Sony is dipping its toes into the over - the - counter hearing aid food market with theCRE - C10 , a hearing care made in partnership with WS Audiology .
The partnership is sure to give Sony a leg up in the complicated hearing aid market , where even a caller likeBose has had to join forces with an plant playerin guild to make its hearing aid scheme work .
Are the Sony CRE - C10 listening aids good enough to compete with legacy hearing aids and new brands ? I test them for two week to find out .
Who are they for?
These hearing acquired immune deficiency syndrome are aimed at people with “ mild to moderate ” listening red ink — a group that ’s almost 50 million strong in the U.S. alone . However , only a diminutive fraction of these folks have traditionally seek discourse , and few still choose to use hearing aids .
The rationale for not doing so cover the gamut . Everything from fears of being seen as old or incapable , to more practical thing like cost , solace , and potency in a variety of state of affairs .
Sony might not be able to get people to include they have a earreach problem , but for those who have made that saltation , the CRE - C10 could go a longsighted fashion to addressing their concerns about hearing aids .
The Sony CRE - C10 hearing aids are little , bootleg earbuds with clear string attached . Each earbud has a soft sleeve , and three sizes are included to ensure a good fit . Their small-scale size makes them suit discreetly into the ear epithelial duct . They ’re still seeable from unmated slant or very tight up , but most people wo n’t notice them .
The purpose of the Sony CRE - C10 invites an obvious equivalence to Eargo 6 . WhenI reviewed the Eargo 6 , I was left with one question : Who are these even for ?
By now , I ’ve cause a dead reckoning . These discreet , no - furbelow get word assistance are surely think for master working in conservative office surroundings . Someone can wear off them to work and be confident that none of their coworkers will notice or speculate about whether or not the wearer is secretly take heed to euphony ( since neither has Bluetooth ) .
In other words , they do n’t count like hearing aid or work like earbuds . That sets the C10 and Eargo 6 apart from competition like theJabra Enhance Plus , or even the ( unreleased)Sony CRE - E10 , all of which have a expectant , earbud - like figure with audio streaming .
With that contest in psyche , the C10 ’s $ 999 price tatter seems cheap . It ’s certainly loud than Eargo 6 , which costs $ 2,950 per duo . The cost of bombardment is scantily deserving mentioning , add up to a few dollar per calendar month .
The hearing aids do n’t have a power button , so you must unfold the bombardment door whenever you are n’t wearing them . This was a surprise to me , but patently , it has been a common trouble among non - rechargeable earshot aidspretty much since these devices were invented .
The battery doors have an bound that crap them easy to afford , at least for someone with fingernail . start the battery door may posture a difficulty to people with mobility problems , but no more than the tiny audition aid batteries themselves .
They seem like tough picayune earbuds , but they still expect the same careful treatment as any other hearing aid . They should n’t be exposed to water or dropped from any height , and they should be kept in the carrying case when not being worn . That last part is extremely important , because the bombardment doorway are quite fragile when open , asother reviewershave pointed out . They could easily give out if stored in a pocket . The Sony CRE - C10 come with a clam - shell example that opens and close easily and has dedicated slot for two spare batteries .
Hearing aid setup
Sony CRE - C10 require a smartphone with an internet connexion for frame-up . After apparatus , your phone does n’t involve the internet to use these earreach aids .
Setting up the Sony CRE - C10 take just a few minutes . First I created a Sony account , then I called customer service because the app did n’t seem to be working . It turn out to be a scaling issue , so I had to stop the Display Zoom set on my iPhone . The client inspection and repair representative made this audio like a unwashed problem , and indeed several customer critical review have mentioned being unable to use the app .
I paired the auditory sense aids in the app . The last pace was “ ok tuning , ” which programs the see aid for the user ’s degree of try loss . In this character , the app play a serial of three beeps in unlike pitches , then ask how many bleep I heard . Each time I answered , the app would make adjustments , make for more beeps , and ask again . After doing both sides , the Hearing Control app advocate me to go to a hearing professional . I already recognize that I had unilateral ( or one - sided ) learn loss , so I saved the preferences and start in front with testing .
As long as your hearing loss is stable , you should n’t have to repeat the sense of hearing test . If your hearing becomes high-risk over time , you really ought to see a master . You may have a treatable problem or listen red that exceeds what these hearing aids can treat .
Programming
The Hearing Control app serve as a remote ascendance for Sony CRE - C10 hearing aids . The app is simple , with basic slider bar adjustments for volume and sound Libra . After programming , I rarely returned to the Hearing Control app . The listening aid were loud enough to hear and they remained connected , so there was n’t much reasonableness to .
After frame-up , the hearing aids are n’t completely reliant on your phone or the app . You wo n’t be able to change the book or mount if your telephone set decease , but the sense of hearing care will go on working as normal . If you recede your sound , you could pair the hearing help with a new twist .
Sound quality
The Sony CRE - C10 hearing aids boosted volume noticeably . The sound was bright and clear . spokesperson sound natural , not at all robotlike or synthesized . When I cover my good ear , I could easily make out all the dialog on the goggle box . I had no job keep up conversations in crowded restaurants , and I could well realise the server .
medicine was a bit more discrepant , as it often is with see aids . mellow line were sometimes a small tinny or strident , whether the notes were piano keys or high up - hawk song . The C10 also alleviated my tinnitus , the ringing sound that is a common symptom of hearing loss .
I did n’t have any major problems such as whistle , pop , or feedback . The hearing help are also sensibly wind - resistant . There was a mild occlusion essence , most obtrusive when I was singing along with music . Occlusion is the thriving or echo quality of sound , often one ’s own voice , triggered by the capitulum epithelial duct being close off . For an estimation of how it sounds , mildly stop up your ears and then talk . It go a footling annoying , but there ’s not much to be done for it if you ’re wear down in - spike earreach aid .
Battery
Sony CRE - C10 hearing aids promote 70 hours of continuous use with each size of it 10 Zn - air battery . I wore the auditory sense aid throughout most of each day , and the battery fail in the midsection of my fifth day of examination . By my rough appraisal , the battery endure about 68 hour . Since bombardment life reckon on use , some magnetic declination from the average is to be expected . The battery life is on par with other battery - run hearing aids .
Will they last?
The Sony CRE - C10 hearing care are too new for anyone to guess their life-time . What we do know is that Sony extend a limited one - year warranty . For comparability , traditional listening aid incline to last betweenthree and seven years . Most of them also have warranties that hatch not only producer ’s defects , but inadvertent loss or damage as well .
disregardless , Sony is an established ship’s company , so I can confidently commend the C10s without worrying that they will become completely unsupported if the ship’s company goes under or discontinues them .
Should you buy them?
The Sony CRE - C10 ’s near challenger are the Eargo 6 , which is no competition at all . Compared to Eargo 6 , the C10 are far more affordable and comfortable , with better legal quality to boot .
Should you buy them ? If you ’re among those with mild - to - temperate hearing red ink , and you ’re unforced to try a earshot aid , you should by all odds view it . They ’re discreet , affordable , and of proficient quality . Sony ’s first hearing assist makes me affirmative about the hereafter of over - the - counter earshot aids .
