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Oticon Alta2/Nera2/Ria2

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Update 3/2/2015:

Oticon’s New Inium Sense Platform Increases Processing Power of BrainHearing™ Technologies for More Natural Listening with Less Effort

Delivers up to 20% better soft speech understanding

SOMERSET, NJ – March 2 – Oticon, Inc. today introduced Alta2, Nera2 and Ria2, the newest hearing solutions in the Performance Line families and the first to be powered by Oticon’s new Inium Sense Platform. The sophisticated sound processing platform increases the real-time processing power of Oticon’s proven BrainHearing™ technologies by 30% to deliver the purest possible sound signal for the brain to decode. The result is a more natural listening experience with less effort.

The powerful Inium Sense feedback shield and Voice Aligned Compression (VAC+) with Soft Speech Booster empower Performance Line users to enjoy up to 20% improvement in soft speech understanding. An innovative new feature, Tinnitus SoundSupport™ is also available in Performance Line solutions to provide personalized support for patients living with tinnitus.

“Oticon BrainHearing technologies give hearing care professionals a powerful way to remind patients that hearing care is health care,” says Oticon President Peer Lauritsen. “When consumers understand that hearing happens in the brain and has the potential to impact overall health, including cognitive function, hearing instrument choice becomes a health care-driven decision instead of a lifestyle or technology choice. With the new Inium Sense platform, our next generation BrainHearing technologies give consumers even more reasons to choose Oticon hearing solutions.”

Better performance, improved personalization, more satisfaction

Inium Sense introduces a range of next generation BrainHearing technology benefits. The new Voice Aligned Compression (VAC+) fitting rationale with Soft Speech Booster improves the audibility of soft sounds without the need to turn up the volume. Inium Sense solutions factor in more patient sound preferences, such as soft sound perception, to provide a better, more personalized first-time fit and less fine-tuning to facilitate patient acceptance and long-term satisfaction.

The integrated Tinnitus SoundSupport with user-friendly fitting software enables practitioners to customize settings to patients’ needs. Built-in ocean and broadband sounds help ease the effects of tinnitus. More sounds can be accessed through the new Oticon Tinnitus App, available for free download on the App Store. Oticon also offers practitioners counseling and support tools for tinnitus treatment management.

New Styles, Robust Design

The Performance Line families – Alta2, Nera2 and Ria2 – are available in styles and price points to suit a wide range of patient needs and preferences. A new miniRITE style features a more compact and discreet design with an easy-to-feel push button. All and style devices in the Performance Line families are designed to withstand active lifestyles and are IP58 classified, demonstrating a high degree of water resistance.

For more information about BrainHearing technology, Inium Sense and Performance Line solutions, visit www.pro.oticonusa.com12.

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What kind of learning curve is there for fitters with a new version like this? Will experience with the last generation mostly prepare them for fitting the new ones, or will it take some time for them to learn to make the most of the changes in the tech? I’m looking at getting my first hearing aids in the next month or so, and wonder how the new technology will affect the fitting process if I go with the Alta-2.

I seriously doubt any significant changes to the platform other than the full incorporation of their tinnitus management system in all their levels. We shall see.

In reply to @The_Latinist

@thelatinst said:

What kind of learning curve is there for fitters with a new version like this? Will experience with the last generation mostly prepare them for fitting the new ones, or will it take some time for them to learn to make the most of the changes in the tech? I’m looking at getting my first hearing aids in the next month or so, and wonder how the new technology will affect the fitting process if I go with the Alta-2.

If your fitter has previous experience with Alta, he/she will have no problem fitting the Alta2. There are only slight changes in the user interface to accommodate the new features.

Excellent. I figured as much. Most of the changes they are touting (aside from tinnitus masking) seem to be internal refinements to their algorithms, etc. that the fitter wouldn’t have to or even be able to mess with. I will keep the Alta-2 at the top of options to discuss with my audi at my next appointment.

Some updates from today’s conference:

New power speaker available for and miniRITE (105 ) - not backward compatible with Inium line, only Inium Sense

Back directionality available in Alta2 and Nera2 via app (good for situations like car)

IPx8 rating (up to 2 hours water immersion). Rating for original Inium line was IPx7 (temporary immersion)

Extra preset programs available (conversation in noise, lecture, comfort in noise)

Extra step available in preference manager to set preference for soft speech sounds vs comfort

Tinnitus sound app (will find out more about that tomorrow)

Edited

The Alta2 Pro Ti has the tinnitus feature and is only available in miniRITE, , and form factors. The Alta2 Pro has those forms as well as others, including custom in-the-ear models.

Just to make sure I’m completely clear on this, for each of the miniRITE, and there are three new models: Alta2, Alta2 Pro, and Alta2 Pro Ti. And among these the Alta2 Pro and Alta2 Pro Ti only differ in that the latter contains the tinnitus features?

A funny thing may occur between versions of the Genie fitting software. An Alta1-Pro programmed with Genie 2014.2 (Veterans Administration) software will gave a warning when the same Alta1-Pro is connected to a non-VA version of Genie 2014.2. The warning says that the hearing aids () were programmed with a later version of Genie software even though both versions of Genie are 2014.2.

The warning goes away when the Alta1-Pro is connected with Genie 2015.1.

Note that the Alta1-Pro has the tinnitus feature which was only available to the VA until release of the Alta2. I am guessing that the VA had a different/newer version of Genie 2014.2 for fitting the tinnitus feature and after release of the Alta2, the 2015.1 version of Genie will fit all.

In reply to @jusaname

@jusaname said:

What do you think are the most important functions/features in Alta which Ria pro doesn’t have?

Alta has a wider bandwidth (fuller, more natural sound), more fitting channels (easier to match your hearing loss), better noise reduction, better directionality, and processing to name a few. Overall Alta is going to perform better in noisy or more complex listening situations (restaurants, meetings, etc.).

It also should be pointed out that in the Alta and Ria you are comparing Oticon’s top-of-the-line instrument to its entry-level model; there is also the Nera in between which offers at least some of the advantages of the Alta.

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