The straight scoop on the FDA and ANSI '96... The FDA last week clarified their rule on the use of ANSI '96. Manufacturers are required to use the ANSI '96 standard on all newly designed hearing aids (effective March 17,2000.) It is also assumed they will have to use the newer standard when an existing hearing aid is modified. However, they can continue to use the '87 standard on existing designs if they choose. It would seem to be an advantage to have both test sequences available for the forseeable future.
Most manufacturers are upgrading their analyzers, which are mostly FONIX
6500-CXs. Even companies that sell competing analyzers use our instruments themselves.
- ANSI '96 program
- New Profiler Option
We will continue to have both the ANSI '87 and '96 available. Here's how to get a bargain when you order a new FP40. Ask for the ANSI '96 as your standard test sequence. Then you can get the ANSI '87 or the IEC, or the JIS as your second test sequence. The price is $125.
We can add ANSI '96 to your existing unit for a list price of $500. If you have an FP40, you will be getting a letter soon that describes all the choices you have in upgrading your unit. We will be offering some specials, so look for them.
The Profiler Option (Composite Option Required) Susan Jelonek, our Northern
California representative asked us to include the Profiler on the FP40 and we thought it was a good idea so it is now available. In as little as 45 seconds the user can ''profile'' an unknown hearing aid or keep a record of how the aid was programmed when it leaves the dispenser. It is particularly meaningful for the hearing aid user when printed out in color.
This new FP40 software is in addition to the earlier improvements we made that provides the Digital Speech program to all those who order the composite option. This signal is randomly interrupted so that it is not interpreted as noise. The new FP40 software also has several improvements to the DSL program, including the addition of a composite signal whose spectrum is about half way between the ICRA and the ANSI signal. This spectrum was requested by the University of Western Ontario for use with the DSL program.
While we are on the subject of the FP40, don't forget that you can use a swing arm with a separate sound field speaker with your FP40. It makes real ear measurements easier and quicker. We even have some speakers from our demo stock that we will sell at a 20% discount. To make the bargain even better and easier to understand, we will sell the Speaker Swing Arm Package for $160 instead of the regular $200 price. You will get a new swing arm with this package.
Many of you aren't familiar with our newest unit, the FP35. It is small, lightweight and has a great future ahead of it. We are able to upgrade it through a computer. In fact we have an upgrade coming up shortly that will be free of charge for all users.
Some of you know that when we sell our demo units, we usually sell them at a 10% discount when they are year old. However, we are making an exception this one time. We are selling out our demo FP35 units at a 25% discount. We still have 5 or 6 left. These units have composite and probe and are brought up to date on all programming. The only reason we are making them available at this price is that we have changed the printer mounts on new units in such a way as to decrease the printer noise. Since we want our demo units to reflect what we are currently shipping, we are clearing out all demo unit that don't have this improvement. Save $1375.
- 2 6500-CX units available at a 10% discount
- 5 FP40 are available at a 10% discount.
Quik-Probe packages available at a 25% discount. Add real ear measurement at a great price. We often sell our demo units to manufacturers who don't need real ear measurements so we end up with all the pieces needed to add Quick Probe to existing units. You probably will have to get the PROBE button added to your instrumentation module, but that isn't difficult.
We have a great deal of information on this site and lots of things to download free of charge. Our ANSI '96 workbook is there, as well as all the quick cards we have developed to summarize instructions on our 6500-Cx and our FP40s. If you are doing custom software, you will find the latest RS232 information invaluable. These are just a few of the items you will find on the site. Let me know if you can think of other things we should add. We consider our web site an essential part of our customer communications and we try hard to keep it up to date.
Steven Huart of the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale gave a presentation at AAA on real ear measurement systems.
Mr. Huart also had lots of good things to say about our web site and our company generally. I didn't even know he was making this presentation so it was a nice surprise when I heard about it. He also mentioned that real ear measurements are not being done very often by other dispensers and that it
really impresses the client when you do it. Real ear validation lets you know what is going on in the ear. What you see on a programming screen may not be what really happens in the ear.
The one criticism he made of the 6500 was the inability to retain the information on both the right and left ear. We are working on that. The next version, expected to be released in the next couple of weeks, will give you the choice of retaining the audiogram information when changing from one ear to the other. Remember to use the CONTINUE button instead of the RESET button when you want to retain information when leaving real ear to go to the coupler mode.
We have a very inexpensive program that allows you to look at wave files on your computer in the three dimensions of time, amplitude, and frequency.
We have a new brochure on this program which we will be happy to send to you, or you can link to our web site: www.frye.com to look at a color display and information on this program.
George and Christopher Schweitzer gave a presentation at the American Auditory Society Meeting in Scottsdale recently, using this tool. The Tempus program uses a mathematics based on wavelets rather than the typical fast fourier transforms. George has evidence that this method is a more realistic way of analyzing sounds. Of course, this math is beyond my understanding, but you will find his explanation on our web site as well. You will be hearing more about Time (duration of signals) and its importance from now on.
If you have something you want changed or added to our products or our services, please let us know. We can at least promise that we will look into it.
Sallie Frye
Sallie Frye, Marketing Manager
Frye Electronics, Inc.
Email: Sallie Frye: sfrye@fryebox.com
Voice: 503-620-2722
Fax: 503-639-0128
