Oticon, Inc. introduced Oticon Epoq, a hearing instrument designed with wireless connectivity at its core to address the two most common listening challenges for people with hearing loss. A proprietary binaural high speed wireless technology enables a pair of Epoq hearing devices to communicate at data transfer speeds 100 faster than hearing instruments now on the market.

This real-time connectivity with voices and other sounds in the immediate listening environment provides accurate, stereophonic auditory information that is in synch with a user's visual experience. The same wireless connectivity also enables easy, hands-free access to the world of electronically transmitted sounds from Bluetooth-enabled cell phones and other popular electronic devices such as MP3 players and computers.

Using innovative EarStreamT broadband technology, the hearing instrument creates a wireless sphere around users. This enables two Epoq hearing aids to manage auditory information via a central processor, eliminating the uncoordinated shifts in settings that occur with ordinary binaural fittings.  Epoq's unique dual-path processing takes into account the way in which the brain relies on input from two ears to deliver the best performance on a variety of sound paramaters. Binaurally fitted Epoq hearing instruments are synchronized in the core processing to best preserve the cues for localization and speech segregation.

Now, with the addition of the small, smart-looking Streamer, Epoq becomes the equivalent of a hands-free Bluetooth intelligent headset without having to attach bulky devices or wires to the hearing instrument. The Streamer, a small, sleek, wearable device similar to an MP3 player, facilitates effortless audio streaming from cell phones, personal computers, GPS systems and other popular electronic devices. The Streamer converts Bluetooth signals into an electromagnetic bit stream that is received directly by the hearing instruments. Once the Streamer is paired to a Bluetooth compatible cell phone, the user simply presses a button on the Streamer to receive phone calls binaurally through the hearing instruments.

Epoq is available in two performance levels, the premium choice, Epoq XW, or Epoq W. It will be available in early June.

via dominionpost