When Oticon introduced its popular Opn hearing aids in 2016, the company said its goal was to enable those with hearing loss to understand speech “on par with people with normal hearing”—even in noisy environments. In 2019, it took another big step toward that goal with its Opn S hearing aids. The Made-for-iPhone Opn S models are more than just an incremental upgrade. They are based on a new sound processing platform, Velox S, that Oticon says dramatically improved the hearing aids’ performance in three ways:

• 15% improvement in speech understanding versus Opn.
• 10% reduction in listening effort versus Opn.
• 10% increase in memory recall versus Opn.

Opn S Technologies

Oticon has done extensive research at its Eriksholm Research Center and Center for Applied Audiology Research in Denmark on how the brain processes sound. It’s turned that research into advanced features in the Opn and OpnS hearing aids, including:

• "BrainHearing" – sound processing technology that is designed to result in less listening effort, better speech understanding, and capacity to remember more of what one has heard. Oticon says that by reducing the mental processing power required to understand speech in noise, the technology allows you to use more of your brain to process speech to understand and remember what's being said.
• Speech Rescue LX – which shifts frequencies to levels where the individual has less hearing loss, increasing comprehension.
• OpenSound Optimizer – providing optimal gain by analyzing various listening environments and automatically adjusting amplification levels. Oticon says it also eliminates feedback by anticipating and preventing annoying whistling before it even happens.

Connected to the Internet of Things (IoT)

Oticon is also the first hearing aid manufacturer to offer integration with the If This Then That (IFTTT) network, which effectively enables Opn™ users to control their home via the "Internet of Things “ (IoT). Using the Oticon ON app, you can program your hearing aids to integrate with and perform a variety of IFFT functions. According to Oticon:

IFTTT (If This Then That) is an ever-expanding internet-based service, which enables you to integrate your hearing solution with a vast range of online products and solutions such as your home lighting, doorbell, alarm system, and mobile phone.

Accessories

In addition to pairing with your iPhone, Opn hearing aids can stream music directly from Android smartphones and from other Bluetooth-enabled devices via Oticon's ConnectClip accessory streamer that clips to your collar.  The ConnectClip also functions as a remote mic and enables remote control of your hearing aids. And the Oticon ON app lets you use your smartphone to control your hearing aids as well.

The Oticon TV Adapter connects to almost any audio device and lets you stream audio from the TV or music player directly to your hearing aids. It’s effective from a range of up to 45 feet.

Opn S hearing aids also come with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery option providing a full day of hearing on a single charge. The hearing aid charger provides a full charge in three hours. And if you forget to charge overnight, a 30-minute charge will provide six hours of use.