Bose is releasing the first FDA-cleared direct-to-consumer hearing aid that users can adjust on their own using an app.
A May 11 news release said the hearing aids will be released May 18 after gaining FDA clearance this month.
Six details:
- The hearing aid will be paired with the Bose Hear app, which users can use to fit, program and control their hearing aid in real-time.
- The hearing aid does not require a physician visit, hearing test or prescription. It is designed for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.
- The hearing aid retails for $849.95 and comes with a 90-day risk-free trial.
- It will be launched May 18 in Massachusetts, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas — with nationwide availability coming soon.
- In a clinical study with Evanston, Ill.-based Northwestern University researchers, Bose's custom tune technology achieved results as good as or better than traditional prescription hearing aids used by audiologists, the release said.
- The study found that Bose hearing aid users were more satisfied with sound quality when it was tuned with Bose's CustomTune technology than when tuned by a healthcare professional.