SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA — Concha Labs has announced findings from its first peer-reviewed clinical trial, published in Trends in Hearing. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota and San Jose State University, evaluated the performance of Concha Sol™, a self-fitting hearing aid, and found statistically significant improvements in users’ ability to understand speech in noise and in real-world listening situations.
The study compared the performance of the Concha Sol™ self-fitting hearing aid to traditional audiologist-fitted devices, using two widely accepted measures: the Quick Speech-In-Noise (QuickSIN) test and the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB) questionnaire.
Key Findings:
- On the QuickSIN test, Concha Sol™ users achieved an average score of 1.3 dB SNR, approaching the normal hearing range of 0–2 dB SNR. This result represents a statistically significant improvement in speech understanding in noisy environments.
- On the APHAB questionnaire, which evaluates ease of listening in daily situations, participants reported improved scores (26.1), indicating enhanced real-world hearing performance.
“These results challenge long-standing assumptions about the limitations of self-fitting hearing aids,” said Dr. Peggy Nelson, Associate Dean at the University of Minnesota. “This study provides compelling evidence that self-fit OTC hearing aids—when thoughtfully designed—can achieve outcomes that are on par with, or exceed, traditional fittings. That’s an exciting development for both accessibility and innovation in hearing health.”
Personalization and Access in Hearing Care
Concha Labs was founded by Amy Li, a Stanford MBA and UC Berkeley-trained bioengineer who has personal experience with hearing loss. Inspired by the limitations of traditional hearing aids, Li set out to develop a solution that better adapts to the needs of individual users.
“When I wore an early prototype of Concha Sol™ to a holiday party and could understand people better than my friends with normal hearing, I realized we were building something special. This clinical study confirms what we’ve seen anecdotally: with the right technology, self-fit hearing aids can deliver a meaningful, personalized experience. We see this as a way to help more people get started with hearing care—especially those who might otherwise go untreated.”
–Amy Li
Concha Sol™ uses a patented personalization system that adjusts to the user’s hearing profile. The device is available over the counter, through select clinics, and online at www.conchalabs.com.
The full study, “Validation of a Self-Fitting Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid Intervention Compared with a Clinician-Fitted Hearing Aid Intervention: A Within-Subjects Crossover Design Using the Same Device,” is available via Trends in Hearing and PubMed Central.
About Concha Labs
Concha Labs is a hearing technology company on a mission to personalize hearing. Backed by clinical research and a patented self-fitting system, Concha Labs is expanding access to high-quality hearing care—starting with Concha Sol™, its first over-the-counter hearing aid.
Source: Concha Labs
