Fresh From the Bench: Olive Pro Hearing and Bluetooth Earbuds

The Olive Pro Hearing and Bluetooth Earbuds were brought to market by Olive Union during 2021. These are 2-in-1 true wireless earbuds and smart (FDA-Registered class II) hearing aids, featuring a modern design that was intentionally conceived to look like futuristic Bluetooth earbuds to combat the social and economic barriers of hearing loss. When the company temporarily paused its sales efforts in the US, Brent talked with the company to find out what happened and their plans to adjust and return to market. This article was originally published in audioXpress, January 2022.

Making Audio Augmentation useful for everyone, or pursue the regulatory requirements of OTC hearing aids. This article offers a useful perspective regarding the guidance documents published by the US Food and Drug Administration regarding improved access to hearing aid technology. The agency proposes a rule to establish a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids - to be sold directly to consumers in stores or online without a medical exam or a fitting by an audiologist. But most audio manufacturers are better off by not pursuing this FDA-approved OTC market. Doing so will simply hinder critical experimentation and innovation.

It's not only the technology that is evolving much faster in consumer true wireless earbuds. It's also consumer's perception of what these products can do and its widespread appeal. Understanding that hearing aids could greatly benefit from that form-factor to surpass existing stigmas, WS Audiology's hearing-aid brand Signia is targeting a new generation of users with its Signia Active Pro earbud-style hearing aids that also offer high-tech audiological benefits.

A new market report from IDTechEx Research, the research and consultancy focused on emerging technologies from Cambridge, UK, offers a in-depth perspective on the market for Hearables. The new IDTechEx research covers ear-worn electronic products, including headphones, hearing aids and related product areas. The new report offers an overview of trends, technology, players and expanded forecasts from 2020 to 2030.

A familiar name in in-ear monitors for athletes, musicians, music producers or music enthusiasts, Westone Audio built a strong business with innovative products that have been praised for many years in its market segment. That division is a part of a larger enhance hearing health and communications business. For Texas-based Lucid Audio, the Westone acquisition perfectly complements its strategy in the pro and consumer in-ear monitor business, following the acquisition of Etymotic in 2018.

At first glance, the reason for the decision to allow the sale of OTC hearing aids in the US is clear. The market for hearing aids is going to be driven by over-the-counter sales, according to the latest research from analyst SAR Insight & Consulting. This assertion is given weight by the news that Bose — a market leader in home audio, headphones, and automotive audio systems —is the first company to be FDA approved for a patent on OTC hearing aids. As a result, many companies are diverting their attention to the medical hearing aid market.

Futuresource Consulting has recently published its Hearables Market Report, reviewing the market size, competitive landscape, technology drivers and future trends in this new product category. Simon Forrest, Principal Technology Analyst at Futuresource discusses new monetization opportunities in the untethered hearable segment and those resulting from the new “over the counter” hearing aid category, opening up the sector to many new entrants not least the mainstream headphones companies.

The market for hearing enhancement products is set for disruption. Leading consumer electronics brands are now impinging upon the traditional markets for hearing aids by adding technologies that transform earphones into the growing category of hearables. Anticipating the cross-over opportunities between hearing aids and hearables and the rise of a unique new product category, market research firm Futuresource expands on the trend.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed marketing of a new device, the Bose Hearing Aid, intended to amplify sounds for individuals 18 years or older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment (hearing loss). This is the first hearing aid authorized for marketing by the FDA that enables users to fit, program and control the hearing aid on their own, without assistance from a health care provider.