ReSound One M&RIE
ReSound have long had the aim to give their hearing aid users natural, or ‘organic’ hearing and with the release of their new C6 platform and unique Microphone-and-Receiver-in-Ear (M&RIE) model, ReSound is meeting this aim.
Using the ear’s natural physical anatomy, the M&RIE has created a buzz with this exciting new technology.
A Unique 3 Microphone arrangement
The ReSound One M&RIE introduces a three-microphone set-up. With other hearing aid brands it’s common to have two microphones on top of the hearing aid for directional technology.
The third M&RIE mic is situated in the earpiece, behind the receiver.
Having a microphone in the ear canal gives the user a distinct advantage as this replicates more precisely what the outside portion of your ear (the pinna) does. The job of the pinna is to collect and amplify sounds. This is known as the ‘pinna effect’ and is important for identifying and localising sounds in the environment. Once the sounds have been collected by the pinna, they’re funnelled into the ear.
By placing a microphone in the ear, the pinna is then able to do the job it was designed for. When the sound reaches the ear, it is then adjusted for your prescribed amplification, making the sound more natural.
Collecting and amplifying sound this way also boosts binaural (both ears) processing for the brain. ReSound One technology spatially encodes sound with the three microphone arrangement - this improves the signal to noise ratio (SNR). With this enhanced SNR you should experience not only better localisation ability but improved depth and distance awareness. Putting a microphone behind the receiver in the ear could be problematic for feedback. However, the improved processing power of the C6 chip reduces feedback, allowing the 3-mic array to function effectively.
You can also expect a significant reduction in wind noise of around 14-19dB with the M&RIE hearing aid, when compared to other microphone arrangements.
Other technology features of ReSound One
If your hearing levels fall outside the fitting range of the M&RIE model (mild to moderately-severe), you can still experience ReSound One features in the other RIE models.
All Access Directionality – This technology modifies microphone patterns, enabling you to hear what’s essential to you. All Access Directionality identifies which of your ears had a better SNR and gives that ear a complete 360 degree access to sounds. While this is happening, your other ear’s ReSound One hearing aid will jump into directional microphone mode. This processing rationale between the two hearing aids gives an improved SNR of 2 dB (when compared to the previous ReSound LiNX hearing aids).
This gives you enhanced speech understanding in background noise.
Ultra Focus
Activated by either the push button on the hearing aid or via the ReSound 3D smartphone app, Ultra Focus comes into play in more complex listening environments. This feature gives both hearing aids the ability to zone in and focus on the speech signal coming from the front, giving a reported 30% improvement in speech understanding for noisy situations.
The ReSound One M&RIE is available in rechargeable and disposable battery models. You can also have all the connectivity options with Bluetooth streaming, Remote Fine-Tuning and Live Assistance through the smartphone app.
ReSound looks to an organic, individualised philosophy for natural hearing. The new M&RIE class of hearing aids and ReSound One technology certainly fits this brief.
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