Interview with Charley Feeley & Paul Jackson, SeboTek

Carolyn Smaka:  Paul and Charley, thank you for your time today.  I’m looking forward to discussing the new Sebo HD2.  Would you give an overview of this new product line?

Paul Jackson:  Thank you, Carolyn, it’s a pleasure to speak with you.  I think one of the most unique things about HD2 is that there are six high fidelity products within the new product line, from an ultra-value product all the way to an ultra-premium product.  They are all receiver-in-canal (RIC) designs. In addition, at SeboTek we have built our reputation on building some of best sounding hearing devices in the industry, and the HD2 products certainly continue this tradition.  We lead the industry with 14k bandwidth and up to 111 channels of processing.  We are also using a 20-bit audio processing system and a 32 kHz digital sampling rate.  All of those high-fidelity features married together really contribute to making SeboTek products sound so good.

In addition, all HD2 products including the ultra-value product have the latest in nanotechnology that provides superior moisture protection as well as protection against wax and oils. 

Carolyn:  Charley, how do HD2 products differ from their predecessor, HD1?

Charley Feeley:  One of the major enhancements is the addition of Auto-SYNC, which is a new hands-free listening mode.  It manages the adaptive features of the hearing aid in order to ensure maximum listening comfort, enhanced speech audibility, and a high definition sound experience regardless of which environment you are in. 

Carolyn:  Hands-free refers to the fact that this is all done automatically, so the person wearing the instruments does not have to adjust controls or remotes, for example?

Charley:  Yes, exactly.  One of the challenges with products across our industry is getting all the adaptive features to work together. Depending on how these features are managed, the risk is overcompensation that actually degrades the speech signal.  One of the things that we were able to do with HD2 was get the features to talk to each other the way they need to while still keeping our high-fidelity sound.  There is a careful balance there, because you can err too far in one direction or another, and I think we hit the recipe just right with HD2.  

Carolyn: Tell me about the coupling system.

Paul:  The Easy-CLICK system is our coupling system, which is another big advancement in RIC technology.  In a nutshell, the benefits are that we can use one receiver to fit a mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss, and everything in between.  We can fit it open or closed, and there is no occlusion effect from either fitting option. For a closed fitting, the Easy-CLICK tip creates a gentle – minimum contact seal at the second bend of the canal which has been clinically tested to eliminate the occlusion effect. The benefits of creating a sealed fit near the second bend of the canal or deeper are numerous and well known in the industry; Almost all aspects of the amplified sound are improved: less distortion, more head room, greater amplifier efficiency, reduced feedback, reduced occlusion effect, wider frequency response and better directionality. The challenge the industry has had with tapping into this treasure chest of benefits is overcoming the comfort issues associated with deep canal fittings. This is where our Easy-CLICK coupling has created a huge “WOW” factor with clinicians. The RIC technology makes it possible to navigate the canal bends and position the receiver near the second bend while the Easy-CLICK tips are designed with the ability to flex 360 degrees so that they can also adapt to the canal bends.  

Carolyn:  I see that HD2 has all the features you would expect in a new product line today such as directional microphones, feedback cancellation, and even an auto telephone, which you may not always see in a RIC design.

Paul:  Yes, HD2 is fully featured and we have tried to bring key features all the way down into our value-level product, Intro.  Someone who may not be able to afford a premium level product can still benefit from some of the features that used to be found only in mid-range to premium level products.

Carolyn: RIC technology has many benefits, and it is great to see it offered at the value level. 

Charley: We see this as an opportunity to help more people with better technology, and it’s one of the reasons we are so excited about HD2.  When we brought RIC technology to the industry back in 2003, that was our vision for this technology.  It was to be able to fit people right where they were whether that was on the mission’s field or the Audiologist’s office with a product that sounded better, was easier to fit, did not require as many follow-up visits, was more comfortable and controlled feedback better.  I could go on and on about the benefits of the RIC design, and now we are making those available in a bold new category with the HD2 INTRO. 

To accomplish this new category of RIC technology, we did not simply strip down the product and make it a value product.  We considered the benefits and needs of a RIC value product for the patient as well as for the audiologist and the hearing instrument specialist. You can see the ingenuity and careful thought process from the hardware to the fitting process of this product. The value-level HD2, Intro, works with our Easy-CLICK  coupling system so the product can be fit open or closed; and with the power to reach just about  any patient’s hearing loss that comes through the office. It utilizes two digital trimmers that we call onboard controls. You set it to the patient’s audiogram and it is a 100% digital device that allows patients to enjoy automatic and adaptive features at an ultra-value technology level.  

The feedback from our customers is that they love it. They have been able to reach more people immediately as a result of Intro, and they feel great about it because it does not compromise the quality of care.  

Carolyn:  Since pioneering RIC technology back in 2003, what changes or trends have you seen with the technology?

Paul:  Several US customers have reached out to us with a need for a private labeled product to help them differentiate themselves in a tough market climate. We have seen a need and a demand for our products in other countries as well, which was part of the reason for developing the Intro and our Easy-CLICK coupler. That has really opened up some opportunities that we now have as a manufacturer, so we are currently seeking distributors and partners for OEM opportunities.  Of course we have several products that are SeboTek branded as well.  We are now in a position to extend our technology in far more countries than we already have a presence in. 

For distributors in other countries as well as OEM partners, we also have released with HD2 a new BTE line and faceplate assemblies or kits, which are also nano-treated.

Carolyn:  What an exciting time for you. If a hearing instrument specialist or an audiologist wants more information about fitting SeboTek products or private labeling, or someone is interested in becoming a distributor or OEM partner, where should we direct them?

Paul:  We can be contacted by telephone at 1-800-388-9041, via email to info@SeboTek.com or via our website, www.sebotek.com

Carolyn:  Paul and Charley, thank you for the overview of HD2 and best wishes for its continued success.

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