Bloomington, MN - (April 18, 2001) - GN ReSound North America today announced its new digital product line, called 'Canta' (meaning 'full, or rich, musically'.) Canta utilizes a proprietary new innovation called '3-D Digital' signal processing. Through the use of 3-D digital technology, GN ReSound can now offer a variety of sophisticated interactive signal processing features not possible with more traditional digital designs. These features are available in a complete line of form factors, from Power BTE to CIC. Some of these interactive features include:
Adaptive Directionality: Through the use of 3-D Digital technology, GN ReSound has designed Adaptive Directionality to automatically reduce levels of background noise, even if the location of the noise source changes, thus optimizing speech understanding in changing background noise environments and for different head shapes. 250 times each second, the adaptive directionality algorithm analyzes noise energy locations around the patient's head. Localized noise sources are identified and the directional polar pattern null is automatically re-directed to maximally reduce the level of that localized noise. As the patient's head turns, or as the noise source location changes, the adaptive directionality system senses these changes and adjusts the location of the null automatically to align properly with that moment's noise source locations.
Adaptive Microphone Matching: For maximum directional performance to be maintained through a dual microphone directional system, it is necessary to keep the frequency response of each microphone matched. As microphones age, or as debris (moisture, dirt, dust, etc.) are introduced into the microphone ports, this matching can be adversely effected. Through an ongoing internal systems check that is run automatically through the 3-D digital technology of Canta, any changes in microphone sensitivity or response pattern occurring over time is detected and a digital correction is applied to compensate for any mis-match in response that is detected. This insures that the dual microphone directional capabilities of the instrument are maximized for the life of the instrument.
Spectral Enhancement: In addition to the modulation-based 14-band noise reduction algorithm popularized in the Danalogic and Digital 5000 product, 3-D Digital technology also can apply a unique spectral enhancement algorithm. This is the first time that a digital processor in hearing aid form has been used to digitally re-construct the input signal wave form, literally re-constructing speech stimuli to make it more naturally recognizable through a sensori-neural hearing impairment.
Other features embodied by 3-D digital technology include fast-acting noise reduction, and two new features to GN ReSound's patented Digital Feedback Suppression (DFS) technology; adaptive slow-mode for the adaptive DFS feature, and an MSG (Max Stable Gain) display on the fitting screen which indicates the additional feedback-free insertion gain that becomes available once the DFS feature is activated.
Canta's 3-D digital technology is now available and interested dispensers are encouraged to enroll in one of many Canta training courses that are now being conducted throughout the country and at the GN ReSound North America headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.
