Iselin, NJ – February 28, 2024 – Being an elite international athlete doesn’t shield a person from experiencing one of the world’s most common health conditions: hearing loss. Just ask Rowdy Gaines, whose many achievements include winning three gold medals in swimming at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Gaines estimates that his hearing began to decline a dozen or more years ago. Yet, like so many other individuals with hearing loss, the lifelong Florida resident didn’t immediately address the problem. “I was in complete denial,” he admitted.
Finally, about five years ago – tired of frequently asking people to repeat themselves – Gaines embarked on a journey to better hearing. Yet, despite trying various hearing aids that provided some improvement, none met his expectations or addressed his significant challenge of hearing conversations in noisy environments.
“This was a serious problem for me as a swimming commentator on national broadcasts,” he explained. “During our pre-production meetings, there are a lot of people in the room, and it can be hard to follow along. If you’re not hearing the instructions you’re given, that can negatively affect the broadcast.”
Switch to Signia: The Game-Changer
With a broadcast gig at the 2024 Summer Olympics looming on the horizon, Gaines recently discovered the Signia Pure Charge&Go IX receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids built on Signia’s Integrated Xperience (IX) technology platform – the first hearing aid platform capable of pinpointing multiple conversation partners in real time, providing unprecedented sound clarity and definition for wearers in noisy group conversations.
The Integrated Xperience platform leverages Signia’s groundbreaking Augmented Focus™ split processing technology, which processes speech and background noise separately to create a clear contrast between the two. It also features the new RealTime Conversation Enhancement solution that analyzes, augments and adapts in real-time to ensure optimal auditory perception of dynamic noisy conversations.
After several months of wearing Pure Charge&Go IX hearing aids, Gaines has experienced a significant improvement in his hearing ability. “They’ve been a game-changer for me. Compared to what I was wearing previously, the difference is night and day.”
“For years, Rowdy faced speech clarity challenges in group conversations and streaming phone calls,” said Rowdy’s hearing care professional Elizabeth Perry, H.A.S., BC-HIS, B.A. “However, after being fitted with Signia Pure Charge&Go IX, he immediately noticed a significant improvement in clarity, even in challenging listening scenarios. During a simulated bustling restaurant environment in my office, Rowdy was pleasantly surprised by the hearing aids' remarkable speech clarity, even when his wife spoke from behind – and subsequent follow-up appointments only emphasized the impact the hearing aids have had in his day-to-day life.”
With Pure Charge&Go IX, Rowdy can now focus on the people he wants to hear. This has benefitted him in various aspects of his personal and professional life, such as engaging in multi-person conversations in busy restaurants and even crowded airports, as he’s on the road for work more than half of every month.
Signia’s advanced speech-in-noise capabilities even help Gaines in his home office. For example, he was recently on a Zoom staff meeting attended by approximately 40 people. “A lot of them were talking at the same time, yet I was able to differentiate the individuals and understand what they were saying.”
Advantages for All Facets of Life
Beyond the ability to hear and communicate in noisy group situations, Gaines cites other advantages he’s experienced with his Signia Pure Charge&Go IX hearing aids. “The clarity is so much better – it’s like listening with high-end headphones,” he asserted. “They’re also much more comfortable than hearing aids I’ve had in the past. I totally forget I have them in my ears!”
He also benefits from the Signia app, which he uses to discreetly adjust volume, sound balance, and microphone directionality, as well as to stream audio directly to his ears. He especially appreciates the app’s ease of use.
Even more, Signia Pure Charge&Go IX hearing aids have improved his relationships with his family members, friends, and business associates – as he can now hear them in virtually any scenario.
Perhaps the biggest beneficiary (besides himself) is his wife, Judy, who no longer has to raise her voice in everyday conversations. “I can even hear her talking with the TV going in the background, as well as when she whispers in my ear at church. I couldn’t do that before; whispers were nonexistent in my life.”
All of these experiences – from one-on-one conversations at home to lively group chats with colleagues – have convinced Gaines that he made the right choice to wear Signia Pure Charge&Go IX hearing aids. “I’ve worn multiple brands of hearing aids in five years. This one is the home run.”
For a video testimonial of Gaines’ experience with Signia, click here. For the press kit, click here.
About Signia
Signia is one of the world’s leading hearing aid brands. We aim to enhance human performance through iconic innovations and consumer-friendly designs that shape the hearing health market. Since its launch in 2016, Signia has regularly brought innovative, industry-leading solutions to the market and is a pioneer in rechargeable hearing technology.
In addition to highly innovative hearing aids, Signia also delivers tools and apps to increase customer interaction and engagement at all levels of hearing aid management. Signia, and its hearing care professionals, enable hearing aid wearers not just to correct hearing loss but to gain an edge — to Be Brilliant.
