New Oticon Opn™ Hearing Aids Help You Hear Better and Support Your Brain

Smørum, Denmark
13 May 2016

Do you hesitate to say yes to dinner invitations because you can’t follow the many conversations around the table? Oticon has made that less of a problem. Therefore, you can say yes, knowing that you’ll be better able to actively participate in dinner discussions.

For years the hearing care industry has tried to solve a challenge shared by all people with hearing loss, namely following rapidly changing conversations with many speakers. Leading hearing aid manufacturer Oticon has taken a completely new approach to solving this dilemma with the introduction of Oticon Opn™, a groundbreaking new hearing aid. With the new Oticon Opn people with hearing loss not only hear better without having to work as hard but also remember more of what is being said.

Most people assume that hearing is something that happens in their ears. In fact, it’s actually in the brain that sound becomes information that has meaning. The brain works hard to make this happen. When the sound signals from the ears are compromised by hearing loss, the brain has to work even harder to make sense of sound.

Oticon Opn, a revolutionary new hearing aid with BrainHearing™ technology, is the first hearing aid proven to make it easier on the brain. With new Oticon Opn, people with hearing loss not only hear better without having to work as hard but also remember more of what is being said. Powered by an ultra-fast sound processor, Oticon Opn expertly managing multiple speech and noise sources so people hear better with less effort even in challenging listening situations like restaurants or social gatherings.

Testing consistently shows that Oticon Opn increases speech understanding, the parameter most important to wearers, by 30%* over other Oticon advanced technology hearing aids. Opn wearers also experience 20% less listening effort* when trying to understand speech. And because Oticon Opn wearers use less brain resources for understanding, they are able to remember 20% more of what was said**.

“Oticon Opn represents a major leap forward in hearing aid technology,” said Søren Nielsen, President, Oticon. “Don’t be fooled by the small size. Opn is a powerhouse of technological innovation. The ultra-fast and precise Velox™ platform processes sound data 50 times faster than before – like a cheetah runs 50 times faster than a porcupine - scanning, analysing and reacting to sounds in the environment more than 100 times per second. This means that sounds are no longer shut out, but being opened up so wearers allowing can focus on the sounds they prefer to hear.”

This extreme processing speed allows wearers to enjoy a full sound picture. They can easily follow the sounds that they want to hear and quickly shift their attention when desired. Surrounding sounds are available but not intrusive so wearers can focus on the sounds they prefer. For example, in a restaurant, a particularly challenging listening environment for people with hearing loss, Oticon Opn wearers can more easily focus on the conversation at their table rather than the noise and competing speech.

A state-of-the-art wireless communication system allows wearers to stream audio directly to their hearing aids from smartphones and other devices using a technology that consumes significantly less battery power when streaming. The free, downloadable Oticon ON app lets wearers adjust volume, switch programs and check battery level with just a tap of their finger. The ON app also offers a convenient “find my hearing aid” search feature and quick links to counseling advice and user instructions.

Oticon Opn is designed with an eye to the future. It is the world’s first hearing aid that connects to the internet via the If This Then That network (IFTTT.COM). Wearers can connect to a range of IFTTT-enabled devices used in everyday life such as door bells, domestic lighting systems and a variety of home appliances. The hearing solution will enable wearers to use their hearing aids with a growing number of IFTTT-compatible solutions as they become available.

Katrine Hertz Østergaard, email:, phone: +45 20952530

*Compared to Alta2 Pro
**Individual benefit may vary depending on prescription