Songbird™ Performs Well Against Competitors -
Even Costly Programmable Digital and Custom-Fit Hearing Aids
CRANBURY, N.J., /PRNewswire/ -- Songbird Hearing Inc., maker of the world's first disposable hearing aid, today announced that two independent studies have shown that the Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid performs equal to or better than even the most advanced traditional hearing aids. The findings were presented at the recent American Academy of Audiology's annual conference in San Diego, Calif.
'We are extremely pleased with the results of these studies,' said Frederick J. Fritz, Songbird's President and CEO. 'This research reinforces our firm belief that Songbird, which retails for only $39 per hearing aid, offers sound quality comparable to that of the very best hearing aids in the industry.'
The first study, Technical Review of the Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid, was conducted at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, United Kingdom, by Professor Brian C.J. Moore, Dr. M.A. Stone, and Dr. J.I. Alcantara of the Department of Experimental Psychology. It was commissioned by Defeating Deafness (The Hearing Research Trust).
The study compared Songbird with four hearing aids: a typical hearing aid dispensed by the National Health Service (NHS) of the United Kingdom (NHS hearing aids are usually older technology and low in cost), a programmable analog hearing aid, and two high-quality digital hearing aids costing more than 1,500 British pounds sterling (approximately $2100 U.S.).
Researchers concluded:
* Songbird provided smooth amplification over a wide range of frequencies. This means that it will be particularly helpful for people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss in distinguishing words during conversation, and in locating the direction of sounds.
* Songbird's automatic volume control system effectively protects the user from excessive loudness due to sudden increases in sound levels.
* The performance of the Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid was very consistent among the various aids tested. This means that users of Songbird will not notice a difference when it's time to dispose of an old hearing aid and insert a new one.
* Songbird's performance does not deteriorate near the end of its 40-day battery life. (The product has a life of 40 days when used 12 hours per day.)
A second study, Fixed vs. Custom Prescription for Precipitous Hearing Loss, was conducted by T. Walden, B. Walden, and M. Cord, at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. It compared Songbird to both Completely-in-Canal (CIC) and In-the-Canal (ITC) custom programmable hearing aids to determine if certain hearing losses could be fit as well with Songbird's seven fixed acoustical formats as with a custom hearing aid.
Researchers concluded that Songbird is just as effective as a custom hearing aid for patients with certain types of hearing loss.
'The fact that Songbird performed exceptionally well in these studies against some of today's best traditional hearing aids demonstrates a major advance in hearing aid technology. We've now proven that Songbird is truly a long-term solution for treating the millions of Americans, particularly baby boomers, who have mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Although they may have rejected previous traditional hearing aids, there's no longer any reason for baby boomers to delay getting help for their hearing loss,' concludes Fritz. 'The Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid's acoustical performance was generally equal to or better than the performance of the comparison hearing aids, including the digital hearing aids.'
For more information about the Songbird Disposable Hearing Aid, please call 1-800-SONGBIRD or visit www.songbirdhearing.com.
Songbird Hearing Inc. is a privately held company based in Cranbury, New Jersey. The company was formed in 1997 to develop a line of disposable hearing aids based on highly proprietary technologies exclusively licensed from its parent company, Sarnoff Corporation (formerly RCA Labs). The Sarnoff Corporation is widely recognized as one of the top research centers in the United States.
