Pindrop Now Offers Its Patients A Whole New Listening World Through Soundscape Technology
Pindrop Hearing Centres is pleased to announce it is now offering its current and new patients Oticon Opn™ – OpenSound Navigator™ which enables patients to realize a true open sound experience.
Technological limitations of current hearing aids have led to the use of narrow directionality to make speech coming from the front clear, while suppressing the rest of the sound environment.
Traditional hearing aid technology delivers speech understanding in noise by focusing on one speaker, while suppressing all others. With Oticon Opn™, Pindrop Hearing Centre patients can handle multiple speakers simultaneously – even in complex environments, so they can focus on what is important and switch attention when desired.
“The new OpenSound Navigator™ scans, analyzes and reacts to sounds in the environment more than 100 times per second,” said Doctor of Audiology, David Patterson, Au.D., R.Aud, Aud(c) and Director of Audiology for Pindrop Hearing Centres across Canada. “Thanks to the superior processing power in this breakthrough technology, Oticon Opn™ is able to continually analyze and balance sounds, removing noise, even between words. With this OpenSound experience, Oticon has made traditional directionality – designed to focus on the main sound in front and suppress background sounds – a thing of the past.”
Oticon Opn™ delivers the ultra-fast sound analysis and processing needed to provide Pindrop hearing aid users with access to the sounds in their lives.
Powered by the new ultra-fast Velox™ platform, Oticon Opn™ :
- Delivers a constantly open, balanced soundscape
- Makes it possible to follow multiple speakers in complex listening environments
- Makes it easier on the brain by reducing listening effort
- Delivers a reduction in listening effort, more capacity to remember and better speech understanding in noisy environments
- Provides seamless connectivity to iPhone®, smartphones and other audio devices
- Provides easy connectivity on the go or at home without wearing a streamer around the neck
OpenSound Navigator™ – 3 steps in a split second
“In a split second, it gives the brain accurate information in the way it naturally makes sense of sound,” said Patterson.
New OpenSound Navigator™ handles multiple, dynamic speech and noise sources. Unlike conventional technology, it treats sound sources individually – without treating all other sounds as noise.
Step 1. Soundscape analysis at more than 100 times per second
OpenSound Navigator™ analyzes sounds in a 360 degree radius at more than 100 times per second to determine the nature of the setting. Once that is established, it analyses the sounds to accurately determine their characteristics, importance, position, level and frequency.
Step 2. The full sound picture in perfect balance
To ensure users feel at ease in the environment OpenSound Navigator™ balances surrounding sounds. This leaves the focus sound clear and background sounds audible but not distracting. Rebalancing individual sounds makes it easier for users to separate sounds and for the brain to switch attention.
Step 3. Noise reduction so fast, it cleans noise between words
OpenSound Navigator™ cleans excessive background noise a 360 degree radius quickly and effectively – even noise coming from the same direction as speech. To ensure background noise is less intrusive to the listening experience, it can even remove noise between words.
Noise reduction can be adjusted to meet individual needs in simple and complex environments.
Using this breakthrough technology, Pindrop patients will navigate complex and dynamic environments while still accessing the full soundscape. Breakthrough technology and ultra-fast processing help patients locate and separate speakers allowing them to focus on what matters most.
For a free, no-obligation trial or more information please contact Pindrop Hearing Centres.