Phonak, Signia or Oticon: the differences in daily life

In short

All three manufacturers make good hearing aids. Their priorities differ. Phonak is strong on the connection to phone and accessories. Signia focuses on the sound of your own voice. Oticon lets more of the surroundings through. Trial wearing shows which brand suits you.

What we see in our shops

We order independently of any manufacturer. Three brands end up in our customers' ears particularly often. Phonak comes from Switzerland and belongs to the Sonova group. Signia is based in Germany and used to be called Siemens. Oticon is Danish. With all three you understand speech well, in every technology class. The differences only show in daily life, in the details. What follows is our impression from many fittings.

Phonak: strong on connections

• Bluetooth to almost anything: Phonak devices pair with iPhones and Android phones without an intermediate device, and with laptops and tablets too.
• Roger: a small microphone sits with the speaker and transmits their voice straight into the hearing aid. That helps a lot in meetings, and at the long table at a family celebration too.
• AutoSense: the automatic system recognises listening situations and switches over.
• Robust: in our experience, weather and sweat do little harm to Phonak devices.

Phonak often suits you if you make a lot of phone or video calls. People who use an Android phone or often talk in groups frequently end up here as well.

Signia: strong on the sound of your own voice

Signia focuses on a natural sound.

• Own Voice Processing: the device recognises your own voice and processes it separately from the surroundings. That way it does not sound hollow.
• Augmented Xperience: one processor takes care of speech, a second one of the surroundings. The device then mixes the two.
• Signia Assistant: in the app you describe what bothers you. You get a suggested setting.
• CROS and BiCROS: for people who are deaf in one ear.
• Design: the models are slim and discreet.

Signia often suits you if the sound of your own voice matters to you. The same applies if you hear on one side only or often switch between quiet and loud situations.

Oticon: strong on an open sound

Oticon calls its approach "BrainHearing". The device gives the brain as much sound as possible and lets it do the sorting itself.

• Open sound: Oticon does not dampen away everything except speech. The surroundings stay audible. Many people find that more natural, some find it more tiring. This is exactly where trial wearing pays off.
• Neural network: according to Oticon, it trains its sound processing on millions of real listening scenes.
• Tinnitus SoundSupport: natural sounds and adjustable noise signals for people with ringing in the ears.
• EduMic: a microphone for school and training.

Oticon often suits you if you want to hear the surroundings as well. It is also worth a try if you have tinnitus, or if you have to listen a lot at work.

Comparison at a glance

We also carry Bernafon, Unitron, Starkey and ReSound. If you do not find what you need among the big three, you often find it there.

Why the fitting decides in the end

The same device sounds different for two people. Every hearing loss is different. This is how we go about it:

1. Clarify your needs: we ask which situations matter most to you.
2. Preselection: two or three models, usually from different manufacturers.
3. Trial wearing: several weeks in your daily life. Testing two brands one after the other is explicitly welcome.
4. Fine-tuning: as many appointments as it takes.
5. Recommendation: the device that works for you. That does not have to be the most expensive one.

Nicholas Julius and I advise you personally, in Glückstadt, Horst, Wedel, Barmstedt and Itzehoe.

Book your free consultation.