DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – Starkey and MED-EL, two global leaders in hearing technology, have announced the launch of DualSync, a bimodal streaming solution that enables seamless audio streaming from Apple devices to compatible Starkey hearing aids and MED-EL cochlear implants.
This collaboration brings together Starkey’s hearing aid technology and MED-EL’s cochlear implant innovation to deliver a unified wireless audio experience for individuals who use both devices.
Starting July 1, 2025, Starkey Edge AI and Genesis AI hearing aids, along with MED-EL’s Sonnet 3, Sonnet 2, Sonnet, and RONDO 3 audio processors, will support bimodal streaming. The DualSync solution is designed to integrate with a growing ecosystem of devices and will be compatible with future technologies from both companies.
The platform provides synchronized audio connectivity from supported smartphones and media devices, aiming to offer users a more natural and connected hearing experience.
“Hearing loss takes many forms and, in some cases, multiple technologies are required for the best outcome of the patient,” said Brandon Sawalich, President and CEO of Starkey. “Today, two global tech leaders are combining world-class innovations to connect more people back to the things they love most. Partnering with MED-EL reflects our shared commitment to delivering excellence without exception.”
“By uniting two leading technologies, we are delivering a global solution that gives bimodal users effortless connectivity, clearer sound, and greater control in their daily lives. Our shared goal is simple: to make it easier for people everywhere to hear, communicate, and engage with the world – using the most advanced technology available.”
–Dr. Ingeborg Hochmair, co-founder and CEO of MED-EL
The collaboration reflects a mutual dedication to patient-focused innovation, expanding access, and advancing hearing care through integrated solutions.
For more information, visit www.starkey.com or www.medel.com.
About Starkey
Starkey is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Founded by Bill Austin in 1967, Starkey is known for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Led today by President and CEO Brandon Sawalich, Starkey is the only American-owned provider of hearing technologies. The company has more than 5,000 employees, operates 29 facilities and does business in more than 100 markets worldwide.
About MED-EL
MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 2,700 employees from around 80 nations and 30 locations worldwide.
The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in 136 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant system, as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices.
