takes that experience and delivers onboard hearing aid diagnostics. Their Flex trial or flex diagnostics hearing instruments have proven in the past to be brilliant for first time users. Basically, Flex trial allows you the user to take away a set of hearing aids for free. While you have the hearing aids, they will continually monitor the environments you are in and how you move speak etc in these environments. The hearing aids will log all this information in a system known as Log it All.
Log it All captures all your listening data and environmental data while you wear the hearing aids. The hearing aids will then use all this data to inform you and your hearing care professional which type and level of technology would be best for you and why.
Why is this important?
Many people are scared to buy hearing aids for a few reasons.
-They may have bought some before and not had a great experience.
-They may be someone who has never had hearing aids and are unsure if they will work.
– They may not want to waste a hearing care professionals time therefore don’t want to make a commitment.
Another main reason for not purchasing a hearing aid is people really can struggle with cost versus benefit. They don’t want to outlay a large cost upfront to figure out if there is a benefit therefore, they tend to avoid trying hearing instruments.
Flex trial diagnostics has your back covered. They are designed with the sole purpose of being loaned to the potential hearing aid user. The hearing aid will collect the data and help you decide if it is helping or not. If its not you simply hand them back with no commitment.
Flex Trial Diagnostics will also categorise your time with the hearing aids and help you choose the right technology level for you. Unitron has 4 levels of technology depending on the users lifestyle. We will discuss this later.
Log it All
Log it all is another key component of the Unitron Discover range. Log it All is a system that allows you to communicate with your hearing care professional using your phone and a series of smiley faces. It’s a simple tool to let your hearing care professional know how your getting on in very specific environments.
Lets say you are in a restaurant and you are not hearing well. You can take your phone out and instantly let your hearing care professional know you are struggling. Likewise you can tell your hearing care professional what is going well.
When you come back with you hearing instruments to see your hearing care professional, we use the data from the Flex Hearing Aids and the Log it All to find the perfect match for you.
Risk Free no obligation trial
Because the Discover hearing instrument using flex trial are gathering diagnostic information, we have to give you the hearing instruments for a period to try them. We cant charge you anything because we don’t know what you need until you try them! Without taking the diagnostic Discovers away we will not be able to collate the much needed data that will let us understand what kind of help you need if you need any help at all.
The flex trial instruments once in diagnostic mode will collect data for up to 30 days before the beep continuously letting you know their at capacity and you need to return to your hearing care professional and have a diagnostic overview.
Personal Recommendations
The discover hearing instruments will make 1 of 4 recommendations and allow you to try that specific recommendation to make sure it is right for you.
Discover 9
Premium performance in 7 potential environments. The most sophisticated features that let you focus on speech and let you know where sound is coming from. Enjoy music automatically with the beautiful music programme.
What your missing – Nothing everything is covered.
Discover 7
Advanced performance in 6 listening environments. The hearing aid will help you deal with noises coming from the front and side when the background noise gets challenging. Great awareness where sounds are coming from plus automatic music options.
What you’re missing – A little sophistication that lets you understand where sounds are coming from. Also more challenging noise situations will be tracker.
Discover 5
Standard performance in 4 listening environments. Will help you understand where sound is coming from in quiet environments.
What your missing – Your hearing aids will not focus well on sounds coming from different directions if you are regularly in background noise. You will nit have programmes to deal with lots of noise or automatic music options.
Discover 3
A great entry level hearing aid that will operate over 2 environments. Will struggle with complex listening environments and multiple speakers.
What its missing – everything from above and any ability to hear in noise.
For a free diagnostic experience with Flex trial Discover contact us and book your appointment today.
Key Features of the Discover Range
Stream to any phone
The discover receiver in the canal hearing aid can now stream music and tv direct to the hearing aids on both sides. Previously Unitron and Phonak were the only hearing aid manufacturers to allow direct streaming to any phone whether that was apple or android BUT they could only do it to one ear. With the new Discover Hearing instrument all calls, music and TV will stream directly to both ears and the hearing aids will stream regardless of who makes your phone. That’s a pretty big deal.
With all other manufacturers if you want to stream a non-apple phone you must use a device that pins onto your shirt lapel and even then, the sound quality is poorer than the direct streaming from Unitron hearing instruments.
Another amazing feature unique to the Discover and the Phonak Marvel hearing aids is that you can answer your phone without actually putting it to your ear. This allows you to immerse yourself in a truly handsfree experience. All other manufacturers hearing aids need you to place the mobile phone to the ear.
Rechargeability
This has been a massive hole in the Unitron portfolio. It would be fair to say they have lost some market share because of this. Well they have not disappointed with their new Discover Hearing aid. With 24hrs use from single charge these lithium ion hearing aids will be guaranteed to give you optimum battery life for 5 years usage.
Sword 3.0 hearing like a 20 year old
With their upgraded hearing aid chip Unitron have increased the sound quality and their hearing instruments ability to deal with background noise.
Their Soundcore intelligent hearing system works on 4 key pieces of information supplied by the hearing aid.
Sound Nav 3.0
Years of training their hearing aids with AI and machine learning means that the soundcore element of the Unitron Discover can identify soundscapes similar to that of a young 20 year old. With up to 7 individual scenarios to chose from the hearing aid can successfully decide the best environment and diagnostics for the hearing aid user at a particular time. Not only that it can mix the 7 environments together to create an infinite possibility of set ups. As you are never in the same set up twice the hearing aid will never set itself up identically on two occasions.
Spatial Awareness
Unitron love localisation of sound in their hearing aids. Spatial awareness analyses the environment and allows the wearer to understand where sound is coming from. A real problem with people and hearing loss as well as conventional hearing aids is that they find it difficult to understand where sound begins and ends. This can be a massive safety problem especially with warning alarms and vehicles who may be coming from difficult to see areas.
Sound Conductor
This part of the hearing aid is the part that is responsible for helping you hear in background noise. This is where your microphones that are placed inside the hearing aid will begin to talk to one and other and help each other reduce the noise so you may hear the speech.
Speech Pro
This feature is designed to reduce your listening effort. Mixing all the features above speech pro takes it cues and cleans the noise from the speech. Its main function is to help you hear with confidence in the most difficult listening environment.
Best in Class TV connecter
With the Sword hearing aid chip Unitron along with Phonak deliver the best in class TV connector. This TV connector delivers crystal clear sound to both hearing aids using 2.4ghz wireless technology. Its super portable and along with the direct streaming from your phone or tablet adds outstanding capabilities and flexibly to your hearing and hearing aids.
For your free diagnostic hearing evaluation please contact us @ Lanarkhsire Hearing Centre
Steven Ross (MSHAA, RHAD)
Director
58 Cadzow Street,
Hamilton,
ML3 6DS
t: 01698 283549
m: 07340 746950
e: info@lanarkshirehearingcentre.co.uk
