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No one wants a hearing aid, but if you need one, it's a necessity. Many hearing aids and phones offer some level of compatibility, but that really means non-interference - which can vary - or a T-coil, which may require flipping a super-tiny switch or using an unsightly wire. There should be a better way, and that's what ReSound offers with their Bluetooth hearing aid.

ReSound  

The Bluetooth audio function of the ReSound is very straightforward. It pairs exactly like any Bluetooth headset. That's it. The app is where things get more interesting.

main menu

main menu

The app lets you control the hearing aid in a few ways. You can select from various sound profiles, such as "restaurant" and "outdoors". The restaurant profile prioritizes nearby voices over sound from across the room, which the outdoors profile filters our wind noise. And so on. You can also create your own custom profiles for your own common locations and situations. You can also tweak the volume, etc. If you have two hearing aids, you can adjust volume for each ear. There's also a battery meter, perfect for those with battery anxiety.

The great thing about this is how discreet it is. No one likes showing off their hearing aid. Like most good hearing aids, the standard ReSound (model name: LiNX) is extremely tiny and essentially invisible. But unlike most hearing aids, you never have to reach up and fiddle with it. You can just whip out your phone and adjust it while everyone else assumes you're checking your texts.

ReSound App  

sound profiles

If you lose your hearing aid, it has an excellent feature to help find it. It will show you on a map the approximate last place the phone was connected to the hearing aid (likely the place you lost it.) Then, to be more precise, you switch to Bluetooth mode where a signal strength meter makes it easy to home in on it by playing "hot/cold". Smart.

The company also offers an accessory to broadcast Bluetooth audio from a TV or other audio source directly to your ReSound.

The company also offers a model (the Enzo) for those with more profound hearing loss. It's a bit larger.

The ReSound is pricey (think $2,000-3,000), but if you're shopping for hearing aids at all, you know that's the name of the game for nearly all hearing aids.

The iPhone is supported, as is the Galaxy S5 (just announced and available in early February.) Additional Android phones will be supported in the coming months. (As a medical device, ensuring - and advertising - phone compatibility is a bit trickier than for most Bluetooth accessories and apps.)

There are a lot of "smart" products out there with Bluetooth and other technologies added to dubious effect. Do you really need a Bluetooth pacifier or yoga mat? Probably not. But the features of the ReSound seem extremely practical for anyone needing a hearing aid.

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Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.

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