In 1818, Frederick Wren established the first company in London to begin commercial production of loudspeaker-shaped hearing aids.
In 1899, commercialized hearing aids became viable for the first time, a product known as "Akoulallion", produced by the American company Akouphone. This desktop hearing aid is mainly made of carbon and sells for $400. In 1900 this hearing aid was improved and renamed "Akouphone".
In 1943, the integrated hearing aid began to be developed, that is, the power supply, microphone and amplifier were installed in a small box, which was the prototype of the modern box hearing aid. In the same year, two factories were established in Denmark and mass production of hearing aids began, one Oticon and the other Danavox.
Since then, the commercial era of hearing aids has also begun, and it has been a hundred years. Hearing aid brands are already dazzling and overwhelmed.
Today, let's take a look at the time when the first-line brands that are now in the hearing aid jianghu were founded, the main business, the main series, and their brother brands and technical characteristics.
1. Peak Force (Phonak):
Fengli is the flagship brand of the Swiss SONOVA Group. The Sonova Group, the world's largest manufacturer of hearing aids, was founded in Zurich in 1947 and is home to Unitro (founded in Canada in 1946) and Hansnton (founded in Germany in 1957). The main business is various types of hearing aids, but also has an electronic cochlea. But at present, it is still Fengli that is doing better in the domestic market.
The characteristics of Fengli hearing aids are mainly the color and variety of shells, high waterproof and sweatproof levels, and extra high power. Multi-channel, high-frequency remodeling and other technologies are adopted.
The latest product lines are:
mermaid. Tianlang series belongs to the children's hearing aid series, mermaid. The Radiance series belongs to the children's color hearing aid series, Audi. Tianlang series belongs to the external receiver type (RIC machine) series, ballet. The Shencai series belongs to the ordinary back of the ear hearing aid, obsidian. Shencai series belongs to the cool Bluetooth customizer series. (Deadline: January 2022)
2. Oticon:
Oticon is the flagship brand of the Danish Demant A/S Hearing Group, the world's second-largest manufacturer of hearing aids.
Its sibling brand is Bernafon, founded in Switzerland in 1946, the industry's first unlimited channel technology. Philips hearing aids were launched in Beijing, China in early 2020, and SONIC hearing aids were launched in Shanghai, China at the end of 2020.
There is also a romantic love story behind the establishment of the Oticon brand: in 1904, the founder Odi Conhams De Mans decided to set up a hearing aid company to help his wife with hearing loss, hoping to help his wife Camilla enjoy life better through hearing aids.
91 years after its founding, in 1995, Oticon entered China.
The technical features of the product mainly include: broadband technology, anti-screaming technology, noise management, multi-channel, personalized storage.
The product series mainly includes the external receiver series: OPN, Tianyu 2, Xinyu 2, Laughing Language 2, Little Tiger PLUS;
Ordinary back-of-the-ear hearing aids include the Magician and the Little Tiger series.
Brother brand SONIC has an audiology series, as well as a high-power all-can series. If the hearing loss is more serious customers, you can pay attention to the next quan can, specially designed for users with serious hearing loss, there is a 5-year super long warranty, maintenance non-stop policy, very practical.
3. Widex and Signia:
In March 2019, Widex officially merged with SIVANTOS, and the new company after the merger officially became the world's third largest hearing aid company under the name of WS Audiology. However, after the merger, each has its own subordinate brands.
Coselgi (founded in 1961) is owned by Vivote, and Xiwantuo currently has brands such as Xijia, Oud sound, Ruston and A&M.
Hearing aids with the brand of Wei listening, the main series are: Youyi series, fairy tale high power series, Polar Sound series, Zhiqing series, etc.
Technical features: natural and pure sound quality, multi-channel, noise reduction, etc.
The predecessor of Sivantos, to which Signia previously belonged, was the Siemens Hearing Group, which was more familiar to the public. So some people will say that Siemens hearing aids evolved into Signia hearing aids.
4. ReSound:
ReSound is the flagship brand of GN Hearing, the world's fourth-largest manufacturer of hearing aids, headquartered in Denmark and founded in 1869.
Its sibling brand is Beltone (1940, founded in the United States).
The main technical features of RSO: wide and loud sound quality, DFS feedback cancellation technology, wireless Bluetooth technology.
The product series mainly include the external receiver listener series, Enya series, ordinary ear back machine, Yueying series and so on.
V. Starkey USA:
Starkey, the only U.S. company in the "TOP 5," was founded in 1967 and is headquartered in Minnesota. Starkey is the first manufacturer to produce customized machines. It is said that former US Presidents Ford, Bush Sr., and Reagan all chose Starkey's custom hearing aids.
In 1995, after Starkey entered the Chinese market, it successfully occupied a place in the mainstream domestic market. The current product line also includes a full range of back-of-ear hearing aids and custom hearing aids.
So how do we choose from a large number of brands?
In fact, whether it is a flagship brand or the products of their brother brands, the products in the same price range and the functions and effects of hearing aids are almost the same. The only possibility is that the sound quality of each brand is slightly different, but generally users who wear hearing aids for the first time do not have any sound quality preferences, so it is generally impossible to distinguish the difference in sound quality between them.
Whether the hearing aid can play its greatest advantage and effect depends to a greater extent on the debugging level of professional fitting institutions and professional fitting technicians. Because if the hearing aid has not been professionally debugged, even the most high-end, most expensive hearing aid, the listening effect is very general, even less than the effect of the most basic hearing aid.
Therefore, we do not have to blindly believe in the brand, and it is more critical to provide us with convenient after-sales professional institutions and experienced fitters.