All change at Widex, new IIC model, new entry level ITE, and Wireless Accessories too


May 14th, 2012 by Paul Minikin
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Widex have released a new IIC hearing aid, they have called it the Widex IIC… The Widex IIC is very discreet and can be placed beyond the second bend of the ear canal. Widex have worked on an all-in-one design that means all the electronics of the hearing aid are individually placed in the shell to provide the ultimate small fit. The integrated faceplate eliminates hard edges leading to extra comfort.

The IIC also benefits from the Widex Sound – natural sound that doesn’t just help users hear speech or loud sounds, but all the sounds around them. Because the IIC sits so deeply in the ear canal the wearer can make the most of the natural pinna effect (the natural shape and sound collecting qualities of the ear shape) for better localisation of sound and to easily determine the direction of sound.

The Widex IIC is available in three technology levels, entry level, mid range and advanced, that’s IIC3+, IIC5 and IIC10. The Widex IIC covers hearing loss from minimal to moderately severe.

Widex have replaced the ageing entry level Widex Real with the new Menu 3+, in the past Widex have not troubled themselves too much to develop the entry level hearing aid market, concentrating more on the quality end of the hearing aid market instead. Of course the volume of hearing aid supply seems to congregate more towards the value end of the market and the Menu 3+ seems to be an effort to address this side of their hearing aid portfolio. It will be interesting to see how that goes.

Also Widex have added a couple of wireless accessories to their DEX range, the FM-DEX and the T-DEX.

The FM-DEX converts audio from an FM receiver, tyelecoil or audio cable line-in and then streams that to the Widex hearing aids. The rechargeable battery in the FM-DEX provides up to 10 hours of streaming. The FM-DEX has a wide bandwidth of up to 10.5kHz which can provide superb sound quality.

Also the T-DEX is now available, a hands free wireless neck loop that accepts bluetooth audio in wirelessly (that usually means a mobile phone but can just as easily be an MP3 player, a sat nav device, or anything that broadcasts bluetooth audio), and then connects to the hearing aids wirelessly via telecoil. In the case of a mobile phone user this means hands free conversations on your mobile. In fact the T-Dex can be used with any hearing aid brand that has a telecoil facility.

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Unitron rep Leon cycles across the US for charity


May 6th, 2012 by Paul Minikin
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Unitron UK’s regional manager Leon Cox is tackling a gruelling 3000 mile coast to coast bike ride from Los Angeles to New York in aid of the audiology department of Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

Leon aims to pedal around 150 miles a day over a month, with a few rest days in between. He will take in a very diverse terrain and many states, including California, Arizona, Kansas, Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Jersey before finishing in New York City.

Leon is going solo, without the help of a support vehicle, working out his own navigation himself, and combining camping and motel accommodation, and doing a lot of his own camping.

Leon started his epic journey on 30th April and you can keep track of his journey across America by following the Unitron twitter feed @unitron_hearing

Leon is hoping to raise £5000, you can sponsor him (and it would seem churlish not to!) by visiting his JustGiving webpage at http://www.justgiving.com/leoncox-lax2nyc

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Noise Action Week


May 5th, 2012 by Paul Minikin
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Noise Action Week is 21-25 May 2012. As an organisation Discount Hearing Aids are often involved in fixing the damage that has already been inflicted by exposure to excessive noise, so we feel a week dedicated to highlighting how noisy the world is we live in, and try to encourage everyone around us to be aware of this fact is not a bad idea!

Noise Action Week is a campaign to raise awareness and encourage people to think about how we can engage in reducing noise pollution around us in our own communities and neighbourhoods.

We feel it’s much better to concentrate minds on how to reduce noise than have to deal with the aftermath of potential hearing loss.

Noise Action Week is an annual initiative coordinated by Environmental Protection UK, a voluntary organisation supported by pollution control professionals which has been working for a cleaner, quieter, healthier world since 1898.

NAW 2012 is supported by Defra – the government department with responsibility for noise issues.

Each year Noise Action Week encourages local authorities, housing providers, mediation services, community groups and all those involved in neighbourhood noise management to engage their local community in reducing every day noise by:

  • Highlighting the problems noise disturbance can cause
  • Promoting practical solutions to noise problems
  • Promoting communication and consideration between neighbours
  • Informing communities of noise-related services available
  • Educating and informing noise makers and noise sufferers about noise reduction
  • Encouraging everyone to take a quiet moment to consider the noises they make

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Unitron Micro CIC – think smaller and hear better


April 26th, 2012 by Paul Minikin
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Unitron have released to market an IIC hearing aid to complement their range of Unitron Quantum hearing aids. Unitron have joined the ranks of hearing aid manufacturers that have released a sub CIC hearing aid, as long as there is enough space in the ear canal this type of hearing aid promises virtual invisibility, something hearing aid marketing has often promised but seldom delivered!

The Unitron Quantum Micro CIC is available across three technology levels to mirror the Quantum range at 20, 12 and 6 level. Unusually for this sector, Unitron have released a mid range IIC. Other manufacturers have been slow to release at this level of technology due to the increased costs and time involved in producing such a small hearing aid, this type of hearing aid just takes longer to build.

In a few weeks Widex will be launching their own IIC hearing aid which will leave ReSound alone in UK manufacturers not having this type of product in their line up. We are sure they will have something around the corner and as soon as we hear anything we will post the information as it becomes available.

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Phonak Launch Dalia and Naida S I to Market


April 11th, 2012 by Paul Minikin
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Phonak have released some entry level hearing aids to the UK market based on the very successful Spice platform, namely the Phonak Dalia to replace the now ageing Phonak Milo Plus, and the Phonak Naida S I, an entry level super power BTE.

These models mean that the full and current Phonak portfolio of products is base in its entirety on the Spice chipset.

Phonak Dalia has four channels and four manual program slots, SoundRecover, UltraZoom Essential, NoiseBlock and WhistleBlock amongst its plus points, not a bad suite of features for an entry level product. It is a good product for the budget conscious client not wishing to take advantage of wireless additions or automatic functions. The Dalia in its different forms is available in various power levels too, depending on the model power levels available are M, P, SP and UP.

Phonak Naida S I is the latest addition to the Naida range of water resistant super power BTE hearing aids, with a similar feature range as the Phonak Dalia it is a real option for the client looking for a no-frills budget version of the Naida.

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