SOMERSET, NEW JERSEY – The Oticon Opn S hearing aids are now available through the US Veterans Administration, Department of Defense and other federal agencies. The new hearing aids, according to the announcement, will “empower veterans with hearing loss to experience speech understanding in difficult listening situations at the level of people with normal hearing”.1
Powered by the ultra-fast Velox S platform, the upgraded OpenSound Navigator™ (OSN) provides a 360° listening experience, which the company say is more effective in supporting the brain to help users manage listening to multiple speakers in noisy environments.
“Our research shows that 96% of Oticon Opn™ users prefer Opn S.2 That is a powerful statement for the thousands of VA audiologists who have already experienced the real-world, practical impact on quality of life that Opn provides veterans. Now, the groundbreaking new technology in Opn S provides Oticon’s highest level of cognitive support, empowering people with hearing loss to participate in the same social settings as their normal-hearing peers.1”
–Donald Schum, PhD, VP of Audiology for Oticon, Inc.
Speech understanding with the Opn S is said to be further improved by up to 15%, listening effort is reduced by up to an additional 10% and memory recall further improved by another 10%.4
More benefits, more flexibility for audiologists and patients
The OpenSound Optimizer™, a groundbreaking new technology that prevents feedback without removing the prescribed amplification, gives audiologists the freedom to deliver optimal gain and more open settings for patients than before.
The unique feedback breaker allows Opn S to deliver up to 6 dB more stable gain in an open fitting without increased feedback risk.2 By proactively managing feedback, even before it occurs, Opn S provides up to 30% more speech cues to the brain, improving speech understanding without compromising clarity and sound quality.5
Opn S wearers can “boost” the support they receive from the OSN, regardless of their pre-defined setting. In a broad range of everyday listening environments, if they feel the need for an extra boost of help to make speech stand out from noise, they simply activate the OpenSound Booster™, available on the ON App.
Lithium Ion Rechargeability and Wireless Connectivity
The new Oticon Opn S is Made for iPhone® and connects with smartphones and tablets using 2.4 GHz Bluetooth® Low Energy for reduced battery consumption. The ConnectClip allows the hearing aids to function like a high-quality headset, giving access to wireless streaming for music, movies, phone calls and more from iPhone® and Android™ smartphones, tablets and laptops.
For patients who want the convenience of rechargeable batteries, the new Opn S miniRITE R offers the company’s first rechargeable lithium-ion solution. The charger is said to provide a stable, reliable magnetic connection for convenient charging that delivers a full day of power, including streaming, with a quick overnight charge.3
The Oticon Opn S family is offered in three performance levels and four styles – miniRITE, miniRITE R, miniRITE T and BTE PP.
For more information about the new Opn S family readers can visit the company’s website.
References:
- Juul Jensen 2018, Oticon Whitepaper
- Oticon Opn S promotional sheet, 2019
- Lithium-ion battery performance varies depending on hearing loss, lifestyle and streaming behavior.
- Juul Jensen, 2019 Oticon White Paper
- Callaway 2019, Oticon Whitepaper
Source: Oticon
