What's New

Disposable Hearing Aids

Songbird Hearing Inc. has released the first disposable hearing aid. At a cost of $40 per ear per month, the disposable hearing aids are due to be released in the Madison area in August 2000. A one-size-fits-all device, the Songbird comes in several prescriptions for various types of hearing loss. Designed as an entrée product, it is not powerful enough for those with moderate or severe hearing loss. They are not cheaper than custom products when you look over the long run, but they do provide an affordable solution for some who are just starting to evaluate how hearing aids fit into their lifestyle. Songbird Hearing hopes that the concept of putting something clean in your ear every month will be appealing to baby boomers who do not want to be bothered with daily care and maintenance. The fees for the hearing aid fitting and hearing evaluation are not included in the price and must be performed by the audiologist fitting the device.

Other entrée products

Other products which are designed to attract occasional or “reading glass” users to the hearing aid market include the ReSound Avance. ReSound introduced the Avance hearing enhancer in 1999. It has been popular with business executives who may need help around a conference table, but do not need help in other environments.