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Oticon Opn S™ Hearing Aid

Oticon has expanded on their success with the OPN line of hearing aids.  The new devices are the OPN S.  The OPN S has a new processor that promises to help you better understand speech in background noise as well as one-to-one conversation.

The heart of the digital processor utilizes the Velox S platform.  According to Oticon, there is more computing power in the Velox S than the previous OPN aids.  The main differences are:

  • Highly sensitive detectors to monitor changes in the acoustic environment 56,000 times per second
  • Better feedback management to get more gain in critical speech frequencies without the whistling.
  • Better design to improve the rechargeable battery performance.

There are several important aspects of the new OPN S that are worthwhile going over in more detail.  One is the Open Sound Optimizer.  This part of the processor will give more gain in critical speech frequencies (up to 6 db) without whistling.  This, according to a study (Callaway 2019, Oticon whitepaper) results in up to 30% more speech cues to the brain.

Another is the great new charger for the OPN S aids.  The aids can be recharged in 3 hours and give up to a day of use   If you are in a hurry, there is the 30 minute recharge which will give you 5 hours of battery life.

The OPN S comes in a variety of styles.  One is the OPN S Mini Rite(Receiver in the Ear).  This is a small device that fits behind the ear.  It has a thin, nearly invisible wire that goes from the aid into the ear canal.  A small receiver (or speaker) fits at the end of the wire.  The Mini Rite is popular because of its invisibility,comfort and performance and performance.

The Mini Rite comes in three levels of technology,  The premium is the OPN S 1 .  This gives the most processing compared to the other OPN  S aids, especially in background noise situations.  The OPN S 1 has 4 different programs that can be put into the aid.  The first is the main program, which is effective in most listening environments, even noise.  Other programs that can be added is one for listening to music, going to a lecture, or another noise reduction program to go to in case the main one isn’t working in, for example, a restaurant.

The other models are the OPNS 2(the midlevel) and the S 3 (the Basic).  All can have up to four programs and will work the same with the app.  The main differences in the models is the amount of fine tuning that can be done by the hearing healthcare professional.

The OPN S also has the ability to connect to your smartphone.  If you have an I-Phone you can get calls directly into your hearing aids.  You just answer the phone normally and you will be able to hear the conversation clearly. If you have an Android phone, such as a Samsung, you would need a small device that you would wear.  When the phone rings you would just push a button on the device and the calls go to your aids.There is also an app you can use to change programs, adjust the volume and find your aids if you lose them, among other things.

The OPN is also available in a custom device.  This is where an impression is made of the ear and a hearing aid is manufactured from the impression to fit the person’s ear.  The custom aids are available in the canal, half shell and In-the-Ear (which fills the whole ear),,Probably the most popular of these is the canal size because it is small.  The custom instruments come in the same levels (basic, midlevel and premium) as the RITE type.  However, they do not have the ability to get calls from your smartphone directly. 

If you would like more detailed information on these aids or other Oticon products, just go to www.oticon.com or call Chris at the Dann Hearing Center: 203-866-3838.


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