Compared to the Olive Pro 2-in-1 hearing aids, which tried to combine all the features of advanced true wireless stereo earbuds that consumers already recognize, the new Olive Max promises to offer more gain for clearer audio, louder levels for those with severe hearing loss, improved noise reduction for more comfort and introduce adaptive feedback cancellation. And while Olive Union doesn't hesitate to name the new design as hearing aids, it's important to note that these will be recognized purely as PSAPs (personal sound amplification products) or hearing enhancers at the best in most highly regulated markets.
Olive Union says its all-new Olive Max purpose-built design brings "ultra-intelligent adaptive hearing to true wireless earbuds for louder sound with less noise." What this will mean in a market that is still adjusting to the FDA's OTC Hearing Aid Regulation framework is hard to predict. As a "global firm at the intersection of hearing accessibility and technology," Olive Union, as with other companies in this segment, are building a direct-to-consumer business that aims to remain largely immune to country regulations.
Apart from the differences in form-factor - with should allow more space for battery, built-in electronics and microphones positioning - the next-gen Olive Max is said to offer adaptable sound settings and more effective amplification. Curiously, Olive Union says that its "wraparound" design is "Designed to be Seen, Not Hidden" and resembles today’s popular consumer earbuds rather than traditional hearing aids. We disagree. The original Olive Pro design could be proudly visible like any earbuds. But the Olive Max design is more akin to the first generation Bluetooth headsets from 2010 that one would see being used by business executives and taxi drivers alike - large and very visible. They might look modern and even futuristic, but certainly not discreet.
What is important, as the company highlights, is that the Olive Max will be a new alternative for people to experiment by themselves the benefits of hearing enhancement in a relatively affordable solution. "With Olive Max, Olive is continuing its efforts to combat the social and economic barriers to hearing aid adoption using innovative design and technology."
"For decades, hearing aid technology and design has stagnated - big, clunky devices that stick out like sore thumbs. But today, true wireless earbuds are everywhere, allowing Olive to make design decisions that create hearing health technology that look, feel and function just like them - so only the wearer decides if someone should know about their hearing health. With Olive Max, Olive purpose-built a new secure hooked design, to create a more stable listening experience regardless of setting, and also add more critical internal components for extended battery life, improved AI and powerful sound," the company adds.
The new Olive Max hearing enhancers are said to be built on-top of the feedback the company received from users of the Olive Pro earbuds. According to Olive Union, the most heavily requested feature - adaptive hearing - will debut with the Olive Max, providing wearers with "unparalleled hearing in any environment, automatically." Detailing the possibilities, the company says: "As Olive Max users wear the earbuds, artificial intelligence will continue to learn and improve the adaptive hearing experience, using advanced machine learning technology to customize sound settings to the specific user’s environment."
A new voice auto-focus feature and improved components, powered by an all-new advanced ‘S2’ sound engine, will allow Olive Max to "channel AI for better voice detection and background noise filtering and reduction," Olive Union explains. "Olive Max detects voices and noises with incredible accuracy that can even filter out background noise without distorting the user’s own voice. With six omni-directional dynamic range microphones, voices and background noises are identified and filtered with more precision than ever before," they add.
All this sounds promising if delivered. Olive Union says that its new product will be again an FDA Class 2 Hearing Aid classification "with support for mild to severe hearing loss," following a simple 5-minute hearing test for setup on iOS or Android devices - "no appointment needed."
Other technical specifications detail up to 8-hours of battery life on a single charge, or more than 18 hours with a charging case - which is limited for users that depend on wearing these devices daily. The benefits will include having features akin to any advanced consumer true wireless music listening earbuds, hands-free calling, and other conveniences of modern days.
Olive Union managed to create an interesting product with the Olive Pro earbuds, that we (and most likely everyone who acquired a set) would like to see expanded for its intended original use. Apparently, the company intends to expand its promises instead with a radical new "highly visible" design that we doubt will be regarded in the same way. Maybe if this would be already Bluetooth LE Audio product when available, at least there would be a good reason to try it out, but it doesn't seem so from the specifications. Let's see if the "adaptive hearing" will work as intended.
Olive Union says they will take pre-orders now for its all-new Olive Max "2-in-1 true wireless earbuds and hearing aids." Promotional, limited-time pre-order price is $299 for an announced MSRP that is said to be $549 USD when the product will be available in Q4 2022.
max.oliveunion.com
