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.

A day past from the introduction of a new, category-defining hearing-aid model from ReSound, another GN Group brand announces the launch of a new hearing enhancement convergence product. The new Jabra Enhance Plus are described as true wireless earbuds designed to bring hearing enhancement for clearer conversations, as well as music and calls in a state-of-the-art miniaturized design. They look like regular TWS earbuds, but are in fact OTC-class self-fitting hearing aids.

Bose was the first company to receive an FDA approval for an over-the-counter (OTC) hearing assistance device. The audio industry has been waiting for the actual product announcement. Now, Bose unveiled the SoundControl Hearing Aids, which as the name implies, are actual self-fitting, direct-to-consumer hearing-aids. They can be personalized using a mobile app, but the SoundControl Hearing Aids do not stream music or take calls and they retail for $849.95.

Futuresource Consulting announced the forthcoming availability of the new 'Worldwide Hearables Report'. According to the company's research, the growing appeal of aftermarket headphones is opening up the new ‘hearables’ sub-segment, catering for those with hearing loss and alleviating much of the expense and stigma attached to hearing aids. Amid these market developments, Futuresource will carry out in-depth original research to explore the enabling technologies, the underlying consumer attitudes, motivations and the size of the hearables opportunity.

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.