Industry Research: Clinical Comparison of Premier Hearing Aids

2019-07-16
Eric Branda, AuD, PhD; Thomas A. Powers, PhD; Jennifer Weber, AUD

VOL. 6 • ISSUE 4 • 2019

Premier hearing aid products from three leading manufacturers were placed in head-to-head competition to assess key benefits for the wearer. For the speech recognition measures, the Signia product was significantly superior, and this was true for three different background noise conditions. Subjective judgements for different attributes of the listening experience were equal for the three products, suggesting that superior speech understanding can be achieved without causing negative effects regarding the acoustic environment.

Eric Branda, AuD, PhD

Dr. Eric Branda is an Audiologist and Director of Research Audiology for Sivantos in the USA. For over 20 years, Eric has provided audiological, technical and product training support around the globe. He specializes in bringing new product innovations to market, helping Sivantos fulfill its goal of creating advanced hearing solutions for all types and degrees of hearing loss. Dr. Branda received his PhD from Salus University, his AuD from the Arizona School of Health Sciences and his Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Akron.

Thomas A. Powers, Ph.D.

Thomas A. Powers, Ph.D., is the Managing Member of Powers Consulting, LLC, providing management consulting to the hearing health industry. Dr. Powers serves an expert audiology consultant for the Better Hearing Institute, and as a Senior Consultant for Sivantos, Inc. Dr. Powers received his B.S. from the State University of New York at Geneseo, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Audiology from Ohio University. He began his career as a partner in an Audiology private practice, and has over 35 years of experience in the hearing health care industry. Prior to his current role, Dr. Powers was Vice-President, Government Services and Professional Relations for Sivantos, Inc.

Jennifer Weber, Au.D.

Dr. Jennifer “Jenny” Weber is Professor of Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences (ASLS) at the University of Northern Colorado. Her areas of interest include amplification and diagnostic, pediatric, and animal audiology. She serves as Audiology Graduate Coordinator at UNC.