ReSound revamped the ReSound ONE hearing aid a few years ago, adding the M&RIE receiver to harness your natural pinna effect and an ultra-focus feature to help you hear better in background noise. ReSound's new ReSound OMNIA hearing aid improves on this with additional functionality. UPDATE: This product has been replaced by the Resound Nexia.
The Omnia comes in three options:
If you have a ReSound multi-mic, you can access a telecoil within the rechargeable and size 312 disposable battery variants. This gives you access to a hearing loop system in a public place to transmit audio to both hearing aids.
The ReSound OMNIA looks like the ReSound ONE, which I don't like. I wouldn't say I like the hearing aid's protruding point. I wish they'd fixed that for this model, but it appears they spent more time beneath the hood.
The OMNIA still comes in three different technology levels:
The further down the technology level you go, your hearing care professional loses functionality and customization options. I recommend getting the most advanced technology you can afford.
All OMNIA hearing aids are Apple and Android Bluetooth compatible. I think it works better with an Apple device; however, Android users can use the ASHA Bluetooth protocol.
A Bluetooth connection allows you to stream audio directly from your smart device into both hearing aids, whether you're listening to music, podcasts, or YouTube videos.
OMNIA hearing aids are rechargeable like ReSound ONE, with a lithium battery that employs inductive charging and a case that holds extra charges. They charge fast. You usually charge them overnight, but it just takes 3 hours.
With the OMNIA, you can have an M&RIE receiver like in the ONE hearing aids.
The M&RIE receiver has a microphone on the rear that fits within your ear canal, allowing you to utilize your natural pinna effect. The pinna effect helps you localize sound better.
The localization improvement from M&RIE receivers will help you pinpoint where sound is coming from in both the horizontal and vertical planes. According to ReSound, it does this 80% better than standard receivers.
These hearing aids are for mild to severe hearing loss. If you have severe to profound hearing loss, you'll want to get custom ear molds by taking a digital or physical impression with your hearing care provider so they can order them for you.
The M&RIE receivers have a limited fitment range. So if you have severe hearing loss, you can't use these receivers. I tested them on people with more than a moderate hearing loss and didn't think they'd benefit, yet every person I tested preferred the M&RIE over a regular receiver.
The Check My Fit tool is excellent if you're new to hearing aids. According to ReSound's news release, incorrectly worn hearing aids can leak 11 decibels of sound from the ear, reducing effectiveness.
ReSound claims this hearing aid can improve speech intelligibility by 150% in noise. It's designed to improve your signal-to-noise ratio by up to 4.3 decibels. The math on this 150% boost still confuses me, but I can tell you that this front focus function improves your ability to hear background noise based on my recent experience at a conference.
With ReSound OMNIA hearing aids, you can use the multi-mic, micro-mic, remote control, phone clip, and TV streamer.
The OMNIA is also superior to the ReSound ONE since it reduces your own-voice amplification, which is helpful for many new hearing aid users. You get acclimated to the sound of your own speech with hearing aids quite fast, but anything you can do to speed up the process is always appreciated.
Regarding app controls, the OMNIA still uses ReSound's Smart 3D app. This app is rated 4.4 stars on the Apple App Store, the highest of any major hearing aid manufacturer app, so I can't blame them for sticking to a good thing.
The ReSound OMNIA hearing aid is an excellent upgrade from the ReSound ONE, yet it's similar in many ways. If you want superior background noise performance, a reduction in your voice or help inserting your hearing aids in the right way; they may be ideal for you.
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