Interview with Mike Feeley, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, SeboTek

Dr. Paul Dybala: Hello everybody. This is Dr. Paul Dybala with AudiologyOnline. Today I am talking with Mike Feeley from SeboTek about the new Voice-Q 800 Series hearing instruments. Mike, thank you for being here today. Would you start by telling us about yourself and your background with SeboTek?

Mike Feeley: Well, thank you for the opportunity to be here. I am glad to do it.

I am the Executive Vice President of SeboTek, and, along with my brother, I am also one of the founders. As you know we introduced the receiver-in-the-canal style hearing instrument, launching the first product of its kind to the industry at AAA in 2003.

Our company is driven by our Mission Statement which is "To improve the quality of life by establishing the receiver-in-the-canal hearing aid, or PAC as we call it, as the preferred hearing instrument style worldwide. We have made a lot of progress in that regard and today it is the fastest growing product style in the industry, but I think we are just beginning to see the impact that this technology can bring. We anticipate that there will be a lot of advancements with receiver-in-the-canal technology, and the market penetration for this style will continue to grow.



SeboTek (700 series) PAC-Style Hearing Instrument

Dybala: Absolutely. What inspired your vision for this receiver-in-the-canal design?

Feeley: Approximately 80% of the hearing impaired population has chosen not to seek help. We have come short as an industry to meet the desires and demands of the market and we felt that what was needed is a new product concept that would improve the short comings of traditional styles. The basis of the design was to provide a more efficient system for the manufacturer and for the hearing care professional as well as a more efficient and better fit for the user. The design of our instruments allows for an instant fitting. It is able to eliminate occlusion effect, it provides a discrete fitting, and it has the capability of fitting a wide range of hearing losses, anywhere from a mild to severe loss, which means it can fit practically anybody who comes into the office. Those are the core elements that we believe are necessary in a receiver-in-the-canal style device. The RIC style provides the flexibility to the hearing care professional to do either an open or closed fitting depending on the needs of the patient.

Dybala: It looks like that is what you are doing now. Can you tell us about your hybrid coupling technology?



Feeley: Yes, our hybrid coupling technology is one of the features of our new 800 Series product launch. Essentially, it will allow for both an open fitting and sealed fitting with our new receiver-in-the-canal instrument. Both of these coupling systems are ready to wear;therefore, you can easily transition from an open fitting to a sealed without the delays and fitting issues associated custom earmolds. Instead, we have a sealed coupling system that fits in the ear canal very similar to the way that the open fitting does. It uses a unique style tip that seals the canal for optimum gain and feedback management, but makes a very minimum contact with the canal wall;therefore, it eliminates the occlusion effect by keeping the majority of the ear canal open. In contrast, if you use an earmold to increase the fitting range, you fill up the cartilaginous portion of the ear canal, which can cause more occlusion effects, discomfort and other traditional fitting challenges, because that portion of the ear canal is subject to an unpredictable amount of change with jaw movement.

Dybala: What options do you have in terms of tip sizes and ear wire sizes?

Feeley: We have three different sizes of receiver wire lengths, and several tip options. For the sealed fitting, which we call our power receiver, the receiver unit will fit up to a flat 90 dB HL hearing loss, and we have seven different sizes of tips that range from 7mm all the way up to 13mm.



SeboTek Power Receiver with Sealed Fit Fitting Range

For the open fitting, we have a smaller receiver unit. It is a mini receiver. This is the new model that we are currently launching, and there are four sizes of tips, a 4mm, 6mm, 8mm, and a 10 mm.



SeboTek Mini Receiver with Open Fit Fitting Range

Dybala: That is great to have so many options. Does it become pretty easy for audiologists to be able to look at a patient's ear canal and see what size they will need to use?

Feeley: We provide a sizing kit with a tool that you can utilize to size the ear canal;however, I think the more you do it, the more efficient and quicker you get with the process. Still, the advantage of the whole system is that in the time that it would normally take to make an ear impression, you can go through an entire fitting in terms of finding the right size tip and the right wire length.

Dybala: The BTE case itself is already cosmetically appealing due to the small size, and now you are also offering different colors with the new 800 Series, correct?

Feeley: Yes, the 800 series has 25 different color options which include modular colored side panels that can easily be changed in the clinician's office.



SeboTek Modular Color Options

Dybala: Have you found that there has been a color that has been more or less popular in general?

Feeley: Yes, our most popular color is what we refer to as a shadow gray. We have designed our sound processor to be small enough so that it fits more on top of the ear rather than hanging behind the ear. There is actually a small pocket on the top of the pinna that the sound processor fits into, and the shadow gray color is the most discrete regardless of skin or hair color because it blends in with the natural shadow that the ear creates.

Dybala: I understand the 800 Series also offers microphone moisture resistance. Could you talk about that?

Feeley: That was a priority for us in the 800 Series, to improve the resistance to moisture. If you look at any instrument that fits on or behind the ear, the components that are susceptible to sweat and moisture are the microphones, the switch (if there is one), and the battery contact area. We improved our moisture resistance in all of those areas in the 800 Series. The microphones have moisture resistant filters inside a replaceable microphone cover. If the hearing aid gets soiled or filled with moisture, rather than having to send the unit back to the factory to have it repaired, those covers can be easily and quickly replaced in the hearing care professional's office. We also have a moisture resistant boot that fits over the switch to completely seal it from any moisture that might get into that area. Lastly, we revamped our entire battery compartment design to resist corrosion from building up after exposure to moisture. We are very excited about the results we are seeing.



SeboTek Microphone Moisture Protection

Dybala: Could you tell us about the internal features and technology of the 800 Series?

Feeley: One of the core differences between SeboTek and other manufacturers in the marketplace is our priority on fidelity. I think anyone who has ever fit SeboTek hearing instruments has received the overwhelming comments from their patients on the improvement in sound quality with SeboTek over previous devices used. We maintained that quality as a priority in the 800 Series. Additionally, we added a new auto-focus directional microphone system, enhanced our adaptive noise reduction and adaptive feedback algorithm. Our coupling system combined with our new feedback cancellation algorithm provide enough stable gain to fit up to 90 dB flat loss.



SeboTek Voice-Q 800 Series

Dybala: Tell us more about your high fidelity bandwidth - can patients tell a difference?

Feeley: Absolutely, patients have reported an improvement with voice quality, music, and even with sounds of nature, such as birds chirping.

Dybala: Mike, thank you for taking the time to meet with me today. For more information about the SeboTek 800 Series, visit their website at www.SeboTek.com, or visit the SeboTek web channel on Audiology Online, www.audiologyonline.com/channels/sebotek.asp for the latest news, information, and education items from SeboTek. Mike, I look forward to speaking with you again in the future.

Feeley: Thanks Paul I look forward to it.

More About SeboTek

Founded by Jim and Mike Feeley, SeboTek originated and is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Feeleys started off in the field as hearing care professionals nearly 25 years ago, directly helping individuals with hearing loss on a one-on-one basis. In 2003, they were able to use their clinical insight and knowledge and introduced the first receiver-in-the-canal hearing instruments to the industry. Through the production of SeboTek products, the Feeleys are now able to help people all over the world to experience high fidelity sound quality in a discreet and comfortable package.