Interview with Jerry Yanz, PhD, Director of Audiology, Hansaton

Carolyn Smaka:  Jerry, great to speak with you again.  What’s new at Hansaton?

Jerry Yanz:  The big news is that we’ve expanded our AQ rechargeable products.  Initially, when we introduced AQ rechargeables in the U.S., we released the custom models.  A little over a year later we introduced the AQ X-Mini, which is a RIC (receiver-in-canal), and this past September we launched the AQ Slim, which is a small BTE.

Carolyn:  What levels of technology are available for AQ rechargeable models?

Jerry:  All of the AQ rechargeable instruments are available in three technology levels: first class, business class, and comfort class.  One important point to note is that neither audiologists nor their patients will need to give up anything in the sophistication of the digital processing by going to an AQ rechargeable instrument.  These instruments have an array of digital features, including premium features in the highest level of technology, that compete very well against any other products available in the market today, and we know there are a lot of good products out there.

Carolyn:  What features differentiate the levels of technology?

Jerry:  A starting point is by the number of bands and channels that are available for adjustment.  In the first class instrument, there are 16 channels and 16 bands; business class has 12 and 12, and comfort class has 8 channels and 8 bands.  That doesn’t tell the whole story.  As you would expect, as you move up in technology level you gain greater adjustability, and there are some features that are available only in the first class instruments.

Let me give you an example.  The first class AQ models have a feature called Speech Beam.  Speech Beam is a form of adaptive directionality that departs from the usual rule of positioning the person you want to hear in front of you.  With traditional directional systems, as you know, the typical directional patterns will attenuate signals coming from the sides and behind the wearer.  With Speech Beam, if the desired speech signal is behind you, the processor will detect that primary speech input and rotate the maximum response angle of the directionality to capture that speech signal.

A classic example of the benefit of Speech Beam is in a car.  Say that you’re driving your car and you want be able to hear your passengers in the back seat.  Speech Beam enables you to follow that conversation without turning your head around and taking your focus off of your driving. 

Carolyn:  What other features comprise the business class and first class from the comfort class?

Jerry: In addition to Speech Beam, there are other key features in business class and first class.  They include another type of directional response, which is called Natural Sound.  Natural Sound is a shaping of the directionality in such a way that it emulates the open ear.  In other words, it emulates the acoustical characteristics of the pinna and concha. 

Therefore, in omnidirectional mode the response is slightly directional in the high frequency range.   There is a positive DI (directionality index) in the high frequencies and a slightly negative DI in the low frequencies, crossing over the zero mark just above 1,000 Hz, which is what you have in the open ear.  This was designed to provide some natural localization ability as well as a very natural sound quality, like the ear had before it wore a hearing aid on it.

Another feature in the business class and above is HiFi Sound, a method of digitally and synthetically expanding the bandwidth of the hearing aid response up to 12 kHz, instead of the usual 8 kHz roll-off.  The goal of is enhanced brilliance of sound, especially with music. 

The last feature I’ll mention is the Situation Optimizer. As you know, in these hearing aids, there are a number of digital algorithms operating at any given time.  There’s a voice detection and enhancement algorithm.  There’s a noise reduction algorithm, adaptive directionality, as well as sound impulse management, and wind management.

The Situation Optimizer goes a step beyond those adaptive algorithms that are already in place.  With this tool, you have the ability to customize the frequency response for different acoustic environments, which are automatically identified by the digital processor.  Starting with the basic frequency response shape determined by the patient's audiogram and your choice of prescriptive fitting method, the Situation Optimizer allows you to select offsets from that shape to further customize the response for the individual.  The professional can then enter gain offsets from this basic starting point, designed to optimize clarity and comfort for a variety of input categories - speech in noise, noise only or music - which are identified by the processor.  The first program in our instruments is called the Unviersal program; in essence, the Situation Optimizer makes it more universal than ever before.

Carolyn: In order for that to be beneficial, the DSP has to be accurate at categorizing those situations.

Jerry:  Exactly. We have data showing that the accuracy of our categorization is really good, and so this becomes a very helpful tool.

Carolyn:  Tell me about the Acclimatization Manager.

Jerry:  The Acclimatization Manager is available in business class and first class.  It starts with the target that we know audiologically is best for a patient.  However, often patients don’t want that much gain and output at first, especially if they are first-time wearers of hearing aids. The Acclimatization Manager allows us to back off from that response a little bit at the time of the first fitting.  We then choose an acclimatization period, and the response very gradually weans the patient from their initial acceptable response up to what we know audiologically is optimal.  It’s an alternative to return visits to the office for programming adjustments that would gradually bring the response up a little bit each time.  It’s a nice smooth transition, without the inconvenience of multiple appointments to achieve the same outcome. 

Carolyn:  Great.  Switching gears, Hansaton has a full portfolio of products, including non-rechargeable hearing instruments, right?

Jerry:  Yes.  We are a full-service manufacturer, so we have a full array of conventional products as well as the rechargeables.  The features we’ve been discussing today apply both to our AQ Rechargeable line and our conventional (non-rechargeable) products.  And, we are in the process of launching a new product that we’re very excited about.

Carolyn:  Can you provide an overview?

Jerry:  This is called the X-Micro, and it’s a new RIC.  With total objectivity, I can say it is a beautiful hearing aid.  It uses a 10A battery, so it’s a very small RIC, and if you put it side by side with the X-Mini, which was previously our smallest product, it even makes the X-Mini look large!  It has what I describe as a faceted case design, like a diamond – with faceted edges as opposed to a rounded look.  It’s very sleek.

Carolyn:  With a size 10 battery, I have to assume it's not rechargeable. 

Jerry:  Correct, it is not.  We monitor the development of new rechargeable power sources, and as yet we have not found even a 312 battery, much less a 10A, that meets our stringent design goal of at least 16 hours of operation per charge.  Basically, we want to be sure the rechargeable battery gets a person through the day.  Our rechargeable line uses a size 13 cell that provides 20+ hours operating time per charge, plus a 5-year battery guarantee.  As you know, the battery is sealed within the instruments, so the wearer never has to change or deal with the battery, which makes them extremely easy and convenient to use.

Carolyn:  The X-Micro is available in all technology levels?

Jerry:  Yes.  The first class is called Antaro, the business class is Inara, and the comfort class is Sorino.

The X-Micro was designed on a new digital platform, XearA.  XearA significantly enhances many of the features found on the previous legacy platform and also provides some additional features that are brand new.

Carolyn:  Such as…?

Jerry: Let me give you some highlights.  For starters, there are more channels of adjustability.  There are 18 channels in the first class instrument, 16 in the second, and 12 in the third.  The first fit strategy, Xpress Fit, uses more information, both from the audiogram and from the selection of transducers and venting, to help optimize the adjustment or the settings of the adaptive parameters right out of the chute.  It’s like taking customization to a higher level.

In terms of features, Sound Restore is a frequency compression algorithm available on the XearA platform that does not degrade the sound quality.  It is frequency compression rather than transposition, and the sound quality is excellent.  The XearA platform also includes two hi-fi features.  One is called Real HiFi; one is called Artificial HiFi. 

Real HiFi is an expansion of the bandwidth up to 10 kHz. I had been a skeptic of the feasibility of getting that sort of bandwidth until I listened to this.  It really is a more brilliant, crisp sound.  Artificial HiFi is a synthetic algorithm that goes out to 12 kHz.

There’s another feature called Conversation Lift.  As you know, optimizing the signal-to-noise ratio is a goal to help people with hearing impairment hear better in real world situations.  That’s a lot of what hearing aid fitting is all about, and adaptive directionality is a big piece of that.  Adaptive directionality on average will deliver a directional benefit of about 3 dB.  It sounds like a small number, but as you know you get a lot of bang for your buck with the 3 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio.

Conversation Lift combines the adaptive directionality with the ability of the processor to differentiate between speech and noise, in order to quell the noise and enhance the speech.  Combining Conversation Life with adaptive directionality increasese the 3 dB directional benefit increases to about 7 dB. 

In addition, in the Antaro first class instrument, our previous Speech Beam has become Automatic Speech Beam. So now the universal program has expanded capabilities because it will handle both the typical situation of focusing in on the person in your line of sight and in addition, will focus on the person even when they are behind you or off to the side when their voice is the primary speech input.

Automatic Speech Beam and Conversation Lift also operate synergistically.  So if I’m listening to the conversation in the back of my car, Speech Beam and Conversation Lift will focus on the listener in the back seat, while at the same time attenuating the noise that’s in front and to the side.

I also need to give strong kudos to our feedback cancellation algorithm.  Research comparing it to other systems on the market by measuring real ear insertion gain as a function of frequency, has shown it to be among the best.  With the new XearA platform, that feedback canceller which was number one before has been made even better with some adaptive capabilities that go beyond its predecessor.

Carolyn:  Can we expect to see other new products on the XearA platform in the future?

Jerry:  Yes.  Over the next year we will be launching additional products within the XearA platform.

Carolyn:  Jerry, how do professionals get trained on Hansaton products? 

Jerry:  We do training in a variety of ways to meet the needs of the individual.  We do trainings at state meetings, regional conventions, and at regional training meetings where we’ll bring together a group of professionals.  We’ll also come to your office, and we do a good deal of online training via GoToMeeting.  That’s been a very valuable resource for us because it allows two of us in different locations to look at the same screen and control the same mouse.  It’s a very good learning tool now without the hassle of traveling and being away from your practice and your family.  Professionals interested in training or product information should contact us at 888-984-7432 or can contact me at jerry.yanz@hansaton.com

Carolyn:  Thanks for all the info.  It seems like just yesterday I was talking with Bob Eastman about introducing Hansaton to the U.S. market - I can’t believe it’s been three years already.

Jerry:  Tell me about it!  We just crossed our three-year mark in the U.S. market with our office here in Minnesota.  It’s really rewarding to see the growth. We’re still a small player, but in-house here we’ve grown from 5 people when we opened our doors on January 4, 2010 to almost 30. We’ve got a state-of-the-art lab that’s modeling digital shells.  It’s a strong family atmosphere, and a fun place to come to work.  We look for ways every single day that we can make people’s day better.

For our customers, that means you won’t end up in voicemail limbo and get bounced from one department to another.  When things are hoppin’, anyone might answer the phone -  I’ll answer the phone, Bob Eastman, the company president, will answer the phone.   We have a very coherent and personable company culture, and we enjoy what we do. It’s not a bad gig.

 [Laughter]

Carolyn:  It’s been great talking with you Jerry.  Best wishes for the new product launches!

Jerry:  Thanks, Carolyn.

For more information about Hansaton, please visit www.hansaton-usa.com or the Hansaton Expo Page on AudiologyOnline.