oticon hearing aids
May 18th, 2007 | By Steve | Category: InformationOticon company history
In 1904, Hans Demant began importing hearing aids into Denmark - his wife suffered from hearing loss and he was looking for a way to help her and other like her.
After Hans’ death in 1910 his son, William, too over the business - he continued to import hearing aids until the outbreak of the 2nd World War cut off his supply from abroad. William began to make his own instruments and the Oticon TA was the first Danish produced hearing aid - it was released in 1946.
During the 60s and 70s Oticon expanded into a global brand with sister companies in Norway, Holland, USA, UK and Japan among others.
Since then, Oticon have continued to innovate and push hearing technology. Their MultiFocus aid, released in 1991, was the world’s first fully automatic hearing aid. The DigiFocus, Adapto and Delta brands have followed since then.
Models and technology
Nowadays, Oticon offer a wide range of digital hearing aids - as you might expect, these range from the expensive and feature-rich instruments, down to the more basic and cheaper models. Below are the current ranges:
Epoq
The current jewel in Oticon’s crown. The Epoq contains wireless technology that:
- Enables the left and right ear aids to communicate with each other and give you a more realistic sound. Other hearing aids will, even if you are wearing two, work independently of each other.
- Use you mobile phone through your aids via Oticon’s Intelligent Epoq Streamer technology. You do not have to hold your mobile to your ear, you don’t even need to pick it up!
- The Intelligent Epoq Streamer technology also works for MP3 music players such as Apple’s iPod.
Delta
The Delta range use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to provide you with the best level of speech understanding in all situations. Delta’s AI models the human brain to constantly work at giving you the clearest and most comfortable hearing environment. The Delta also has an inbuilt memory that monitors and records your sound environment and your reaction to it - this enables your hearing aid provider to better adjust the aids to your specific needs.
Synchro and Safran
The Synchro and Safran ranges offer the same Artificial Intelligence capabilities as the Delta to give you optimal speech recognition.
Tego / Tego Pro
The Tego range employs DecisionMaker technology to give you advanced sound processing. Thanks to the DecisionMaker, speech comes through clearly, no matter how busy things get. It knows exactly when to focus on speech and when to cut out unwanted noise. It also eliminates whistling sounds without reducing the overall volume.
Sumo DM
The Sumo DM range are for people with sever or profound hearing loss. Sumo gives you powerful amplification of low-frequency sounds to help you hear people’s voices more clearly.
Go Pro
Go Pro is Oticon’s cheapest digital hearing aid offering. It is cheap and simple but offers great sound quality - probably more suited for people with mild hearing loss.
Prices
This is a rough guide as to the kind of prices you can expect to pay for Oticon products. You may be able to find cheaper prices online or you may prefer to pay slightly more and buy locally from a bricks-and-mortar vendor. Either way, treat these prices as ball-park figures and remember to always try to drive the price down a bit when you are buying - hearing aids are expensive items!
| Range | US price | UK price |
| Epoq | $2800 - $3400 | £1700 - £2100 |
| Delta 8000 | $2300 - $2749 | £1475 - £1820 |
| Delta 6000 | $1999 - $2499 | £1225 - £1500 |
| Delta 4000 | $1799 - $2300 | £975 - £1250 |
| Synchro | $2549 - $2900 | £1500 - £1700 |
| Safran | $2100 - $2600 | £1250 - £1550 |
| Tego | $1649 - $1,949 | £950 - £1200 |
| Tego Pro | $1849 - $2300 | £1100 - £1500 |
| Sumo DM | $1749 - $2250 | £1100 - £1300 |
| Go Pro | $1329 - $1500 | £650 - £900 |
Hey,
Thanks for the info. Nice blog, keep up the good work!
H.
[...] aids on the market these days. The technology is being pushed all the time and companies such as Oticon, Starkey, Siemens and others are innovating all the time. Below is a list of common features of [...]
My husbacd has brain damage (from cardiac arrest) and would not be able to use anything that is at all complicated — such as something small that is placed in the ear. Do you have anything that hangs outside the ear that would be easy to use? Thank you Donna Cantelon
Hi Donna,
Most hearing aids these days are easy to use in that they are setup by the Audiologist to suit the individual’s hearing loss - the wearer only needs to turn them on, adjust the volume (not all aids having a volume control) and possibly change the program if necessary.
The on/off control may be a button on the aid itself, a button on a remote control unit or the aid may be turned on by closing the battery compartment.
Program selection is usually either a button on the aid or a button on a remote control unit.
As for difficulty with inserting the aid into the ear, I think there’s always going to be a part of the aid that your husband will have to fit into his ear. BTE aids sit mostly behind the ear but will have a ear-piece that needs to be inserted. Your husband may find a ITE easier to handle as it will be bigger. Most people find inserting a new hearing aid difficult for a while; because the aid is moulded to fit the canal, they sometimes have to be twisted slightly whilst inserting them.
I would suggest contacting a local audiologist and explain to them what you need. It is likely that they will have some empty hearing-aid shells that your husband can try out and see which one is easiest to use. You may find the Buying Your First Hearing Aid article useful.
Good luck with finding the right aid for your husband. Post back and let us know how you get on.
All the best,
Steve.
I WOULD APPRECIATE RECEIVING INFORMATION ON THE DELTA MODEL OF OTICON HEARING AIDS. MAIL TO:
JOAN W. MAGUIRE
719 BLUEBIRD CT.
GENESEO, IL 61254
MANY THANKS!!!
ALSO, IS THERE A DEALER IN THE MOLINE, IL - DAVENPORT, IOWA AREAS? THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 25-30 MILES FROM OUR HOME.