Oticon is a part of Demant A/S, the second biggest hearing aid manufacturer in the world. Oticon is based in Denmark and is known for its innovation and technological advances in the hearing aid market. Oticon has numerous lines, styles, colors, and types of hearing aids on the market, and the Opn family of hearing aids is one of their best known. Their current push in hearing aid technology is called BrainHearing and it has been a very successful new technology.
The original Oticon Opn hearing aids include some breakthrough technology that will be described below, but they were all Behind-The-Ear (BTE) style hearing aids. With the Opn ITE option, now you can get that same technology in an In-The-Ear (ITE) device. Many hearing aid wearers want a small ITE device that other people may not even notice, but the smaller devices do not always have the same features and technology found in larger BTE hearing aids. With the Opn now available in the ITE style, that is no longer the case. The Oticon Opn ITE is a line of hearing aids made for mild to severe hearing loss and designed to be discreet. The Opn ITE line is a great choice if you are looking for the features and technology found in the best hearing aids on the market, but you want them in a small and discreet package.
Things to Consider Before Buying
The Oticon Opn hearing aids have been a huge success since their introduction in 2016, but the new Opn ITE hearing aids are different and better. The purpose of the Opn line of hearing aids is to close the gap between the processed sound that you get with hearing aids and the natural hearing process you have without them. To do this, Oticon has focused on these things specifically:
- BrainHearing
- 360-degree Open Sound
- Great connectivity to virtually any device with Bluetooth capabilities.
- One of the best apps on the hearing aid market.
- Incredible speech recognition and clarity
Each of the features mentioned above will be explained in detail below along with many others, but these things combine to give the Oticon Opn one of the “closest to natural” hearing experiences on the hearing market.
Pros
- 360-degree sound experience with multiple speakers that work together to give you sound from your entire environment.
- They give you as close to a natural listening experience as you will find.The ON app is one of the best out there.
- All of the features and technology that you find in the Opn BTE hearing aids but in a small, discrete package.
- The BrainHearing feature takes your brain’s function in the hearing process into account for a more natural listening experience.
- Options that are virtually invisible to anyone else.
- The combination of speech clarity and speech recognition give you a very close to normal listening experience.
- Very fast processing between the microchip and Velox platform means that you hear sounds immediately with no delay.
- A made-for-iPhone hearing aid that connects seamlessly to your iPhone but is also compatible with most android devices.
- A good lineup of accessories.
- The OpenSound Optimizer adjusts amplification levels to your environment, it also eliminates feedback by anticipating whistling and stopping it before it starts.
- You get a 30-day risk free trial and a 3-year warranty.
Cons
- No rechargeable option.
- One of the more expensive hearing aids on the market.
- There are no options for profound hearing loss.
- The accessories can be expensive.
Features & Benefits
- Design/type of hearing aid
The Oticon Opn ITE hearing aid is for people who suffer with mild to severe hearing loss and want a discreet solution that will help their hearing without other people even knowing you are wearing a hearing aid. Here are the five styles that you can find with the Oticon Opn ITE:
- Invisible In the Canal (IIC)
- Completely In the Canal (CIC)
- In The Canal (ITC)
- Half Shell (HS)
- Full Shell (FS)
The options listed above are in order from smallest to largest, but all of them are small and discreet. The Oticon Opn ITE performs optimally for people experiencing mild to moderate hearing loss. If you have profound hearing loss you should try another option because the Opn ITE relies, at least to an extent, on your ability to hear some sounds naturally.
- Fit and Wearability
ITE hearing aids are generally customized because of how they fit inside your ear. To get the best fit for your ear’s size and shape, an audiologist can read the size and shape of your ear so that the hearing aid fits well. Oticon ITE hearing aids are known for their comfortable fit and these are no exception.
- Battery Performance
There is not a rechargeable option for the Opn ITE. This is a downside because of how convenient a rechargeable hearing aid can be. Even without a rechargeable option, however, there are some good battery performance features for the Opn ITE. You get the low energy technology so that you can stream with very little battery usage, about 3 to 10 days of use per battery, and an easy-to-find battery. Some of the smaller hearing aids like the IIC can be very difficult to work wirth and changing the battery can be a chore.
- Sound quality
- Directionality
The 360-degree Sound experience is different from any other hearing aid processing feature on the market. Rather than simply focusing a microphone straight in front of you, it uses multiple microphones to give you processed sound from every direction and, through BrainHearing, allows you to choose what you hear and focus on.
- Adaptability
Each model of the OPN ITE hearing aid features wind noise management, OpenSound Optimizer, and Soft Speech Booster to help you adapt to your noise environment. The most feature-rich aspect of adaptive noise reduction is found with the OpenSound Navigator as it naturally adapts your hearing aid settings and features to the environment you are in.
- Adaptive noise reduction
The OpenSound Navigator processes noise so quickly it even cleans up noise in between words so that what you hear is what you want to hear. The Oticon Opn ITE reduces background and ambient noise so that you can focus on speech.
- Streaming
With a wide array of accessories, apps, and Bluetooth capability, you can stream audio from any other Bluetooth electronic. The OPN ITE is made-for-iPhone so that you can stream directly from your iPhone to your hearing aids no matter what you are doing. The sound quality is great and the Bluetooth technology allows for continuous streaming for as long as you want to do it. You can also stream from tablets, televisions, and anything that is compatible with telecoil.
- Brain Hearing
BrainHearing is the basis for most Oticon hearing aids right now and was developed to help with speech clarity, reduced listening effort, and improved short-term recall. This new technology hinges on the idea that, “your ears collect sound, but it is your brain that understands it.” Oticon believes that when your brain does not receive enough sound information, you will not understand what people are saying or what is going on around you. BrainHearing technology takes into account the brain’s role in hearing while remaining focused on what the ear does as well.
One of the key pieces of technology that came from BrainHearing is called a deep neural network (DNN). A DNN is a type of machine learning that mimics the way the brain works, and Oticon was able to apply this to their hearing aids. Oticon hearing aid DNNs are trained with millions and millions of real-life sound scenes such as restaurants, sporting events, classroom lectures, train stations, etc. The DNN then attempted to identify and balance each sound in each sound scene, and through a system of trial and error, DNNs learned how to process sound correctly and to prioritize the most important sounds to you in a given environment.
- Accessories
- ConnectClip
Oticon Xceed hearing aids are iPhone compatible, but with the ConnectClip you can connect to any smartphone with Bluetooth capability.
- TV Adapter
Stream the audio from your television directly to your earpieces and you can even adjust your personal television volume without messing with anyone else.
- Hearing Aid Charger
There is a rechargeable option with the Ruby family of hearing aids, and the charger that comes with it uses inductive charging technology. That means that there are no “connections” that have to be contacted for the charging to happen, simply place the hearing aids on the charger and 3 hours later you have a full charge goof for 20 hours of listening time or more.
- Remote Control
A remote control will connect directly to your hearing aids so that you can adjust volume, settings, etc. with a discreet handheld device.
Unique Perks and Features
- Bluetooth Connectivity
Oticon places a high premium on connectivity because of that they have made their devices compatible with as many devices as possible. The Opn ITE connects to most Bluetooth devices, the full lineup of Oticon accessories, and the excellent ON app. It uses a low energy technology to stream so that you can do it as much as you want without using a lot of battery power. Streaming and connectivity is going to continue to grow in importance for hearing aid wearers and Oticon has remained at the forefront of this technology.
- ON App
The Siya line is compatible with the Oticon ON App and all of the features and usability that the app offers. The following is a description of how you can control your Oticon hearing aids with the app:
- Remote Control
The remote control is where you control your device. You can turn the volume up or down, or switch back and forth from different programs.
- Hearing Aids
This button on the app allows you to check the battery level of your hearing aids. By monitoring battery life through this app, you will avoid finding yourself in the situation where your hearing aid batteries die unexpectedly.
There is also a “find your hearing aids” option, similar to what many smartphones have. This can help you locate your hearing aids if you should lose them.
- HearingFitness.
Oticon calls this aspect of your app “a fitness tracker for your ears.” It tracks your hearing, helps you to set goals, and gives advice on how to improve your hearing. In this area of the app, you can actually set goals for how long you want to use your hearing aids and then check back over weeks and months to see how close to your goals you have come.
- Internet of Things.
The Oticon On app actually opens up the “If This Then That” (IFTTT) internet based service in certain Oticon hearing aids. Here are some examples of things that IFTTT can do:
- Turn your bedroom lights on every morning when you take your hearing aids out of their charger.
- Alert you every time your alarm system goes off or your doorbell rings.
- Send an email to your caregiver alerting them that your hearing aid’s battery is low.
- Have a signal sent to you if your refrigerator door is open or your timer is going off.
- Hearing Guide
This section of the app holds full guides that will help you make sure you are using all of the features that your hearing aid offers. Having these guides at your fingertip will allow you to go through and discover features and aspects of your Oticon hearing aids that you may be unaware of. The guides will teach you how to put these features to use.
- Settings
The “settings” button allows you to configure the app to your personal preferences so that it can be more useful to you in the long run. This button also gives you access to the “instructions for use” for the On app.
There have been great improvements in the On app since its inception, but they have maintained a focus on simplicity and function throughout. No matter how robust and thorough an app is, if it is confusing or difficult to use, it will not be good to anyone. The On app is easy to use but it also has enough features to make it a great addition to Oticon hearing aids.
Tinnitus Relief
Oticon Opn ITE hearing aids can mask tinnitus by balancing or canceling the ringing sound in your ear with a more pleasing soundscape such as ocean noises, music, relaxation guides, etc.
Cost
The cost of the Oticon Opn ITE varies greatly depending on the style, technology level, and service before and after the sale. While the cost of these hearing aids cannot be found on the Oticon website, you can expect to pay at least $2,000 for the baseline model and up to $5,000 or more depending on where you purchase and the level of service you receive.
FAQs
- How much is the Oticon Opn ITE?
The cost of the Oticon Opn ITE is reliant on a variety of factors. The first is that when you go to your audiologist, they will help to guide you to the right device. They will also provide important service before, during, and after the sale, but that service will also increas your price. It also depends on the style and technology level that you decide to purchase. In all, you should expect to pay between $2,000 and $5,000 per device.
- What is the difference between Oticon Opn ITE and Oticon Opn S?
There are two main differences between the Opn ITE and Opn S:
- The Opn S is known for its rechargeable battery option while the Opn ITE only offers disposable battery options.
- The Opn ITE only offers In-The-Ear style hearing aids while the Opn S has BTE and M&RITE options.
- What is the life expectancy of an Oticon Opn ITE hearing aid?
You get a 3-year warranty and 30-day money back guarantee, so Oticon stands behind their product. Oticon hearing aids are known for their quality and durability, and to date those features are there for the Opn ITE device as well. You can expect the Oticon Opn ITE to last at least 3 years or as many as 7 years or even more.
Oticon is one of the most well-known and respected hearing aid brands on the market, and the current Opn line of hearing aids is one of their best ever. The Opn ITE takes all of the power, technology, speech clarity, and sound quality that you find in the Opn BTE hearing aids and puts it in a small, discreet package. On top of that, the connectivity and streaming features available through this hearing aid are as good or better than any other you will find. The ON app gives you complete control of your hearing aids from the palm of your hand and adds real value to your device. Some people prefer the BTE hearing aids because they are easier to work with and in the case of the Oticon Opn, you cannot find a rechargeable battery option with the Opn ITE. However, if you are looking for a technologically advanced hearing aid that gives you some of the best speech clarity on the market in a discreet, barely noticeable package, then the Oticon Opn ITE hearing aid is a great choice.
