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Benefon v. Oticon

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New to me, apparently Benefon is a brand manufactured by Oticon. Presumably there’s a difference between the two brands, or is this just about marketing? I recently visited Costco, which carries Benefon, but didn’t purchase aids because I’m still sorting out what to do. Any help appreciated.

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Left 15 25 35 40 55 65 65 65
Right 75 90 85 90 110 110 110 105
/SR1 L/R 100-48
9 people in this conversation6 min readJump to latest

Bernafon and Oticon belong to the same Holding (William Demant). They have their own research institutes (Bernafon in Bern, Switzerland).

They share the accessories (streamer, programming interface), but the hearing aids are different. Someone here told me that they use the same chip platform, but I have no different source to confirm this.

The software (I don´t only mean the programming software, but the software on the aids themselves) is completely different. Bernafon uses a “channelfree” approach, and is the only manufacturer to do so.

I have the bernafon Juna 9 aids and am very happy with them. But I haven´t tried oticon.

From what I´ve learned on the internet, Bernafon aids are quite different from other aids - you love them or you hate them.

In case you try bernafon aids, be sure to try nal-nl2 as a fitting formula, I didn´t like bernafit (their own formula) at all!

Good luck,

Musician_72

PS In case you want to do further research, it might help to spell the name right :wink:

@lzcr said:

New to me, apparently Benefon is a brand manufactured by Oticon. Presumably there’s a difference between the two brands, or is this just about marketing? I recently visited Costco, which carries Benefon, but didn’t purchase aids because I’m still sorting out what to do. Any help appreciated.

250 500 1k 2k 3k 4k 6k 8k
Left 15 25 35 40 55 65 65 65
Right 75 90 85 90 110 110 110 105
WRS/SR1 L/R 100-48

You have nothing to really lose by going with Costco. They have a 90 day money back trial, so if you don’t like the aids you can get 100 % of your money back if you decide to return them within the 90 days.

In reply to @Musician_72

“they use the same chip platform” - it is true. For example, Bernafon Supremia and Oticon Dynamo have same FCCID number FU2SP.

But I know that many people say about more clear and crisp sound from Bernafon hearing aids in comparison with same Oticon hearing aids…

It is a real puzzle for me because of Oticon considered to be more advanced company.

The Bernafon line is one platform behind the Oticon line. For instance, the chip in Bernafon’s Supremia and Saphira product lines use the same physical chip as Oticon’s Alta (aka the Inium platform). The Oticon Alta2 and Dynamo use a newer chip that Oticon refers to as Inium Sense.

But the two companies have different philosophies about how to make hearing better, so the software that they design to take advantage of the hardware is different.

The reason they have the same FCC ID in the Supremia and the Dynamo is because they use the same wireless technology which was certified by the FCC. But that only refers to the wireless system, not the rest of the hardware. Although, they are very similar, and Bernafon Supremia is technologically superior to Oticon Chili, which was based on the previous Rise2 platform, which is quite outdated at this point.

Starting with Bernafon’s Nevara, Bernafon will be using the same chip as Oticon’s Alta2 (Inium Sense). This leads me to believe that Oticon will have a new product line out in Februaryish with new hardware, as they don’t typically allow Bernafon to overlap for very long.

Thanks for the detailed replies, and sorry about the misspelling of B’s name in the heading. I’m glad to have stumbled onto this forum. Lots of knowledgeable people. Presently I’m wearing a 6-year old Oticon Epoq XW Rite in my left ear and a 3-year old Phonak Bolero Q70-SP in my right, and considering an upgrade. More volume in my left hear would be helpful. I’m not sure whether I can do much better in my right (mastoidectomy). Any ideas about what product might be helpful? I don’t find the marketing literature of manufacturers very helpful. I’ve considered a setup but everyone thinks no.

250 500 1k 2k 3k 4k 6k 8k
Left 15 25 35 40 55 65 65 65
Right 75 90 85 90 110 110 110 105
/SR1 L/R 100-48

In reply to @JustinHIS

@JustinHIS said:

This leads me to believe that Oticon will have a new product line out in Februaryish with new hardware, as they don’t typically allow Bernafon to overlap for very long.

So then if the gives me clearance after today’s , would I be wise to wait a few months to see what’s on the horizon from Oticon or go with the Alta2? I’m probably not going to be happy if my stuff is old technology in 3 months or so.

Any number of people here succeeded in getting the “old” tech upgrade to the new model in a reasonable time frame. Why not be upfront with the audi and say you’d heard the new tech was just around the corner and if they could upgrade you from the current model, if that’s the case.

Yep, just ask. I know in our office, if I know something new is coming out (Which isn’t always) , I will usually put a pair of demo units on someone until we get the new product in. If not, then just wait a few months. Which I know sucks, but I’m like you, I would rather have the newest one if I know it will be coming out soon.

Right. If you get 4-6 years out of a set, it would bother me knowing that mine were already dated a few months after I got them. I guess I’m getting a bit ahead of myself until I know what the has to say.

In reply to @Mark_Chambers

But also keep in mind that everything has a shelf life. I mean, if you buy a 2015 Samsung TV right now, does that mean it is completely worthless in 2 months (2016) when the new models come out, any more than if you had bought it 3 months ago or 6 months ago or a year ago when it very first came out? Its easy to get trapped in a cycle of buying the newest model the day it comes out like all of those Apple iPhone lemmings do.

In reply to @JustinHIS

@JustinHIS said:

But also keep in mind that everything has a shelf life.

Of course it does. But this is more like buying a 2015 Explorer at the end of a run knowing that there is a model change over for 2016 that is only a few months away. The current model has the same value and benefits, i.e. it is just as good as it was the day it was sold. It’s qualities haven’t diminished, but now there is a new one that should offer something that improves the current technology. The fly in the ointment is that with cars and many other things the changes have been announced, and specifications released so you can judge whether the wait is worth it. We don’t have to wonder if the changes may all be cosmetic with nothing much new under the hood. What we have with this is an educated guess based on past practices that a new product is on the way. And no doubt it is. But the exact date of arrival is unknown as well as the extent of the changes. Unless you’re holding out on us. :slight_smile:

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