STAFA, SWITZERLAND – Phonak has announced the Naída Marvel (M), a fully-connected, multifunctional super power hearing aid for those with severe-to-profound hearing loss.
According to the company’s press release, the new Naída Marvel delivers rich, powerful sound and directly connects to virtually any Bluetooth device including smartphones, TVs, tablets, PCs and much more. Integrated Marvel 2.0 technology like RogerDirect gives wearers the flexibility to stream the Roger signal directly into both ears, resulting in “almost 10x better-than-normal hearing in noisy situations and over distance”.1
Naída M: Power meets connectivity
Naída M is the world’s first super power hearing aid that directly connects to both iOS® and Android™, or virtually any other Bluetooth enabled audio device. It’s also the world’s only super power hearing aid to allow hands-free phone conversations as well as the classification of streamed audio signals.2 With Naída M, super power wearers can use their hearing aids like wireless headsets while receiving the power and sound quality they’ve come to expect.
“Since the release of its first power hearing aid in 1978, the Phonak brand has been dedicated to creating powerful hearing solutions that deliver excellent hearing performance. Now in its sixth generation, Naída M builds on this legacy with award-winning Marvel technology. The result is Naída becoming the most powerful Super Power3 multifunctional hearing solution that allows people with severe-to-profound hearing loss to connect to everyone and everything around them.”
Jon Billings, VP of Marketing at Phonak
Extending Marvel and increasing accessibility
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 466 million people worldwide have disabling hearing loss.4 Left untreated, these individuals have extreme difficulty communicating with others, often relying on lip reading and/or sign language.5 One study found the societal costs of this degree of hearing loss in the U.S. alone to be nearly $300,000 over the lifetime of each person, most of this attributed to reduced work productivity.6
Naída M’s combination of power and wireless connectivity was specifically engineered to address the 
unique communication needs of people with severe forms of hearing loss. According to the company, the StereoZoom feature found in the Naída M helps reduce listening effort in noise by 24% versus a non-directional program and even enhances memory recall with 10% more words recalled in noise.7 Naída Marvel also directly connects to Roger microphones to help improve speech understanding in noise and over distance1 while remaining 15% smaller and 14% lighter than previous versions that required an external receiver.
Finally, the myCall-to-Text app provides live transcription of phone calls from the other party in more than 80 languages. This could offer an ideal solution for people who would like to benefit from additional visual captions when using the phone.
Availability
Naída Marvel will be available to the public end of February through licensed hearing care professionals. For more information, please visit https://www.phonak.com/naidamarvel
References:
- Thibodeau, L. (2014). Comparison of speech recognition with adaptive digital and FM wireless technology by listeners who use hearing aids. American Journal of Audiology, 23(2), 201-210
- Rodrigues, T., & Liebe, S. (2018). AutoSense OS™ 3.0. The new & enhanced automatic operating system. Phonak Insight, retrieved from www.phonakpro.com/evidence.
- Phonak Naída M, Datasheet (2019) Technical Data, retrieved from https://www.phonakpro.com/content/dam/phonakpro/gc_hq/en/products_solutions/hearing_aid/naida_marvel/documents/datasheet_naida_marvel_sp.pdf, accessed 13 January, 2020.
- World Health Organization (2019). Deafness and hearing loss. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss
- European Group on genetics of hearing impairment. Martini A (Ed.), European Commission Directorate, Biomedical and Health Research Programme (HEAR) Infoletter 2, November 1996, 8.
- Mohr, P., Feldman, J., Dunbar, J., McConkey-Robbins, A., Niparko, J., Rittenhouse, R., & Skinner, M. (2000). THE SOCIETAL COSTS OF SEVERE TO PROFOUND HEARING LOSS IN THE UNITED STATES. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 16(04), 1120-1135.
- Winneke, A., Schulte, M. & Latzel, M. (2019). The effect of spatial noise processing in hearing aids on neural correlates of listening and memory effort: an EEG study. Manuscript in preparation.
- Bluetooth® word mark is a registered trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such mark by Sonova AG is under license.
- IOS is a trademark of Cisco Technology, Inc.
- Android is a trademark of Google LLC.
Source: Phonak
