Nuance Audio Glasses: Exclusive CES 2025 interview
In this exclusive CES 2025 interview, Matthew Allsop speaks with Ron from TUNED about their AI-powered, FDA-cleared platform that’s transforming the OTC hearing aid market. TUNED bridges the gap between users and audiologists by offering 24/7 support, advanced self-fitting technology, and interactive hearing rehabilitation tools.
Read on for Matthew’s discussion which explores the groundbreaking Nuance Audio glasses—stylish eyewear with completely invisible OTC hearing aids built into the frame.
Tell us all about being at CES 2025 and what you guys have in store for the next year ahead
CES is always a great opportunity to show innovation as you know we have been presenting the first time the product last year. We have been working in the last 12 months to further improve the product on the software side, on the app side, and so we are very close to launch now and are very happy to show our Innovation to the world.
So, what is that innovation?
Well, it’s Nuance Audio. Nuance Audio, is a normal pair of glasses that integrates an invisible hearing aid in the temple. The glasses look just like a normal pair of glasses, weighing 40 grams and the only difference is that in this small and teeny temple, you have a hearing aid which is incredible actually.
You know better than me that there are millions of people in the world with mild to moderate hearing loss who are not really approaching traditional aids for a number of reasons. The reasons are stigma which is probably the most important one, second is comfort because it’s not really comfortable to have something in your ear canal 12-14 hours per day, and the third is affordability.
With this we are going to break down all those barriers, completely invisible and this is the first time ever we have something with a completely open ear.
It’s going to come with a plano lens transition, meaning photochromatic lenses so you can mount any kind of prescription lenses.
Where will people be able to buy them?
Since the beginning, we have been talking about the open network model, so in the US we are going to distribute this product in our retail networks like Lens Crafter, Target Optical, and Pearle Vision. Then, you’ll be able to find them in any kind of ECP, so optical channel, and then also in audiological channel. So it’s an open network model, and every consumer will be able to choose where to buy and where to find this product but it’s not yet on the market.
How can audiologists get involved in the distribution of Nuance Audio glasses?
We have a commercial team in the US which are looking after both optical channels but also audiological channels. We are about to start and connect with all audiologists in the industry but also the independent players to get them on board.
When will the rest of the world have access to this technology?
We have great news because just before Christmas we got the CE Mark for European (we have the CE certification) and now we are in the phase to deep dive with the last mile with each country but hopefully by H1 next year we are going to be in the top five European countries and then we are going to roll out in the
rest of the world.
Which countries are there those those top five European countries?
Italy, France, Germany, UK, Spain.
Who are Nuance Audio glasses suitable for?
They are for people with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. There are certain situations where there is probably 70, or 80 dB of noise in the background. So, for people
with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss who are struggling to follow a conversation in a noisy environment, it may be a noisy restaurant, a business conference or a trade show, and in these conditions you want something simple to put on which is also improving your speech in noise understanding.
Our main target audience is people from 50 plus as there is a natural degenerative process of the vision which is the same for hearing so people after 50 can start to have some small loss of hearing.
How do they work?
They’re not just designed to look good and discreet which we’ve covered already but there’s nothing that actually goes into the ears on these things, so how do they actually direct sound down your ear canals?
The product has six microphones which are spread in the front and in the temple. Then you have two speakers in the bottom here which are delivering the sound directly into your ears and then there is the software inside which is doing the job so it’s capturing the sound, cleaning the sound and is going to amplify only in the direction that you are looking at. It’s a beamforming technology.
Then you still have the option through the app to control the product so if you open the app you have all the chance to control the product – increase, decrease volume, switch on and
switch off, and then change a different level of preset. The presets are different compensation curves according to the kind of hearing loss you have, so some presets include amplifying more of the lower frequency, some others amplifying the higher frequency.
The last feature is that you can still choose the audio mode, whether it be frontal amplification or all-around amplification. There are certain circumstances where you need the 360° amplification. For example, if you are driving a car, there is someone seated on your back, on your right… you want amplification 360.
What about the battery life on them?
It’s hard to answer because it really depends on how you are going to use the product. If you expose the product to always being on in a very noisy environment it’s probably is going to be around seven, or eight hours. If you use more in a mixed context it’s going to be probably more 10 hours, 11 hours.
This is pretty good if I think about some of the OTC hearing aids out there which are Apple AirPods for example. They last for four, five, or six hours depending on use so if you can get a full day of use out of these, then that would be great.
What styles are available?
This is just the first generation so it’s the first kind of its kind but this is going to be an innovation platform. So more is going to come. More styles, more colours, more features. So for us, it’s just the starting point.
We have two main styles. One is more rounded and then one is more square, and then you have three different calibers so 56, 54, and 48 with two main colours: red burgundy and black.
Nuance Audio glasses get FDA Approval
EssilorLuxottica has received FDA clearance in the U.S. and EU certifications for its Nuance Audio smart glasses. This marks the first FDA-cleared preset Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) for hearing aids in the U.S.
When they will be available in the UK
Nuance Audio will launch in the U.S. in Q1 2025, followed by a phased rollout in Europe, starting in Italy. EssilorLuxottica plans to leverage its retail and audiology networks to expand accessibility.
Contact us on the form below and we’ll let you know when Harley Street Hearing are releasing Nuance Audio Glasses.
Nuance Audio’s Revolutionary Hearing Aid Glasses are CHANGING the Hearing Health Game! | CES 2025 Video
Matthew Allsop is a Partner at Harley Street Hearing, and a content creator for Hearing Tracker, where he shares his honest opinion on all new hearing aid technology. Hearing Tracker is the world’s first truly independent resource for hearing aid customers. You can view his CES 2025 interview below.
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