Widex Beyond Hearing Aids, Their First Made For iPhone Hearing Aids
Widex Introduces The Beyond
Widex has introduced a new device called the Beyond which is their first ever Made For iPhone hearing device. For the first time they have added direct smart phone connectivity on top of their own famous wireless connectivity platform, Widex Link.
The Made For iPhone Hearing Aid
Widex has based the new digital hearing aid on their very popular Fusion model, although it is a little longer and thinner than the Fusion with a new button. The device was launched to EUHA (International Hearing Aid Conference in Germany) where they introduced both the Beyond hearing aid and the Beyond app for smartphone. While Widex have now introduced a 2.4ghz BlueTooth radio to the Beyond, it has retained both the WidexLink and a telecoil on the devices.
Widex Link
Keeping the WidexLink system makes a lot of sense for Widex and for users. The first reason being, that WidexLink is still the single best system available for streaming high quality audio. The second is that it will mean that any existing users of Widex products who upgrade their devices to the Beyond will still be able to use their Dex accessories.
The WidexLink also allows the inter ear features of the hearing aids to continue to work even if you were streaming audio to the devices. Something that could be very important in some situations.
Widex
Beyond Hearing Aids
So what do we know about the Beyond? as I said, it is a Fusion device based on the Unique technology, it has three radios onboard, the one for Widex Link, a telecoil and the new radio for direct iPhone connection making it possible to stream music and conduct phone calls directly to the hearing aid without any intermediary device.
Widex Products are famous for their sound quality, now it appears that sound quality extends to the best sound Made for iPhone. The device seems to have been launched as a style as opposed to a platform. By that I mean the Beyond appears to fit into the Unique family in the same way the Fusion or CIC does. It is available in the usual four levels of technology, the 440, 330, 220 and 110.
The Beyond App
User Fine Tuning?
The Beyond app seems to have the usual features you would expect from similar products, you can set geo locations for different sound programmes and make changes to how the hearing aids are working on the go. However, there also seems to be an element of self fine tuning on the app, whereby users can change the frequency response of the hearing aids. They are calling this feature the Preference Control and it seems to break down frequencies into three bands, Bass, Middle and Treble. It is interesting to see manufacturers begin to hand over this type of control to users.
The Beyond at present appears to be only a Fusion type hearing aid, however, it will be interesting to see how and if Widex will expand the Made For iPhone range. It is a little unusual that Widex has just delivered one device as opposed to a full range.However, it probably makes perfect sense if Widex has just considered it a style or type of hearing aid rather than a platform or family. The Beyond will be available at all of our hearing aid centres from November.
