Devices & Diagnostics

New hearing aid designed to boost amplification, reduce wind noise

The hearing aid system is supposed to boost the outer ear’s natural ability to direct and amplify high frequency sound and reduce wind noise. It’s made by ReSound, a medical device company based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The company said the Remote Microphone Technology provides users a more appealing cosmetic look by tucking the microphone in the concha cymba area of the external ear.

ReSound has introduced a hearing aid system it says can boost the outer ear’s natural ability to direct and amplify high frequency sound and reduce wind noise.

The company, based in Bloomington, Minnesota, also said the Remote Microphone Technology provides users a more appealing cosmetic look by tucking the microphone in the concha cymba area of the external ear.

“Remote Microphone Technology is a very attractive alternative for hearing aid users that have an aversion to Behind-The-Ear (BTE) instruments,” Dr. Laurel Christensen, Chief Audiology Officer, said in a statement. “The placement of the microphone in the concha cymba not only hides it from view, but also improves acoustic performance.”

ReSound, owned by GN ReSound Group in Denmark, controls 15 to 17 percent of the $1.2 billion wholesale hearing aid market. Last summer, the company introduced technology that can wirelessly stream sound from a television, cell phone, computer, and even iPod to a patient’s hearing aid.

ReSound’s chief competitor is Starkey Laboratories Inc., based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.