Product Feature: Siemens Pure RIC Hearing Aids & Accessories

Product Feature: Siemens Pure RIC Hearing Aids & Accessories

If you are at all familiar with hearing aids or other technological products, you know that the brand name SIEMENS has been around and producing exceptional products for many years.  Today I’d like to give you the highlights about their Pure product line, as well as the accessories that can go with it.

The Pure 301, 501, and 701 are Siemens receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids.  The 301 is the most basic RIC, and it has 8 channels.  Even though it is the most basic of the three, it has directional microphones and the ability to help reduce background noise.  It is also wireless/bluetooth compatible.  The 501 has 12 channels and a more sophisticated microphone strategy, so it slightly more effective at noise reduction than the 301.  It also has something Siemens new “Sound Brilliance“, which means that it has a wider frequency response for extended high pitches which listeners perceive as a fuller sound quality.  Another feature is the “TruEar“, which means the hearing aid simulates sounds acoustically like a “real ear” of a normal hearing person.  It helps to localize sound.  The high-end hearing aid, the Pure 701, has 16 channels and all the aforementioned features as well as one more: SpeechFocus.  SpeechFocus “automatically focuses on speech, no matter where your dialogue partner is”.  This is a terrific feature, because one of the complaints that we often see in the clinic is when a person is driving a car and has difficulty hearing other talkers in the backseat.  Or when someone comes up behind them in a group or crowd and they are unable to distinguish what is said.

All of these instruments have feedback suppression so that the wearer doesn’t have to deal with so much of the squeaky/squawky/squealy embarrassing noises, as well as automatic noise reduction, wind suppression, and wireless compatibility.  The Pure line comes in many different colors, so the patient is able to choose if he/she wants to match the hearing aid to his/her hair; they also come in a number of “fashion” colors for those wearers who want the hearing aids to be a fashion statement.

Let’s talk a little about the accessories that are available/compatible with the Pure line of hearing aids.  First of all, there are two remotes: the ePen and the ProPocket.  The ePen is a remote that looks like a writing pen, so it’s very small and discrete for the patients who don’t want anyone to know that they are making adjustments to their hearing aids.  The ProPocket is also pretty small, but looks like a small remote control, so it’s not quite as inconspicuous as the ePen remote.

One of the things that patients love most about their Pure hearing aids is that a battery charger/rechargeable batteries are an option (they are not included in the cost of the hearing aids, but can be purchased separately).  Rechargeable batteries are better for the environment, and patients like that they just take their hearing aids out at night and put them into the charger, then put them in again in the morning.  Easy!  Much less fumbling with changing the batteries and those little tiny stickers that come on the regular zinc air hearing aid batteries.

The Tek is the bluetooth unit that can also be purchased along with the Pure hearing aids.  Tek allows you to synch your hearing aids with your cellphone, your iPod or MP3 player, your computer , your television, or any other audio source.  You will love the convenience of having your hearing aids “talk” with the other electronic devices in your life!

So, if you are considering new hearing aids, check out the Pure line from Siemens…as usual, they are turning out great products with multiple features and advantages to their wearers.

Kristin A. Slifer, Au.D.