Introducing ReSound ONE – Hearing as Nature Intended
AudiologyOnline: Why did GN launch ReSound ONE? What’s so special about it?
Laurel Christensen: Quite simply, the launch of ReSound ONE is driven by our organic hearing philosophy. Our philosophy has always been to emulate the natural hearing process as close as possible. While there have been improvements in sound quality in hearing aids through the years, many that ReSound has pioneered, most hearing aids users do not rate the sound quality of hearing aids as completely natural.
We wanted to rectify this by bringing to the market a hearing aid that promises natural sound quality because unlike close to 80% of the hearing aids sold today, it places an additional microphone inside the ear canal and uses the unique shape of every individual’s ear to collect sound. Every ear is different and what is natural sound quality to one person is not natural to someone else because sound is shaped by each person’s individual ear acoustics.
Hearing aids that place the microphones on the outside of the ear use a standardized approach to model the average ear and this makes sound unnatural and incomplete. Now with ReSound ONE, and our new microphone and receiver in ear (M&RIE), hearing aid users can enjoy individualized sound that allows them to tell both the depth and directional of sound. This spatialization has been key to natural sound quality and we are the first to bring this benefit to market along with better hearing in noise and the natural wind noise reduction provided by the new M&RIE.
AudiologyOnline: What is the technology behind ReSound ONE?
Laurel Christensen: ReSound ONE was built around the idea that everyone’s ear is as unique as their fingerprint, there are no two the same. Therefore, ReSound ONE is the world’s first full-featured hearing aid with a Microphone & Receiver-In-Ear design, coined M&RIE, that uses the unique shape of every individual’s ear to collect sound. This innovation has been achieved with a radical new receiver system combined with all-new Digital Feedback Suppression (DFS Ultra III), enabled by GN Hearing’s new and most powerful sound-processing chipset ever. ReSound ONE works by picking up sound directly inside the ear, which gives the brain everything it needs to tune in to individual voices, as well as significantly reducing background noise.
ReSound ONE also incorporates new All Access Directionality and the user-activated Ultra Focus settings which both incorporate new beamformer technology to improve speech intelligibility in noise.
AudiologyOnline: Will ReSound ONE change lives and hearing?
Laurel Christensen: The development of ReSound ONE is set to change the way those with hearing loss hear sounds and engage with the world around them. By nature, the outer ear is designed to work like an acoustic antenna. It helps the brain localize and tune in to a particular sound, for example when listening to a specific voice in a crowded café.
The one-size-fits-all nature of current hearing aids acts as a barrier to good hearing, while they no longer distort noise, they don’t sound completely natural to the user. Clinical studies show that 90% of users prefer the sound quality of ReSound ONE with M&RIE when compared to listening with microphones behind the ear.
In terms of ‘changing lives’, what remains central to enjoying life are key moments and milestones with friends and family and we hope that ReSound ONE will help alleviate the day-to-day challenges that come with living with hearing loss so that the moments that truly matter are enjoyed and cherished. It’s because of this that when launching ReSound ONE we also wanted to raise awareness of hearing loss. We know that it’s common for people to neglect or fail to appreciate the importance of hearing, and at times, take it for granted. To help people understand, GN simulated the effects of hearing loss over Neil Armstrong’s famous 1969 Moon Landing commentary to demonstrate how memorable moments in time sound to those living with hearing loss. Take a look here.
AudiologyOnline: What will be the impact of ReSound ONE for hearing care professionals?
Laurel Christensen: Hearing care professionals can now offer a revolutionary new class of hearing aids with huge benefits to their clients in terms of natural sound quality and spatial perception.
We have designed ReSound ONE with our new “Prescribed First Fit” which helps hearing care professionals customize advanced feature settings based on peer-reviewed research. This helps them create the most comfortable and personalized first fit for their clients for higher satisfaction right from the start.
We are looking forward to helping people with hearing loss, who may have used a hearing aid before, but did not think the sound quality was good enough. Together with hearing care professionals they can benefit from superior sound and all the health benefits of treating hearing loss.
AudiologyOnline: Can you please explain in more detail what Organic Hearing is?
Laurel Christensen: When we talk about Organic Hearing, we’re talking about ReSound’s unique philosophy that inspires our innovations. To design hearing aids that truly solve the problems experienced by hearing aid users, we must first understand how the normal ear works and how the normal hearing person experiences sound. ReSound has brought to market many innovations that provide an organic experience. To hear more about Organic hearing please watch here.
For more information on ReSound ONE visit https://www.resound.com/resound-one
Laurel A. Christensen, PhD
Chief Audiology Officer, GN Hearing
Laurel A. Christensen, Ph.D. is currently Chief Audiology Officer for ReSound. In this role she leads all aspects of audiology for the company including new product trials, audiology input to marketing, and global audiology relations which encompasses training and product support to subsidiaries world-wide. In addition to her position at ReSound, she holds adjunct faculty appointments at Northwestern and Rush Universities. She served as an Associate Editor for both Trends in Amplification and the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research. She currently serves as an Editorial Consultant for several other professional journals. She is a member of the Executive Board of the American Auditory Society and a member of the Advisory Board for the Au.D. Program at Rush University. Dr. Christensen received her Master’s degree in clinical audiology in 1989 and her Ph.D. in audiology in 1992 both from Indiana University.