ReSound ONE hearing aids bring more authentic sounds to people with hearing loss.
When I was younger, I enjoyed listening to music at the highest volume possible. I also used to play guitar and enjoyed shooting firearms recreationally. All of these activities contributed to the hearing loss I now have as has the natural aging process. I am no stranger to hearing aids. My great-grandmother had them and I’ve always been amazed at how physically large they were.
Hearing technology has certainly come a long way since those days and some of it is so cool that when you see it you think, “Man, I wanna play with that.” The ultimate goal, of course, is to never have to use a hearing assistance device, but if you have to use one, ReSound has some great products to offer.
A few years ago, I looked into getting some hearing aids and found that ReSound had a great option for me – the LiNX 3D. They were app-connected and very easy to get acclimated to. Unfortunately, I ran into some technical issues with them recently and that led me to the ReSound ONE hearing aids.
How do I know if I need hearing aids?
One of the major contributing factors to me getting hearing aids was my fiancé. After she and I met, I found out just how bad my hearing loss had gotten. She made comments about the volume of the TV and I realized that over time I had just been turning the TV louder and louder. I never noticed it as a sign of hearing loss because no one else pointed out that it was loud to them.
According to the National Institute on Aging, some of the more common signs of hearing loss include:
- Have trouble hearing over the telephone
- Find it hard to follow conversations when two or more people are talking
- Often ask people to repeat what they are saying
- Need to turn up the TV volume so loud that others complain
- Have a problem hearing because of background noise
- Think that others seem to mumble
- Can’t understand when women and children speak to you
One of the first things I did was talk to my doctor and have them check to make sure my ears looked visible ok. Nothing was obstructing my ear canals (sometimes a build-up of earwax can cause hearing issues) so I decided to visit an audiologist. They tested my hearing and said that my hearing loss was classified as ‘profound’ and that almost all my high-end hearing range was gone. They thought I would be a prime candidate for hearing aids, but at the time, I didn’t have a good option to pay for them.
Hearing aids as medical devices are a lot like dentures. Insurance simply does not pay for them. I hope this changes in the future because hearing loss has been linked to so many other health issues such as depression and cognitive development. Fortunately for me, I met representatives at ReSound during a technology conference (CES). This led to me being invited to review the ReSound LiNX 3D.
Why ReSound?
Four years ago, when I first started using my LiNX 3D Hearing Aids from ReSound, I was thrilled to find out they are a sister brand of Jabra. Both companies are part of the GN Group, which is headquartered in Ballerup, Denmark.
Jabra is one of the first companies we reviewed products for in 2012 and they’ve been a wonderful partner ever since. Jabra even has hearing enhancement earbuds available in their product line as well as a retail-level hearing aid (available through Costco).
ReSound and Jabra engineers collaborate to ensure the products they are developing help transform people’s lives through the power of sound. So, I felt confident that ReSound’s products would help me with my hearing impairment and that the technology would be well-developed.
What makes the ReSound ONE hearing aids special?
In late 2020, ReSound launched the ReSound ONE hearing aids. They called them “an entirely new class of hearing aids” and they are. As is to be expected, the technology has changed dramatically in the four years since I got the LiNX 3D and as amazing as those hearing aids were when I first got them, the ReSound ONE hearing aids are that much better.
Part of what makes them so much better technology-wise is that they are designed with a microphone directly inside the ear canal so that users get a more personalized sound profile with an open-fit device. My previous hearing aid model is what is referred to as ‘receiver-in-ear’, which captures sound from microphones that sit behind the ear (behind-the-ear hearing aids do the same type of sound profiling). With models that utilize this method of sound reproduction, the brain has to work harder to achieve its natural localization and noise-canceling function. This means users have more trouble hearing in noisier environments and easily get confused about where sounds come from.
ReSound ONE hearing aids use a Microphone & Receiver-in-Ear (M&RIE) design that uses the unique shape of every individual’s ear to collect sound. According to ReSound, “By picking up sound directly inside the ear, ReSound ONE gives the brain everything it needs to tune in to individual voices, as well as significantly reducing background noise. Clinical studies show that all hearing aid users benefit from listening to sounds collected with their own ears, with 90% of users preferring the sound quality of ReSound ONE with M&RIE instead of only the microphone behind the ear.”
The M&RIE design is meant to produce the most natural sound quality for a user possible. This technology also makes it possible for sound profiles to be more personal to the user.
Benefits
- Hear with your own ears: M&RIE combines the two traditional microphones with a third that sits in the ear canal to help people hear with more direction and depth.
- Greater hearing in any environment: All Access Directionality automatically adjusts directional microphone patterns to put your patients in the best position to hear what matters.
- Focus in on speech in front: Users can activate Ultra Focus for a powerful combined directional pattern from both hearing aids to focus on the speech in front.
- Remote, at-home hearing care: Get help from your hearing care professional via ReSound Assist Live video calls (if available through your hearing care professional).
- Connect to what connects you: Hearing aids connect to phones and tablets and can provide hands-free calling as a wireless headset. ReSound ONE hands-free calls are compatible with iPhone 11 or later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation), iPad Air (4th generation), and iPad mini (6th generation), with software updates iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 or later.
- Rechargeable: Utilizes Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries and has the option for an amazing premium charger that has an internal rechargeable battery that can power the hearing aids even when disconnected from a power source. ReSound ONE has industry-leading rechargeability with up to 30 hours of power (up to 25 hours with unlimited streaming) with a single 3-hour charge. These figures are dependent on use of wireless accessories, hearing loss of user, device age, and sound environment.
- C6 Chip Platform: This is a brand new sound processing chipset that delivers 50% more processing power and 220% more memory than the previous chipset
What Comes in the Box
Depending on the options you select when your hearing aid is ordered, you might have different items included in your kit. I selected the Rechargeable ReSound ONE Receiver-in-Ear (RIE) design in graphite with a Premium Charger. This is what was included in my kit.
- ReSound ONE Receiver-in-Ear hearing aids (left and right ears)
- ReSound ONE Premium Charger
- ReSound ONE User Guide
- ReSound Smart 3D and Smart Apps Guide
- Warranty Card (four years – repair & loss/damage)
- ReSound Premium Charger User Guide
- ReSound ONE 61 Rechargeable RIE Quick Guide
- An informational card about the SureFit 3 receiver removal tool (not require to remove the M&RIE receivers; optional tool)
- A cleaning kit that includes a brush and cleaning cloth for the hearing aids
- A travel pouch for the hearing aids
- Two (2) ReSound Wax Traps (my audiologist added these)
Color Options
- Sparkling Silver
- Bronze
- Espresso
- Champagne
- Warm Grey
- Graphite
- Deep Black
- Gold
My Experience
Before I had ReSound Hearing Aids, I felt isolated. I would see people talking, but not really understand what was being said. I can read lips pretty well, but most of the time I just smile and react the way other people are reacting to conversations. After I got my first set of hearing aids, I felt like I could rejoin conversations and enjoy interacting with people again.
If you’ve ever felt that kind of isolation, then you will understand how disheartening it was for me when the batteries in my LiNX 3D started failing. When I reached out to ReSound about the battery problem, they offered to have me review the ReSound ONEs and see how they compared to the LiNX 3D. I was grateful to be given the option to get the ReSound ONE hearing aids as a replacement for the older model.
It is possible to get hearing aids without a prescription, but those devices aren’t true hearing aids. They are amplification devices that are preset based on average hearing levels. Medical-grade hearing aids are provided by medical professionals and in order to be able to purchase them, you must first have a hearing test done with an audiologist. I’ve had several hearing tests done throughout the years, but it had been a while so my audiologist wanted to do another one before setting up my ReSound ONE hearing aids.
If you’ve never had a hearing test done, it’s actually very simple. You sit in a soundproof room and the audiologist plays a series of tones. They mark when you indicate that you can hear the tone and from those results, they can tell what pitches you can and cannot hear. Once the hearing test is done, the audiologist can help program the hearing aids with your personal sound profile. This will boost the tones you need the most help with and even out sounds that you can’t hear very well.
My audiologist programmed my hearing aids and then fit them into my ears. After that, she made some minor adjustments based on the feedback I was giving her. I asked her to boost the volume a little more than normal because I felt like it was making it easier for me to understand sounds.
I was instantly impressed with how well the ReSound ONE hearing aids worked. The ReSound ONEs were such a big jump for me technology-wise that it was almost like going from no hearing aids to having hearing aids again. The ReSound ONEs are comfortable to wear. They are lightweight and honestly, you can’t even notice that you are wearing them. In addition to that, I’ve never had anyone say that they have seen me wearing them. They are virtually invisible.
Shortly after I received the hearing aids, I went on a trip to Disney with some friends. It ended up being the perfect opportunity to test out the ReSound ONEs. Even though the hearing aids help me hear sounds in every environment, certain places are quite a bit more noticeable than others. I’ve outlined my experiences in different surroundings.
Restaurant
This is one of the places that are always a little tougher for me with hearing aids. Because my hearing loss is mostly in the high-end pitches, sounds like plates, glasses, and silverware clinking together are very harsh and jarring to me with the hearing aids active. The ReSound ONEs enhance that sound even more, but fortunately, part of the app control that users get is based on environments.
That means if you select the restaurant setting, the app will dull down some of the harsher tones so that they aren’t so unsettling. I have used this mode many times and it helps me be able to tolerate the environment despite those harder sounds. The M&RIE technology assists with making a restaurant experience more comfortable.
Movie Theater
One of the listening experiences I often have trouble with is viewing TV and movies. Even though those media types have enhanced soundtracks, dialogue is almost always impossible for me to hear clearly. NCIS is one of the TV shows I have the worst trouble with and movie theaters are problematic as well because of the sound mixes.
Since I’ve had the ReSound ONEs, I’ve been to two movie showings in theaters and they have helped me be able to enjoy the movies more than without hearing aids. There are times that some sounds are more intense than others, but the more you wear the hearing aids the more your brain learns how to interpret different sounds and the less jarring those sounds are to you.
Driving in the Car
Part of the trip I mentioned was a 900-mile road trip. There were six of us in the rented minivan and as the driver, I was isolated quite a bit from the rest of the vehicle. I concentrated on the road and found myself virtually ignoring the other things going on in the car because the road noise drowned out people talking. My fiancé was in the passenger seat and she tapped me quite a bit when someone would ask a question or want to make a pit stop.
After a couple of hours, I popped the hearing aids in and it made a world of difference for me. I could hear everyone – even the people in the very back of the van. This was an incredible transformation for me because what I was hearing was behind me and not directly in front of me. I’m used to ignoring the sounds behind me because I can never understand them. It was nice to be able to communicate and make jokes with everyone in the car rather than remain silent for the 13-hour long drive. The Ultra Focus feature of the ReSound ONEs is responsible for making speech as clear as possible – even when it’s behind you.
Theme Parks
The main reason for the trip was to visit Disney theme parks. For me, this meant that I would be navigating through crowds of people with my brain trying to decipher millions of sound signals in order to pick out voices from my group. The ReSound ONE hearing aids cleared those signals up for me. I never once had to ask, “What?” when we were getting instructions about rides or attractions. This is another area where Ultra Focus is assisting. It helps users to maintain spatial cues around them.
The one thing that is always amazing to me is hearing birds. That is one sound that I have missed the most and I’m always surprised when I have the opportunity to hear them again. Inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there is an African aviary located on the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail and inside there are free-roaming birds that y ou can interact with to a certain extent. There were dozens of different bird calls happening – many of them were much too high-pitched for me to hear without my hearing aids. With them, however, I could hear everything. It was a wonderful experience that I’m glad I didn’t have to miss out on.
Outdoors
One of the other places I’ve always had trouble with hearing aids is outdoors. Even though the sound quality is enhanced, natural environmental events like wind end up causing a lot of interference with conversations. The ReSound ONE hearing aids enable better speech understanding in windy conditions with one of the settings on the app and the help of M&RIE.
Final Thoughts
ReSound creates great products for individuals with hearing impairments. I asked my audiologist why she liked ReSound products and she said that she really likes their app integration, the premium charging case (because many companies don’t offer cases like that), and the attention that ReSound puts into ensuring that speech is as clear as it can be. She said she gets lots of feedback from patients that appreciate how crisp and clear speech sounds to them. And, that’s something she doesn’t hear about other hearing aid manufacturers.
Hearing aids are remarkable devices that can help people live their best lives. Without hearing aids, I become more withdrawn and depressed because I can’t interact with people like I want to. The ReSound ONE hearing aids have renewed my ability to be social. They are like an extra special magic spell that has been performed on me so that I can hear again.