Sennheiser's First OTC Hearing Aids Support Android And iPhone
In 2022, Sennheiser's consumer business went through a change of ownership when it was acquired by Sonova — a Swiss company known for its presence in the hearing care space. While this change of hands didn't affect Sennheiser's core business, it seems to have opened up new avenues for the company. More than a year after the acquisition, the first outcome of the Sonova-Sennheiser combination comes in the form of new Sennheiser-branded over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.
The company has just announced two FDA-approved hearing aid products: the Sennheiser All-Day Clear and the Sennheiser All-Day Clear Slim. While this is not technically Sennheiser's first foray into the world of hearing aids (that credit goes to the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus), these products are the first ones from the company to be marketed as OTC hearing aids. If not already evident, the Sennheiser All-Day Clear Slim is the smaller of the two devices, and while both models get their dedicated charging case and accessory kit, the All-Day Clear Slim gets an additional compact carrying case.
Sennheiser All-Day Clear OTC Hearing Aids: Everything you should know
While Sennheiser is yet to release detailed technical specifications of its new OTC hearing aids, we have a fair idea of what to expect from these products. To begin with, both products are designed to work with smartphones and can be controlled via a dedicated app available for download on the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store. The app will let users control various facets of the hearing aids. The capability enabled by the app includes setting up a personalized sound profile, controlling wind noise settings, and optimizing the audio performance while streaming music over Bluetooth. Sennheiser also claims a sub-5-minute setup process for these devices.
The Sennheiser All-Day Clear OTC hearing aids also support an intelligent scene detection feature. The company claims that the feature monitors the wearer's listening environment and then optimizes the sound to best suit the listener's hearing profile. Both the Sennheiser hearing aids claim up to 16 hours of battery life, which should easily let users wear them all day long before charging them at the end of the day.
Sennheiser expects to bring its All-Day Clear hearing aids to retailers and hearing care professionals by July 2023, with prices starting at $1,399.95 for the standard model and 1,499.95 for the All-Day Clear Slim