Bose to begin selling FDA-approved hearing aids direct to consumer.

[Mike Mercury]

Available in five states starting on May 18th

https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/11/22430485/bose-soundcontrol-hearing-aid-fda-cleared

Bose announced today that it will begin selling direct-to-consumer SoundControl hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss on May 18th. They’ll cost $849.95 and will be sold directly by Bose in five states — Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas — before they’re available nationally.

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The hearing aids are meant to be fit and controlled by the wearer without needing to see an audiologist for a hearing test and professional fitting. They use standard hearing aid batteries that Bose says will last up to four days if used 14 hours a day. Volume, treble and bass, and modes for different listening environments can be adjusted and preset in the Bose Hear app on iOS or Android. There’s a “Focus” feature with different settings, including a “Front” setting for filtering noise in busy rooms and an “Everywhere” setting that allows all sounds during walks outside or around the house.

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“In the United States alone, approximately 48 million people suffer from some degree of hearing loss that interferes with their life. But the cost and complexity of treatment have become major barriers to getting help,” said Brian Maguire, category director of Bose Hear, in the press release.

Prescription hearing aids can cost several thousand dollars and are rarely fully covered by insurance. Less costly personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) are sold in stores, but they aren’t as effective or adjustable as hearing aids and aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The SoundControl hearing aids are the first to be authorized by the FDA for use without assistance from a health care provider.


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[Rodnok1]

I could use those especially for the left ear. Mom was almost stone deaf and they cost thousands back in the 70s. I was the go between for her and the audiologist, he had a decent beard and stash and she couldn't read his lips :slap:
She had one of the first of a new gen back then and man did it suck, lasted about 3 days before gave it back(experimental and was free). She'd had a much more normal life with quality like those Bose I bet.
That's really a good price for high quality aids.

[Bill]

My ex girlfriend was deaf, she enjoyed sound via cochlear implants, and she had hardware that worked like this....she could dial them in to filter out ambient noise, and a bunch of other stuff. She could hear better than I could, especially in noisy environments.

Being able to fine tune adjustments without an audiologist isn't new, but maybe it's new for the consumer hearing aid market. I wonder if there's any application to help with tinitus, in the way noise cancelling headphones operate?

Also, if these are halfway decent, that's an attractive price point, and I'm assuming that's a per ear price, not the price for two.

[Steve_R]

They use standard hearing aid batteries that Bose says will last up to four days if used 14 hours a day.

Replace the batteries every four days? Yeah, that's real useful. Or not.

[Rodnok1]

Replace the batteries every four days? Yeah, that's real useful. Or not.

That's decent battery life actually esp if the smaller battery type. Little suprised they don't have rechargeable batteries though especially from a high end company like Bose. . Mom spent more on batteries than the aids over the life of them. The old ones the stronger the aid the larger the battery and quicker they'd burn through them.

[Ronins2ndCuzzin]

If the quality is anything like their sound systems in Corvette's, they can keep their useless garbage.

[Mike Mercury]

I'm assuming that's a per ear price, not the price for two.

my understanding is that this is for the pair.

These BOSE hearing aids are the air-conduction type; the transducer is in the aid body itself.... there's a hollow tube going to the earpiece.

I've had both the air conduction type and the transducer-in-ear type. The only drawback to the air conduction type is that they will work only up to a certain level of amplification. If ones hearing is really bad... then the in-ear transducer type would be needed.

[mrvette]

I wood pay 2 for 50 bux, and then 6 nicad rechargeable batts with charger for another 20 bux......

and I"m being liberal/generous on the selling price....
:dance: