Bernafon Alpha Hearing Aid

Bernafon Alpha is the new model from the Demant Group brand — the brand’s first hearing aid featuring hybrid technology capable of managing several listening environments at once. Once again, Bernafon is betting on new technology to provide better listening comfort along with strong speech understanding in the most challenging situations.

This family includes two models: the Alpha miniRITE T, with a telecoil and double push-button, and the Alpha miniRITE TR, the rechargeable model. Both are RIC models with the receiver in the ear, and feature a lithium-ion battery, telecoil and double push-button. Both are suitable for mild to profound hearing loss.

Features

All Alpha tiers also share a set of features that set them apart from other models in the brand’s line-up:

• Hybrid Technology. A new, advanced technology exclusive to Bernafon, made up of four hybrid processing blocks, each combining two actively interacting levels, allowing effective performance across many listening situations. This makes for easy use and handling in changing listening environments.
• Signal processing.
• Listening comfort. Capable of providing comfortable use across a wide range of highly noisy environments, while still perceiving sounds naturally, as well as focusing on speech understanding in difficult listening situations with less effort. It achieves this with four transient noise reduction options, a wind noise manager, and soft noise control.
• Binaural synchronisation. With synchronised programme changes, mute and volume control, plus a binaural noise manager.
• Entertainment. For entertainment, it includes several programmes, such as a live music programme, a cinema programme, and a dynamic range expander. It can also connect to any Bluetooth device for audio streaming and hands-free phone calls.
• Directionality. Features full adaptive dynamic directionality or fixed omni, plus a directionality plus mode with fixed directionality. This feature lets the microphones automatically orient towards sound sources to improve reception.
• Personalisation. Personalisation options include different programmes or memories, data tracking, an airplane comfort programme, tinnitus sound support, and a fitting manager. This lets the hearing aid be configured according to each user’s needs and preferences.

Colour Range

Both models, the Alpha miniRITE T and miniRITE T R, also come in a wide range of colours to choose from: metallic silver (MAC), sand beige (MAC), antique bronze (MAC), metallic anthracite (MAC), jet black, metallic anthracite (MSIL), cocoa brown, sand beige (MSIL), metallic silver (MSIL) and midnight blue (the latter only available for the miniRITE T R).

Hybrid Technology™

Bernafon introduces its most advanced hearing aid technology yet with Hybrid Technology, made up of four hybrid processing blocks, each one combining two actively interacting levels. This allows it to perform well across different listening contexts.

These four blocks are:

• Hybrid Noise Management: essentially responsible for managing noise. Smart directionality is active across 24 individual bands and interacts seamlessly with smart noise reduction, optimised through machine learning.
• Hybrid Balancing: both speech balance and noise balance fine-tune sound amplification, whether or not speech is present.
• Hybrid Sound Processing: two parallel strategies process sound simultaneously in both the time and frequency domains.
• Hybrid Feedback Canceller: two estimators eliminate feedback under both static and dynamic conditions, with up to 126,000 measurements per second.

Hybrid technology offers several benefits:

• It delivers a cleaner speech signal while preserving natural ambient sounds.
• Alongside listening comfort, it also offers balanced speech audibility.
• It provides sound quality and speech intelligibility without compromise.
• It offers effective feedback protection.

Bernafon Alpha Models

The Alpha range currently includes the 5, 7 and 9 models. Their differences and technical features are described in the following tables:

Accessories

Bernafon Alpha can stream sound from iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, as well as from Android devices via the ASHA protocol. It also offers a range of connectivity accessories compatible with the Alpha model:

• Easy Control – A app. An app that gives the hearing aid extra functionality, all managed simply by downloading it to your phone. These features include remote control, letting the patient adjust the hearing aid’s volume, switch programmes, mute it, and check its battery level. The app also has a “find” feature for those times we forget where we’ve left our hearing aids. It’s also worth noting that users can subscribe to the IFTTT service, allowing the hearing aids to connect to various IoT (Internet of Things) devices. This lets users receive notifications or emails covering all aspects of the hearing aid, from a low battery warning to spoken notifications alerting them of something, for example.
• Bernafon EasyControl Connect. This is the brand’s own app, downloadable to your phone, letting you stay in touch with your hearing care professional, whether to book online appointments or ask for advice.
• SoundClip-A. With this versatile device, you get unlimited streaming as well as hands-free conversations in both ears. It’s also designed to work with all mobile phones, compatible with Android, iPhone and other 2.4 GHz Bluetooth audio devices.
• TV-A (TV adapter). This adapter streams TV sound directly to the hearing aids without losing sound quality.
• RC-A (remote control). This remote control uses 2.4 GHz wireless technology to communicate with the hearing aids, letting you change both volume and programme.
• 2.4 GHz Bluetooth® wireless technology. Enables direct communication and control with iPhone, iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPod touch. With this technology, users enjoy direct sound streaming to their hearing aids. Bernafon Alpha is also compatible with ASHA (Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids), allowing audio to be streamed from a mobile device directly to Alpha hearing aids.

Bernafon Alpha Rechargeable Charger

The Bernafon Alpha hearing aid comes with two types of chargers:

• Plug & Play charger. Provides contact-free inductive charging with long-life batteries that your hearing care professional can replace.

• Travel Charger Plus. If you want to charge on the go, this is the most convenient option, since this charger has a power bank offering three full charges for two hearing aids.
  Bernafon Alpha hearing aids provide full power for a whole day’s use, including streaming from other devices and phone calls. The lithium-ion batteries also fully recharge in just 3 hours in the charger.

Conclusions

Bernafon is a brand with 75 years of experience, backed by the Demant group, which also owns other major market brands such as Oticon and the newly arrived Philips. Its launches never fail to impress, with new features and technological advances applied to both its hearing aids and accessories.

With this new model, it takes another step toward hybrid technology, combining two technologies for better performance across listening environments while also making a rechargeable option available.

If you’d like to try these hearing aids, don’t hesitate to get in touch: