You might have heard Bose has released their over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids – the Bose SoundControl.
Available in a few states right now, including Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, these new devices are available to purchase without visiting a hearing professional, having a hearing assessment, or even having your ears checked first for a buildup of earwax, or something physically blocking your ear canals.
Priced at $849.00, they include Bluetooth connectivity to sync to a cell phone app and allow you to make adjustments depending on your environment. They do not, however, offer direct streaming capabilities (i.e., phone calls, music, audiobooks, and/or podcasts).
They are anticipated to be the first of many over-the-counter hearing aids developed by a breadth of different companies entering the hearing care industry.
But, Are The Bose Soundcontrol Hearing Aids Worth The Money And Should You Invest In Them?
Well, as Abilene’s most trusted audiologists, it’s only right that we give you our honest, professional opinion…
POSITIVES:
- The companies like Bose and others promoting themselves will invest heavily in advertising to encourage people to consider this type of help if they have hearing challenges.
- Hearing loss will become more accepted – just as a problem with your eyes seamlessly leads you toward having them tested-a problem with your hearing should also lead you toward testing.
- They’re going to serve as a possible “first step” for many people to then consider more appropriate solutions for their difficulty hearing situations (like ”readers” versus prescribed glasses).
NEGATIVES:
- A large number of things can cause a hearing loss, from a buildup of earwax to more medically concerning (and potentially dangerous unless treated) reasons – this type of self-fitting device may be needless or be like adding a Band-Aid to a fracture.
- You don’t have a professional hearing assessment before self-fitting. Unfortunately, even if you do have this critical step completed, there is no way of programming these devices to your specific hearing loss. This means that they are unlikely to perform properly for you, resulting in potential further problems.
- Hearing aids can be lost or broken due to being so small, especially when dislodged by face masks– most traditional hearing aids include loss or repair coverage, while the Bose SoundControl and many OTC devices don’t offer any coverage.
- They may result in people trying them and deciding that hearing technology is not right for them.
CONCLUSION:
Of course, as audiologists, it’s always good to remain optimistic about anything that positively encourages people to take a step towards addressing their hearing challenge. However, we can’t ignore the fact that a huge chunk of the hearing loss assessment process is skipped by going down this route, which is highly concerning.
So, Where Does This Leave You & What Should You Do?
First, we strongly encourage you to consider your options before making a decision.
We wrote an article that lists every single option available to you, which you can access here.
We also decided that we needed to act and ensure those in the Big Country have access to something that competes with over-the-counter devices from a price perspective and delivers a complete hearing care solution that provides the effective treatment necessary to keep you hearing your best.
Enter our “Economy” package.
This ensures you can step into better hearing for an entry-level fee and access audiological standards, testing, fitting, and support to guarantee that you get the best possible performance, both short term and long term.
Our “Economy” Package includes:
- Essential Hearing Technology from a top manufacturer – with clear sound quality, a sleek design, and Bluetooth connectivity (with direct streaming capabilities).
- 12-Step fitting process– this ensures you get the absolute best in terms of hearing from this product
- Follow-up appointment for adjustments
- 30-day trial period on your hearing devices – in the unlikely case that your hearing aids aren’t right for you, you can return them within 30 days.
- 1 Year Repair Warranty
- 1 Year Loss & Damage Coverage
Priced at $1,880 for a pair – it gives you a complete solution delivered by a hearing care professional with precisely programmed devices, delivering you the best possible performance.
To explore how our “Economy” package works and discover whether it’s right for you, then you can either “Request a Callback” from a hearing professional to discuss your circumstances and receive a no-obligation consultation, or you can click here.
Ensuring that we care for the hearing health of the people of the Big Country is incredibly important to us, and this step is to ensure you can access complete hearing care, regardless of budget.
