Physically Active Americans Now Have A New Hearing Instrument Designed Specifically For Their Lifestyle

"Not your grandpa's hearing instrument" that's one way of describing CENTRA Active™, Siemens Hearing Instruments new product introduced today to meet the needs of a new generation of physically active Americans. With 73% of respondents ages 42-65 with hearing loss reporting in a new survey that they regularly participate in physical activities, Siemens saw an emerging market for a hearing instrument that stands up to an active lifestyle. CENTRA Active is the first instrument designed to meet this specific need.

CENTRA Active includes features sought after by active consumers such as superior resistance to sweat, moisture and humidity; rechargeability; and a new comfortable, discreet design. The Siemens Survey showed that those who are physically active are interested in seeking hearing instruments that will keep up with their active lifestyle (64%), be comfortable to wear (85%), and protect against sweat and humidity (75%).

WORRIES ABOUT SWEAT AND MOISTURE

According to the survey, more than half (54%) of physically active persons who own hearing instruments do not wear them while participating in sports and physical activities. A major concern that respondents report is the worry that "sweat/moisture will damage the instruments" (29%). Yet, seven out of ten of those with moderate or severe hearing loss say they are very interested in hearing instruments designed specifically for physically active people.

"We know that the new generation of aging Americans wants to stay active and physically fit -- and are not about to let hearing loss slow them down," says Dr. Thomas Powers, Vice President of Audiology and Professional Relations at Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc. "They're at the gym, on the tennis courts, hiking, biking and keeping a fitness schedule that once only younger people strived for. We know these men and women need hearing instruments that not only deliver the technology, but work easily and comfortably with their busy lifestyle. Siemens CENTRA Active is it."

CENTRA Active's AquaProtect™ technology resists sweat, moisture, and humidity. The housing is nanocoated, a proprietary Siemens technology that repels water and prevents moisture from leaking into the instrument. It features a GORE™ clip-on microphone cover that protects against damage from perspiration, water, and other liquids. Siemens has also equipped it with an exclusive C-Guard™ barrier that protects the dome tip against ear wax and humidity for months at a time. CENTRA Active is designed for easy operation and maximum comfort. It is completely automatic with no controls to fuss with and has a unique receiver-in-the-canal design that makes it tiny, easy to wear, and extremely comfortable. CENTRA Active's extras include an optional ePocket™ remote control that gives control over virtually all instrument functions.

In addition, CENTRA Active's receiver is ergonomically shaped for optimum placement in the ear canal and virtually invisible when worn. Fitting is fast and easy with a wide selection of open tips to fit all ear canals. And for maximum cosmetic appeal, CENTRA Active is available in a range of colors to match various hair and skin tones.

Another option for CENTRA Active wearers is an easy-to-use charger that can charge both instruments at the same time. And after charging for just 5 hours, the instruments are ready to wear all day and evening. Now wearers don't have to worry about carrying extra batteries. For even greater convenience, CENTRA Active will also run on regular hearing instrument batteries.

Siemens offers several breakthrough technologies with CENTRA Active including DataLearning™ technology that learns the user's volume preferences and automatically adjusts the instrument's volume for better performance; SoundSmoothing™ that reduces sounds like rustling paper and clanging dishes without affecting speech for better comfort and more natural sound; e2e wireless™ technology which allows the left and right hearing instruments to communicate with each other and work as one hearing system; an automatic feedback cancellation feature that reduces or eliminates feedback or whistling that can occur with other hearing instruments; an advanced multi-channel directional microphone system designed to improve speech understanding in noisy situations; speech and noise management that reduces background noise, even between syllables and words, and reduces noises like traffic and air conditioners for better hearing comfort; and eWindScreen technology that automatically adapts to windy conditions for maximum comfort. Siemens also offers CENTRA Active wearers true 16-channel digital signal processing which makes optimal use of residual hearing and enables the Hearing Care Professional to precisely fine tune the instruments to fit the wearer's unique needs.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

The Siemens Hearing Instrument, Inc. Survey was conducted via the Internet from December 14-20, 2006 by ICR, Media, PA. This research is based on the findings of a sample of 701 online consumer web panelists, age 42-65 with self-reported hearing loss. Since the data are based on a non-random sample, a margin of error cannot be computed for, and the results are not projectable to, any population other than those consumers on the panel from which this sample was drawn.

Siemens Corporation
Munich D-81541
Germany
Siemens Corporation

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=66055