Product Description
This product has been discontinued and replaced by the Rechargeable 2.0.
Sale!
Zyon Rechargeable RIC Hearing Amplifier
$149.90
Additional Details
| Weight | N/A |
|---|---|
| Condition | New |
| Side | Left, Right |
| Warranty | 1-Year |
13 reviews for Zyon Rechargeable RIC Hearing Amplifier
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Amazon Customer –
Fast shipping and all good so far.
Patrick Boyle –
I used to have some expensive ‘real’ hearing aids. I used them for awhile and then lost them. This was maybe ten years ago and then they cost perhaps $2,500 for a pair. You might think that like all other electronic technology the price would have fallen but it hasn’t. Maybe it’s risen. I think someone has suppressed the actions of the free market somehow. The FDA regulates Hearing Aids but not Hearing Amplifiers.
So I’ve been looking around as my hearing has slowly gotten worse. I had bought a lot of hearing amplifiers on Amazon. I have wished for something a little better. But before I invested in another ‘real’ hearing aid I thought I would try a hundred dollar experiment with this device.
I’m optimistic because the technology if you have typical symmetric age related hearing loss isn’t all that complicated. I have Kaiser. They will pay for a hearing exam but not hearing aids unless you have some abnormal hearing problem. Normal hearing loss is that in which the high frequencies important for speech recognition is roughly the same in both ears. I’ve been tested. Mine is.
Hearing loss of sensitivity seems to be a normal function of age. About 20% have hearing loss in their fifties and about 90% in their nineties.There are many other types hearing problem but I have had real medical doctors examine my hearing and I don’t have them. I’m just old. If you haven’t had a medical exam you should do that first. If your hearing is just ‘normal’ degeneration from age you are a candidate for a hearing amplifier.
There are several technologies available. The first factor to consider is the placement of the receiver – the speaker that convets the sound to your ear drum. This device is the modern RIC (receiver in canal) design. Most cheaper hearing devices have the little speaker on the main body of the device behind your ear. Then it transfers the sound down a hollow tube to your ear canal. This is the kind of system that airplanes used to use so you could hear music from your seat. It is an inferior older technology. NIC is better. It sends the sound through a small electric wire not an air tube. Some of the cheapest early NIC devices had big receivers which don’t fit in many ears.
I ordered it and it arrived in just two days or so. The package contains the hearing device, a nice storage case, a minimal set of instructions the USB charging cable and power plug, and some different size ear pieces.
The instructions say it takes five hours to do the initial charge. I hoped it was less. I kept checking but the little red LED was on until exactly five hours.
I put it in my right ear and watched a little TV. There were more high frequencies (the frequencies important for speech recognition) than before. The receiver is small enough that it is comfortable in my ear. I had bought an early RIC hearing amplifier but the receiver was so big it was never comfortable.
I will use it today and report on: how it works on normal conversation, how it works of TV sound, how comfortable and for how long, how long it takes and holds a charge.
So far everything is positive. I ordered another one for my left ear this morning. The price has gone up overnight so I wanted to act fast. The main advantage of this device is price. I think I can get 90% of the performance of a multi thousand dollar prescription hearing aid because I have ‘normal’ hearing loss, this has the superior RIC technology, and this has a a frequency response feature. There are other features that you can get if you want to pay for the better hearing aids and the time of an audiologist, but these should be enough.
UPDATE (9/11/18): I did a simple objective test. I have new big TV. When I watch it without wearing the hearing amps, I run the volume at 50. With the amps in I run the sound volume at about 32 to 35. That’s a substantial difference. I haven’t adjusted the amp volume control or frequency response. This was just what it happened to be. These things provide plenty of volume.
On the other hand the feedback suppression isn’t too good. If you walk too near a wall the hearing amps will whistle. Other brands as I remember did this better.
UPDATE: (9/15/18) Reduced the rating from five stars to four. Three days ago the little rocker switch broke and fell off.. It is a single piece of plastic. It is the only control besides the on off switch.. I pushed it a few times to make it louder and softer. I sent it back for a refund. It still works but there is now no way to adjust the volume or tone. The refund was made within hours of UPS picking up the package.
UPDATE: (9/16/18) Reordered the same model. I reviewed all the available alternative models on Amazon with similar features and this Zyon device still seems to be the best for the price. There are a few other RIC rechargeable hearing amplifiers available but they all cost two or three times as much. This one for now remains the best buy for a new technology unit.
Some other points that I have come across.
Feedback has several causes. A bad fit is one. Too high a gain is another. If you get feedback with 40db of gain you can cut back the amplification level and the feedback whistling will diminish. Some very expensive hearing aids but by no means all have DSP circuitry that analyzes the amplified signal and cancels it at the mic. This works like the noise canceling headphones now widely available. No over the counter hearing amplifier has this kind of circuitry as far as I know. But this feature only allows you 10 db more gain. So you can achieve much the same effect by reducing the volume by 10 dB, Unless you have profound hearing loss and need the gain, this is a simpsolution.
Open fit domes also increase whistling from feedback. But open fit domes give a better and more natural sounding experience. Trade offs.
The Zyon Hearing Amps have thin receivers so they fit in your ear better and you can use normal replacement domes.
mrs walter mara –
After charging these hearing aids and putting them on, I found the sound to be clear and natural. They are quiet, no hiss, no ocean in my ears. As a past user of higher priced Costco prescription hearing aids, found these aids to be their near equal in technology, intelligibility and comfort. This is after a week of use. So far, they are keepers. Highly recommended.
John Ross –
The price was great. The product performs equal to other hearing aids at 4 times the cost. John Ross
Donald Landis –
It’s better than the self contained aids. Love the ability to adjust frequency band. I get about 20 hours on a charge.
suzyre –
light dohaesn’t always work when charging, can’t get them to work for three days without a problem fantastic service,had problemns at first got hold of zyon, they sent new ones out. everything working great . thank you very much , never had such prompt service.
Amazon Customer –
If you’ve done your research and understand what your needs are – I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with this hearing amplifier.
Amazon Customer –
had some hearing loss in left ear. Only very low sounds. It did help that very much. I like it. Also much cheaper that doctor one! It’s not like real hearing though, one has to get a bit used to it 🙂
Amazon Customer –
I have a sensori-neural hearing problem. The doctor thinks my “stirrup” is not functioning properly against the eardrum. This hearing device helps amplify sound via conductive hearing method. There is definitely an adjustment in using a hearing aid, but so far this has helped. I may need to go to something more sophisticated, but presently it does the job!
Nancy Vancourt –
I didn’t like it because there is a loud sound when I try to put it in my ear ? I think there is a part missing? A small wire that hangs from the hearing plug?
Linda Lawson –
They work great, and I love that they are rechargeable. I’d suggest purchasing 2-sided tape to keep them secure. (I purchased toupee wig tape, which is the perfect width for the hearing amplifier. I put the tape in the underside curve.) Also, I don’t recall the directions mentioning the little plastic “tail” hanging down. For quite a while, I wore them with that part hanging down and didn’t realize it was supposed to be curled around the inside of your ear lobe to help secure the hearing aid. These are an awesome option for people who don’t want to pay thousands for hearing aids.
Amazon Customer –
As described. Good product.
Amazon Customer –
It amplifies nicely but will take sometime to get use too. My hearing is only bad in my left ear and it took awhile to adjust to the other ear. Great product!!