Silicon Valley-based hearing aid maker, Eargo, announced an all-new hearing device: Eargo Max. The company, which recently received a $45 million dollar investment, has been manufacturing and selling rechargeable, direct-to-consumer hearing devices since 2015.
“We asked our customers how can we make Eargo even better? With their help we developed Eargo Max, the best invisible hearing aid on the planet. We’re proud of our latest creation but not spending any time patting ourselves on the back. There’s too much to do and we’re just getting started.”
—Christian Gormsen, Eargo CEO
The company says its hearing devices are designed for those millions of Americans experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss that “have put off searching for a solution due to stigma and a ‘broken’ distribution model that hasn’t changed for decades”.
Eargo Max Hearing Aid: Price & Availability
The Eargo Max hearing devices are available for purchase online or by phone. The company is currently offering an introductory price of $2,250 for a pair of devices, with a 45 day trial period, customer support and a 1 year warranty.
Currently, the Eargo Max is only available for purchase in the United States.
Source: Eargo
What happens after the online-purchased EarGo one year warranty expires and OCV (open circuit voltage) hysteresis renders the recharging process essentially ineffective. What is the charge when an out-of-warranty Li-ion battery, specified at 450 mAh, becomes ineffective? Is a new $2250 purchase required annually? (a typical A10 non-rechargeable battery is rated at 90mAh.) How about cerumen obstruction in the aid / PSAP after year one?
This information has been posted: “UPDATE 02/18/2016: We received some new information via email which confirms that the rechargeable Eargo batteries cannot be replaced. The batteries are rated for “1000+ charge cycles,” and “Eargo is still finalizing a[n] upgrade program for existing customer[s] to upgrade in the future at a discounted price.” For reference, 1000 charges is good for about 2.7 years (assuming one charge per day).”[https://www.hearingtracker.com/over-the-counter-hearing-aids/eargo-hearing-device]
Mark Ross writes the following about a morphologically comparable, professionally dispensed IIC rechargeable product: “The company states that the battery is designed to last “up to four months” when worn 24/7; on average, again according to the company, users can expect five or six re-fits a year. In addition, the aids are not sold; rather, a prospective user must purchase a “subscription” for either one or two years. A year’s subscription costs about $3200 for a pair of Lyric hearing aids. Over a five year period (the life-span of a typical digital hearing aid), the total cost of the Lyric will come to about fifteen or sixteen thousand dollars.” [https://www.hearingresearch.org/ross/hearing_aids/invisible_extended_wear_hearing_aids.php]
Why was there even an OTC bill if companies can sell directly to consumers? I thought that was illegal and part of the reasoning behind the new bill…
Great point! It’s pretty much wide open even though the otc bill won’t fully take effect for likely another 2 years at least
I am based in India and would like to buy for my father who is 85 years .Will buy from USA and get in India.Have contacts with hearing support people in India who support other devices . Will they be able to help and tune to my father’s needs .Will you be able to offer support material/ software along with for support people in India.Thanks
This website does not sell devices, rather just reports on the industry and new developments. You should contact Eargo directly if you are interested in their hearing aids.