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The ClearSounds Quattro 4 has an array of features that are very neat and maybe you can benefit from hearing from a smartphone, computer, MP3 player, or in a noisy environment using the removable mic or even while talking on the phone directly to your ears. You can use the earpieces that come with the product or your own earbuds or your hearing aid or cochlear implant with your t-coil.
It is a sleek Device you wear around your neck that is connected to earbuds, hearing aids, or a cochlear implant. It has a detachable omnidirectional microphone that picks up surrounding sounds and transmits them to your ears via the device you are using. You can even adjust the sensitivity of the microphone to minimize background noise. It has Bluetooth for an easy connection for streaming and can connect to 5 pieces, two simultaneously. This piece is hands-free as well.
Working at Hears to U, Audiology I hear this from our patients, “I want to contribute in meetings and social situations, but that is easier said than done. I feel like I am missing something, so I would rather say nothing instead of looking stupid”. They report in that they are not necessarily saying “What?” a lot, but just have a sense that something has changed. One woman in particular that I remember, called and had a similar story. She had her test and sure enough, a mild loss in the lower ranges. The Quattro 4 ClearSounds bluetooth streamer was a good option for her in her work meetings and she loved it for Bluetooth streaming from her smartphone.
Good for her, but what if you have or need hearing aids to use all the time. The good news, the Quattro 4 by ClearSounds will also connect to your hearing aids; Hearing aids with a T-coil work best as you need to connect to your t-coil program in your hearing aids. Depending on the type of hearing aid you have, this could help you fine-tune your listening needs by decreasing the background noise of a restaurant, driving in your car, or talking on your cell phone while taking a walk.
The ClearSounds Quattro 4.0 comes with a remote microphone, charging adapter, charging cable, wired earpieces, and an instruction manual. The Quattro 4 and the microphone take about five hours to charge, and that will give you 3 hours of talking time on the loop and six hours on the headset. The Bluetooth Connection is a V4. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
A Bluetooth streaming device or “hearable” or electronic earbud, or whatever you want to call these pieces that fit in your ears like the airpod, offers many of the same features but more features. The hearables are a bit more comfortable without the cords and have many more features than a traditional Bluetooth streamer. There are many types of these electronic Bluetooth streaming “earbuds” in the market place and Hears to U, Audiology is ready to help you decide which best meets your hearing and general listening needs. Some offer Bluetooth streaming, while others offer that plus noise cancellation, some offer a mic so you can talk on the phone easily and the newest on the market offers the ability to change the sound if you are wearing it in a noisy environment and want to hear people talking. This is the Hearable, the one that can do all that the airpod does and much much more for less money.
The Nuheara IQbuds2 Max has been totally revamped from the previous versions and has a number of features that we love at Hears to U, Audiology. Let’s take a look at the most popular features that address the reasons many are looking for earbuds in the first place.
One reason we like the Nuheara Max is the noise cancellation benefit. With these, you can block ambient noise. It offers a new active cancellation feature that looks actively for noise in the environment and puts out a reverse type phase signal to decrease the noise. Another reason these are awesome compared to some other earbuds is the speech enhancement features on the Nuheara earbud Max called the SINC (speech in noise control) feature. This feature helps you hear speech better in background noise, boosting the speech above the noise for easy listening. We love that there is a directional focus that will allow you to focus in a conversation, even in noisy background situations, hearing so much better. All of these features will benefit you so that you will hear so much better in a noisy restaurant or venue playing music or too much noise. These allow you to balance the conversation to be louder and more clear and turn the background down. The Nuheara IQBud2 Max earbuds will then remember the levels you prefer for next time you are in a complicated noisy environment and you want to hear well!
After you order a pair and open up the box, you will be prompted by your phone to take a little hearing screening test. You also can add a good diagnostic test you may have from an audiologist. Note, we do not recommend these hearable earbuds for anyone who has more than a mild hearing loss because there won’t be enough benefit for you. Once you completed adding the hearing information into the phone app, the hearable earbuds will offer a prescribed output of the amplification that is personalized to you. This is not the same as a hearing aid but has some amplification to help you hear better without offering you too much or too little in noise. It also offers several preset settings for various environments including plane, street, and driving environments.
If you are going to exercise, the Nuheara Max hearable earbuds are sweatproof and waterproof. There is an easy feature that allows you to tap touch control to blend your hearing so that you have noise cancellation features but can still hear environmental sounds so you are aware of your surroundings while streaming music or something else via Bluetooth. Hear what is streaming from your phone, whether it be music, podcast or a nice phone conversation with a loved one. Cancel the world as you exercise at home, but blend the surround sound when jogging on the street, blend the surround sound with the streaming differently if you need to hear your instruction while at the gym. There are so many options for the Nuheara IQBud2 Max Earbuds. These little powerful hearable earbuds allow you to “remember” up to seven preset exercise locations. Makes your life easy with one push on your app.
This ability to blend sound is particularly important at work; whether you are in an office or working from home. The ability to focus on the task at hand is critical but you do not always want to block out the world entirely. The hearable Nuheara Max earbuds have three microphones that process the sounds inside and outside the ear to reduce distracting noise. The speech (SINC) feature allows you to turn down workplace noise but will blend environmental sounds so you are not completely isolated from your co-workers. Plus no one can hear what you are listening to if you happen to want to catch the latest news, or hear your favorite song.
The earbuds charge fast and so in about 90 minutes you can “stream” for about 5 hours. The case itself will also re-charge the buds as the case holds charge too. So if you listen for an hour and want more time later, just put the Nuheara hearable Max earbuds in the case and close the lid. It is that easy. Indicator lights will let you know the charging status of the buds. The case itself will allow you to recharge the buds three times, so you can have up to 20 hours of continuous streaming. And the multiple tips are there so you can find the comfy fit for your ears. Everybody’s ears are different sizes. Some very tall and larger men have tiny ear canals. Have you ever wondered why the standard tip doesn’t fit your ear? Ask an audiologist about your canal size so you can find the right tip. And luckily Nuheara offers many sizes with your order.
It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee from Nuheara and a 1-yr limited warranty.
We are proud to be working with Nuheara and their fabulous new hearable earbud product. Three cheers for that!
Do you or a loved one have trouble hearing in some situations? Have you talked about hearing aids, but they are just not ready? This could be a bridge system; something to use until he or she is ready for hearing aids. Perhaps, you think hearing aids may be appropriate but other health issues make them impractical (dementia, a stroke or other disability). Maybe you work in a doctor’s office and you want to be sure your patients are truly hearing your instructions. The Williams Sound pocket talker 2.0 could help.
It is a personal sound amplifier. While it can be adjusted somewhat, it cannot be fine-tuned to a person’s hearing loss. That is not its job. This is used to amplify specific sounds. Hear what you need to hear by reducing background noise. This system is best used for one-on-one or small group conversations. The microphone works best within six feet. It comes with a 12-foot extension cord so the omnidirectional external microphone can be attached at the end of the cord for use in larger group meetings. You can also put it next to the speakers on your television and hear well without increasing the TV volume to levels that would be uncomfortable to the rest of the house.
The pocket talker is light and sleek and has a number of features. There is an on/off switch with five volume levels. There is also a tone wheel. If you move it toward the minus sign, the bass or lower frequencies will be increased. If you move it toward the plus sign the treble or high-frequency sounds will be increased. This gives you some measure of control.
Another great feature in the Pocket Talker 2.0 is the external T-coil button for those who don’t have hearing aids, or those whose aids do not have the t-coil feature and need it for an induction loop. Turn this on when you are in any looped environment. Don’t know what the Hearing loop is, then turn to another one of our blogs to read about this exciting older technology that helps you hear in larger venues.
There is a balance control inside the battery compartment. This allows you to send the amplification to one side more than the other; in case your hearing loss is only on one side or is worse on one side compared to the other. We love this feature.
There is also a battery compartment. Your pocket talker comes with two alkaline batteries, which will last about 100 hours. You can also use rechargeable batteries. Make sure that the battery switch is set to the proper position for the type of battery you are using. Please refer to the instruction manual that comes with your pocket talker.
If you have questions, we at Hears to U Audiology can help you set it up. It also comes with a five-year warranty. We highly recommend this product for those who want an affordable amplifier. Lots of our patients love it.
Do you live on a busy street? Do you work at night and need to sleep during the day? Do you find it difficult to fall asleep at night and friends have suggested a “white noise” machine? Maybe your child has difficulty sleeping, or perhaps you just need to practice mindfulness. This is a great product to help you relax.
If you suffer from tinnitus, then you most likely know it cannot be cured; only managed. Over the past year or so, Kim has done a series of blogs about Tinnitus: what is it, how is it diagnosed, how it can be managed, and the therapies and treatments we have available at Hears to U, Audiology. One of the blogs talked about Habituation Therapy. This system could help you with habituation.
As previously mentioned, tinnitus cannot be cured. Sadly we cannot make the “ringing, chirping, crickets, aluminum rolling pins” or your internal sound go away. The hope is that we at Hears to U, Audiology can help you find a way to live with it. Habituation is one way. Have you ever walked into a bakery and practically gained pounds on the smells alone? However, by the time you left, the smell was not as powerful. In the case of tinnitus, and what this machine can do, is to add another sound to the environment that will “drown out” the tinnitus sound.
Like other things, tinnitus is bad enough during the day; it is much worse at night. Many people at the clinic have said something like this. It is true. As you are in bed, trying to sleep, there is nothing else to draw your attention away from the sounds. In the same way, pain is often more acute at night.
The Sound Oasis system has a very high-quality sound and up to 24 different sleep and relaxation sounds. You can download your choices to your own Security Digital (SD) card to get more or request a customized mix from a computer. It will help block out irritating noises and your tinnitus sounds and help you refocus outside your internal noise. It can create a soothing environment to help you fall asleep faster and get higher quality sleep. Then you can feel more alert with enhanced concentration during the day.
The system itself has a backlit alarm clock with brightness control, a chime alarm, and a sleep timer with continuous play or auto-shutoff in 30, 60, or 90 minutes. It comes with an AC adapter but can also run on a standard USB source or batteries. A one-year warranty is also included.
The BEAN by Etymonic, a cute name, is a type of Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP) and has a built-in sensor that adjusts to the ambient sound level so is ideal for someone who wants some amplification and not full time like a hearing aid should be worn. Some people, for example, just need hearing help in one or two environments such as hearing the TV, or when a speaker is further away (in a play, a lecture, or a worship service), and may or may not have a hearing loss and is “not ready” to wear a device full-time. If you get the right sound amplifier you will be happy when you need it and it won’t hurt your hearing more. At Hears to U, we recommend the sound amplifier by Etymonic because we know it sounds great and it is safe and won’t cause hearing loss. It is a nice sound amplifier that just amplifies sound across the frequency range.
The sound amplifier by Etymonic comes in two models: The BEAN and the T-coil BEAN. The T-coil BEAN Amplifier has a switch with two positions, Normal (N) and T-coil (T). in the T-position, the microphone is turned off so that it can connect directly to the telephone and/or in hearing loops. (If you don’t know what a hearing loop is, check click here.) The BEAN also has a two-switch position of Normal (N) and High (H) for more sound. The sound amplifier also comes in two different colors by Etymonic. One color is silver and is often preferred by many. We personally think the brushed gold Bean hearing amplifier looks very neat in the ear. We recently saw the inauguration of Biden and noticed that both J. Lo and Lady Gaga had gold and silver, inner ear monitors. These are much different but the look was high fashion and helpful for what they needed. You need to get what you need while being comfortable, fashionable, and hearing well.
what is the difference between a PSAP and a hearing aid? There are some similarities. Both amplify sound and both deliver that sound through a sound tube at the end of the receiver. A hearing aid is meant to correct hearing loss, is adjusted to compensate for impaired hearing in certain frequency ranges, and is regulated by the FDA. None of those are true for a PSAP. A PSAP is just meant to amplify sound. Sound amplifiers are also much less costly. They are 3/4 the cost if not less and are sold over the counter so you can grab a good pair right here at Hears to U, Hearing & Hearables.
The BEAN amplifier has 7 ear tips of different sizes and materials, a package of batteries, a filter tool with extra filters, and a carrying case. Not everyone has the same size ears and so it is helpful to have many different sizes of tips. The batteries typically last 9-10 days. The amplifier has filters so you can keep your hearing amplifier clean. To turn off the BEAN amplifier, open the battery doors when not in use, the batteries may last 2 weeks. It comes with a one-year manufacturer’s warranty by Etymonic if purchased from an authorized Etymotic reseller, which is Hears to U, Hearing & Hearables!
