January 2022 Newsletter
Here’s an Idea for a New Year’s Resolution…
Our first two articles in this January 2022 newsletter describe how individuals have used their personal experiences to improve the quality of life for many people. We hope they inspire you to share your journey to hearing health with others.
Awareness and education about hearing loss are the first steps on the path to a more equitable environment for all, and we would be happy to serve as a platform for you to share your story. Let us resolve together to normalize hearing loss treatment, and support those who need hearing assistance. Do you have an idea? Let us hear it!!!
IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
♦ What one woman has achieved for many
♦ “El Deafo”: now an educational and entertaining animated series for children
♦ Bonus features in BeHear ACCESS
♦ New BeHear branding
♦ Great savings on refurbished BeHear PROXY TV watching bundle
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“It was easier for me to change the world than it was to lower my standards.”
Janice Lintz wanted her young daughter to experience the full spectrum of culture and mainstream education provided in New York City, despite her hearing loss. While on a visit to London Mrs. Lintz learned that taxi cabs there were outfitted with hearing loops, which allowed those with high end hearing aids to hear conversations clearly.
While popular in Europe, hearing loops were not widely used, even though ADA legislation passed in 1990 mandated assistive listening technologies for public places. Today, thanks to Mrs. Lintz’s efforts, New York City taxi cabs, subway information booths and call boxes, Broadway theaters, museums, and baseball stadiums are on the long list of those who host the induction loop technology. Read more about her efforts, here.
We applaud activists like Janice Lintz for refusing to accept the status quo when it comes to quality of life. We are proud to support Telecoil in our BeHear ACCESS hearing amplifiers.
Animated Adaption of Award-Winning Graphic Novel
Perhaps you are a parent of a child with hearing loss, or an educator wondering how best to integrate that child into the classroom. This animated series, now streaming on Apple TV+, is a great way to educate the uninitiated and normalize behavior surrounding treatment of children with hearing loss. Highly recommended!
3 Hidden Features of BeHear ACCESS
Maybe you have heard about BeHear ACCESS, or even already own one. But did you know about these special features, exclusive to it in the BeHear line?
- SoundFocus™ – Choose your direction of interest (narrow, wide, omni). Important sounds will be amplified based on that input range only. Very helpful when you want to zero-in on your conversation partner, and not the whole room!
- Support for Unilateral Hearing – In the CROS and BiCROS implementation in BeHear ACCESS, sound that reaches the microphones on the non-hearing side is transferred to the speaker in the ear bud of the hearing ear. This function helps people with unilateral hearing to enjoy stereo audio content, such as music, as well.
- Eliminating “Own Voice Echo” – A typical downside of wearing a pair of earbuds is the “occlusion effect”; a perceived echo of your own voice when your ear canal is sealed by the device. A four-step slider in the BeHear app allows you to control how much you hear yourself when wearing the BeHear ACCESS headset.
BeHear is Being Rebranded
Did you notice that our logo has changed? The new design symbolizes the gradual hearing amplification offered in our products, represented by a thickening of the lines in each successive letter:
We are also simplifying our brand hierarchy by phasing out the use of “Wear & Hear” and “W&H”. Instead, our registered trademark “BeHear” will be the brand name for all our hearing enhancement products. As a result, our product names are now: BeHear.ACCESS , BeHear.PROXY, BeHear.SMARTO, etc.
Our slogan “Life Sounds Better” remains as we are still committed to our original mission: to bring affordable, high-quality, self-fit hearing enhancement products to market.
Changes to our Web site and product packaging will happen gradually, over the next few months. Come take a look to see how we are progressing…
Great Savings on BeHear PROXY TV Bundle
Treat yourself to clear, crisp TV dialogue and superb stereo sound with this refurbished* wireless neck speaker and Bluetooth audio transmitter. Your ears will thank you twice: once for fantastic sound and once for keeping them free!
Get a 25% discount when you purchase a refurbished BeHear PROXY with HearLink PLUS.
*Refurbished units are used but cleaned, tested, and fully updated.
September 2021 Newsletter
BeHear Back to the Routine
In this September newsletter we formally introduced our newest product: BeHear SMARTO, a simple to operate body-worn personal sound amplifier. As a BeHear follower we invite you to preorder SMARTO at a big discount.
ALSO IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
♦ “Situational hearing devices” trend explained ♦ BeHear hearing solutions now in French electronic retailer, Boulanger ♦ “Life-changing” review from BeHear PROXY customer ♦ Special discount on BeHear PROXY neck speaker and bundle ♦
To get these newsletters sent directly to your inbox, register here. ♦
“Life changing” hearing solution – BeHear PROXY personal TV sound system review
Mrs. Frances Berga reviews the BeHear PROXY Personal TV Sound System:
I am hard of hearing and have tried many different devices and spent a lot of $$$$. I have to listen to the TV very loud. But not anymore, believe me I know what I’m talking about when I say this headset works great as long as your TV has Bluetooth capability, also works great with my iPhone! For me the most important part was it working with my TV and me not having to sit here with big bulky earphones on or earbuds plugged in to my ear.
With this device I can hear my television clearly and still hear everything going on around me! I can’t praise this product enough; it has really changed my life in such a short time.
If you are hard of hearing and other people are living with you and the volume of the TV bothers them, this is worth the investment ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
FYI, if you don’t like things on your neck you can do like I do sometimes and put it on the arm of your chair or somewhere close to you. That being said, it’s pretty light weight. [Even though] I have some neck problems it doesn’t bother me at all and I watch hours of TV.
Hearables, innovative hearing solutions, create an opportunity for holistic audiology
The hearing healthcare market is rapidly changing, expanding to include a new category of hearing solutions called hearables – devices that offer different types of hybrids between hearing aids and consumer electronic headsets or ear buds. The delay in OTC (Over The Counter) legislation providing guidelines for the marketing of hearing aids, promised by the FDA to be released in August 2020, has not prevented companies from announcing DTC (Direct To Consumer) hearing augmentation solutions. On the contrary, several companies, including giants like Apple, are moving full speed ahead to implement hearing augmentation solutions for people with mild to moderate hearing degradation.
As more and more companies start offering hearing solutions that are not hearing aids, and customers recognize that it is possible to find alternatives to traditional hearing aids that are prescribed and fitted by a hearing professional, audiologists will need to consider evolving in the way they manage their businesses.
What does the increase in the availability of non-traditional hearing solutions mean for audiologists?
As Kim Cavitt, AuD advised on a recent “Future Ear Radio” podcast entitled “How Hearing Professionals Can Thrive in an Expanding Market”, the best course for audiologists going forward is to “practice audiology: decouple your identity from the product and simply provide the care at a professional level.” Dr. Cavitt believes that audiologists need to adopt a more holistic approach. Instead of focusing on selling hearing aids, hearing professionals should be addressing the specific client’s requirement and counseling them on the best solution for their current hearing status. They can use their audiological expertise to diagnose the client’s condition and then help them navigate the wide variety of available options to steer them toward high-quality solutions.
In other words, this move would require a revised business model. Instead of relying mainly on hearing aid sales for income, provision of services would sustain the practice. Service might include finding ways to increase awareness regarding the importance of hearing health and closing the gap between the first stages of hearing degradation and adopting technological support.
How can audiologists stay relevant as providers of hearing solutions?
Psychological factors create resistance to adopting hearing aids, but most people are unaware that untreated hearing loss damages physical, emotional, and even mental wellbeing. Familiarity with the entire gamut of technological options, from high-end hearing aids to situation-specific hearing enhancers (like TV listening solutions) enables audiologists to offer solutions appropriate to the customer’s state of mind, as well as the condition of their ears. Since the holistic approach is also time-consuming, it would be benefit audiologists to vet the DTC (Direct to Consumer) options and then refer clients to their own e-Commerce store to peruse relevant options there. This would cut down on clinic time and keep the client at the center of the process, while providing a new revenue stream for the audiologist.
Becoming a knowledge source for customers who find it difficult to comprehend and calculate the pros and cons of different options available is an important way to stay relevant as a hearing professional.
While attending the recent “Future of Hearing Healthcare Event” sponsored by Hearing Health & Technology Matters, Kathy Folino, an audiologist at Amplifon Clinic in Niagara Falls, discovered the BeHear PROXY, a hearing enhancement neck speaker developed by Alango Technologies. Kathy reports: “I used the BeHear PROXY myself and then sent it to my dad to try out as well. I think it’s a great product. The sound quality was clear, and the volume range was great (thinking of hard of hearing clients). It was very user friendly and easy to pair the Bluetooth and start using. My dad loved using it as a speaker and he even used the headphones at times too. It improved his ability to hear the TV clearly and understand what was being said. His partner liked it too because the TV wasn’t too loud for her!”
Products like BeHear PROXY make it easy for audiologists to adopt a more holistic approach to helping people with hearing loss. It’s a great option for clients who are hesitant to get hearing aids, and/or just want something for the TV.
Individuals who became audiologists to reconnect those with hearing loss to family, friends, and nature’s pleasures will appreciate the opportunity provided by the new hearing enhancement solutions to serve more people. With their backgrounds in science and technology, hearing professionals are well positioned to help clients navigate the rapidly growing field of options. Clients will benefit from an easier path to hearing health with a trusted advisor, and audiologists will be rewarded with their loyalty for years to come.
Written by Ruth Bridger, Marketing Director of Assistive Products at Alango Technologies.
July 2021 Newsletter
BeHear technology advancements
Articles in this issue include:
♦ NEW RELEASE: BeHear.ACCESS just got new hyper-advanced features normally only found in the most sophisticated hearing aids.
♦ “I never imagined I would love BeHear PROXY more than my Dyson!”- BeHear.PROXY video review.
♦ BeHear EasyListen™ -hear better with the technology that slows down speech in real time.
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Why use a neck speaker with hearing aids?
Use BeHear PROXY neck speaker with hearing aids, slow down the speech in real time or run the hearing test with the W&H app.
The Facebook community HoH DEAF NOT STUPID posts and discusses resources and organizations that are of use to deaf and hard of hearing people. This is the review they posted about BeHear PROXY.
This neck speaker and personal hearing amplifier sits comfortably around your shoulders and can be used in two ways. There’s a small speaker on each side of the device which deliver a clear, good quality stereo sound. The beauty of these speakers is that you can use them in conjunction with your hearing aids to tailor the sound to your requirement. The device doesn’t transmit audio for reception via the aids’ T switch so you use the aids’ microphones. There’s a pair of volume control buttons on the right-hand side of the device, which can amplify at up to about 105 dB. The downside is that anyone in your vicinity can also hear the output.
A pair of extractable earbuds is housed, one in each arm of the device. Pull them out to use them and press buttons for them to be automatically retracted into their housing. The technical specification of the device rates the output of these earbuds at up to about 105 dB. Our experience with them was that, whilst hearing people found their output satisfactory, people who are hard of hearing had difficulty with them – and, of course, you have to remove your aids to use the earbuds.
The PROXY is Bluetooth enabled, with a range of up to about ten meters, and can support two simultaneously connected devices – say the TV and your phone (if your TV isn’t Bluetooth enabled, you can purchase a Bluetooth transmitter to attach to it).
When used in conjunction with your Smartphone you’d need to use the earbuds for call privacy and, as already mentioned, this might pose a problem for Hard of Hearing users. The two buttons previously mentioned control the call volume. Between the two volume buttons is a third, multi-purpose button. This button is used, depending on the length and number of presses, to reject, accept and end calls and to redial the last number. A built-in microphone makes incoming calls hands free and also enables the amplification of in-room conversations when the earbuds are used and also allow you to hear ambient sounds whilst listening to music.
A Smartphone app. has a feature that lets you slow down incoming speech slightly, to improve intelligibility. The same app. lets you tailor the PROXY to your own requirements, running your own hearing test and turning features on and off.
When listening to music, possibly streamed from your Smartphone, depending on the length of your press, the volume buttons can also be use to skip to the next or previous track. The center button pauses and plays the audio.
The device is powered by an internal rechargeable battery with a charging time of about three hours. When using the loudspeakers, a full charge gives about ten hours listening and, with the earbuds, about forty hours. A USB charging lead is supplied.
The BeHear PROXY is marketed by Wear & Hear at $189 including a one-year warranty and free worldwide shipping. A thirty-day free trial is available.
May 2021 Newsletter
May we help you?
Articles in this issue include:
♦ “Building Connections”: the theme for Better Hearing & Speech Month 2021 (ASHA – American Speech-Language-Hearing Association)
♦ Tech expert Dave Taylor of AskDaveTaylor reviews BeHear PROXY
♦ BeHear Chief Audiologist Suhail Habib Allah describes his vision of leveraging technology to create a new hearing experience
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You’ve really hit a home run with BeHear PROXY!
I am standing in my kitchen now, listening to “Abraham, Martin and John” through the device’s speakers (stereo enhancement turned on). It sounds AWESOME, and yet if I take it off, it is certainly not loud enough to bother my next door neighbors, like my TV used to…
The sound fidelity is crystal clear, the tonal qualities are just right, I can hear fine nuances in the music, it is comfortable to wear and it is so easy to use. I love the fact that I do not have to use the earbuds. I don’t want to stop listening.
Now I’m mellowing out to the sound of Barbra Streisand singing “What’s it All About, Alfie?” I am in music heaven!
A few weeks ago I had created a personalized hearing profile in the BeHear app when I reviewed the BeHear ACCESS. Is it possible to copy that hearing profile over to the BeHear PROXY, or will I need to get my hearing tested again?
I really love listening to my music library, while I wear the BeHear PROXY. It lets me consistently listen to pleasing, high fidelity audio, without the need to use earbuds or headphones. When walking, driving and engaging in other activities, the BeHear PROXY hearing amplifier should enable users to clearly hear, and be aware of, all that is going on around them.
Now, finally, I can enjoy my music at a volume that is loud enough for me to hear it, without bothering anyone. Life is good. You’ve really hit a home run with BeHear PROXY.
March 2021 Newsletter
3 Things for You
♦ NEW PRODUCT offers surround sound on your shoulders! ♦ Hearing is believing – customer becomes advocate ♦ How to keep your ears young and your mind sharp ♦
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PROXY Listening Experience Helps Battle Zoom Fatigue
Alango releases BeHear PROXY, a customizable Bluetooth neck speaker and hearing amplifier that provides a comfortable, rich stereo sound experience for TV watching, mobile calls, audio/video streaming, gaming, and live conversations
Alango Technologies announced that a new model called BeHear® PROXY has been added to its line of hearing enhancement solutions.
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent preference to shelter at home have driven remote working, virtual communications and TV watching through the roof. It turns out that virtual communication is stressful for the brain and over-use of these platforms can create a type of tiredness, worry, or burnout which has been coined “Zoom fatigue”.
BeHear’s PROXY can help alleviate some of the stress of Zoom fatigue by creating a comfortable, customized, immersive listening experience. Straining to hear and the need to focus almost entirely on vocals (in contrast to an in-person interaction that provides many more visual cues) is a major factor in Zoom fatigue. PROXY connects to the audio source to deliver sound in close proximity (get it?) to the ears, while Alango’s advanced hearing enhancement technology clarifies dialogue and customizes amplification based on the wearer’s unique hearing profile.
PROXY’s ergonomic form factor rests lightly on the shoulders, emitting rich surround sound enhanced by Alango’s technology. This enables the wearer to enjoy high quality sound without having anything in the ears, worrying that earbuds will fall out or getting hot from over-the-ears headphones. Ears-free is a different and cool way to listen but the true beauty in PROXY is the customization capabilities.
Alango’s audio experts designed the product to produce an individualized hearing profile for every user, including those who are hard of hearing. BeHear PROXY can be used with hearing aids, or as a back-up hearing amplifier to relieve hearing aid fatigue. Amplification can be ~20% stronger than that of a mobile phone or computer speaker – but it is applied only where and when needed, according to the user’s hearing profile. Amplification on its own just makes everything louder. The BeHear magic is in custom fitting the sound to each user and supporting their individual hearing needs.
“We developed BeHear PROXY to create a new hearing experience, to make life sound better when watching TV and participating in mobile and video calls,” notes Alango’s CEO and Founder, Dr. Alexander Goldin. “In these difficult times, it’s good to be able to alleviate the stress of Zoom fatigue and straining to hear. Why not pamper yourself with a comfortable and satisfying listening experience?”
BeHear PROXY also includes extractable earbuds that support personal sound amplification for live conversations. The earbuds are also useful for private listening during mobile phone and video calls, or while watching television when others are present but not engaged. BeHear PROXY can pair simultaneously via Bluetooth to two different devices, such as a smartphone and a computer.
About Alango Technologies
Alango Technologies, Ltd. (www.alango.com) has been developing sound enhancement technologies since 2002, selling over 50 million software licenses that improve the audio experience in automotive, entertainment, and smart home applications around the world. Realizing the importance and opportunity of combining the sound enhancement technology found in hearing aids with the advances and costs in the consumer electronics world, the Company is now using its field-proven expertise in sound technology to create products for personal hearing enhancement: the “Wear & Hear” product line (www.WearAndHear.com).
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BeHear, HearLink, and Wear & Hear are registered trademarks of Alango Technologies, Ltd. in the United States. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
Also published at:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/proxy-listening-experience-helps-battle-143500018.html