In February, Widex unveiled the new Widex SmartRIC, a groundbreaking hearing aid featuring an innovative L-shaped design. This design is intended to improve the microphone angles, enhancing directionality and speech targeting to provide a more natural hearing experience.
Design and Microphone Positioning
One of the standout features of the Widex SmartRIC is its unique L-shaped design, which is not merely an aesthetic choice but a functional improvement aimed at optimizing microphone placement. Traditional receiver-in-canal (RIC) devices often have microphone angles around 30-40 degrees, which can negatively impact the directivity index and, consequently, the device’s ability to focus on speech in noisy environments. The SmartRIC addresses this by reducing the microphone angle to an average of 12 degrees, significantly improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and enhancing speech intelligibility.
Dr. Dana Helmink, Senior Director of Audiological Development at Widex, explained the significance of their design in a March interview: “Our goal is to achieve a perfect zero-degree horizontal focus forward with a directional microphone system. The unique design of the SmartRIC positions the microphones at a more horizontal angle compared to other hearing aids, enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio and improving speech intelligibility in noisy environments.”
According to a study led by Dr. Francis Kuk, this reduced microphone angle resulted in an average SNR improvement of 1.25 dB, translating to about a 12.5% improvement in speech understanding. Some participants experienced even greater benefits, with individual improvements reaching up to 5 dB in SNR. This is particularly crucial for users struggling with speech comprehension in noisy settings, providing a substantial enhancement in their daily hearing experience.
Comparing two slim hearing aids – the Widex SmartRIC with it’s distinctive L shape design vs. the popular Signia Styletto IX device, known for its slender look. The devices are very similar in overall width, but the SmartRIC looks and feels a little shorter on the ear, which is more clearly shown on the image on the right side.
Widex SmartRIC Hearing Aids: Key Features
- Unique L-shaped design: Optimizes microphone placement for improved directivity and speech intelligibility.
- Reduced microphone angle: Average of 12 degrees, enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio.
- PureSound™ with ZeroDelay™ technology: Minimizes latency to 0.5 milliseconds for natural sound processing.
- Long-lasting rechargeable battery: Up to 37 hours of use on a single charge and 27 hours with full-day streaming.
- Portable charging case: Capable of five full charges, adding to user convenience.
- Enhanced wind and touch noise reduction: Up to 20 dB improvement in wind noise attenuation and 88% reduction in touch noise.
Natural Sound and Advanced Processing
Widex has long been recognized for its commitment to delivering natural sound quality, and the SmartRIC continues this tradition with its PureSound™ with ZeroDelay™ technology. This advanced processing system minimizes latency to a remarkable 0.5 milliseconds, ensuring that users experience sound as naturally and realistically as possible.
The result is a listening experience that “closely mimics natural hearing, reducing the cognitive load on the user and making it easier to distinguish speech from background noise”.
Connectivity and Personalization
The Widex Moment app offers a comprehensive suite of features to enhance the user experience with the SmartRIC hearing aids:
- Personalization: Users can adjust sound settings with an equalizer and sound mixer, and create personal programs, including wellbeing and Zen programs, for tailored audio experiences.
- Remote Control: The app functions as a remote control, allowing users to select hearing programs, adjust volume, mute/unmute, and focus directionally.
- Audio Streaming: Stream audio directly from iPhones and many Android devices, and control audio from the TV Play device.
- Monitoring: Users can check battery and connection status, locate lost hearing aids, and enable/disable Bluetooth (flight mode).
- Support: The app includes a help section with FAQs, how-to videos, and step-by-step instructions in the My Guide section. Users can also receive firmware updates.
- MySound: This feature combines user experiences with AI to recommend personalized sound profiles and allows users to adjust equalizer and compression settings for customized hearing experiences.
- SoundSense Learn: Utilizes machine learning to guide users toward a better sound by comparing different profiles.
- Appearance and Pairing: The app offers light/dark mode switching and in-app pairing for easy connectivity.
Usability and Battery Life
In addition to its audiological benefits, the SmartRIC is designed with user convenience in mind. It features a long-lasting rechargeable battery, providing up to 37 hours of use on a single charge and up to 27 hours with a full day of streaming. This extended battery life ensures that users can rely on their hearing aids throughout the day without needing frequent recharges. The portable charging case, capable of five full charges, adds to the convenience, making it easy for users to manage their device on the go.
Moreover, the SmartRIC incorporates a new microphone cover and inlet design that significantly reduces wind and touch noise, common annoyances for hearing aid users. The improvements in wind noise attenuation, ranging from 2 to 20 dB depending on conditions, and an 88% reduction in touch noise, enhance the overall listening experience by minimizing distractions.
User Experience and Aesthetics
The modern, sleek design of the SmartRIC offers a stylish and discreet hearing solution. Its aesthetic appeal, combined with functional benefits, helps address the stigma often associated with hearing aids. The device’s small size and comfortable fit make it unobtrusive and easy to wear throughout the day. Hearing care professionals have noted that patients are particularly drawn to the SmartRIC for its innovative design and performance.
The charger, too, reflects this attention to user-friendly design. It is compact, easily fitting into a pocket or small purse, and supports both USB-C and wireless charging. This flexibility ensures that users can charge their device conveniently, whether at home or on the go.
Conclusion
The Widex SmartRIC hearing aid offers notable advancements in microphone placement, sound quality, and user convenience. Its innovative design aims to improve speech intelligibility in noisy environments and enhance the overall user experience with a sleek, modern appearance and extended battery life. For individuals seeking a hearing aid that combines advanced technology with practical usability, the Widex SmartRIC presents a strong option.
With its blend of form and function, the SmartRIC adds value to Widex’s portfolio and serves as an attractive choice for hearing aid users. Dana Helmink noted, “With the SmartRIC, we’re delivering measurable audiological benefits that help wearers perform better in noisy situations, improving speech understanding and noise reduction.”
**Interested readers wanting to know more might want to check out this in-depth discussion on the new SmartRIC device, with Dr. Dana Helmink of Widex:
