First look at new ReSound Vivia hearing aids
ReSound have announced their brand-new hearing aid, Vivia, which I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of at CES 2025.
In this blog, I’ll share everything there is to know about it and when you can expect to get your hands on it.
Looking into ReSound’s portfolio
There is no question now that ReSound is an incredibly strong hearing aid manufacturer with a wide portfolio of hearing aids within their Nexia family. However, recently I haven’t fitted as many ReSound hearing aids as I have in the past. With the strong competition in the hearing tech space and the massive leaps we’ve seen when it comes to artificial intelligence in hearing aids, I felt that a couple of manufacturers – of which ReSound is one – have lagged behind a little.
However, this is about to change with the introduction of ReSound Vivia. I recently travelled to the Consumer Electronics Show in the US, which is the biggest tech show in the world, where all manufacturers of all technologies show off their latest developments. Interestingly, of the Big Six traditional hearing aid manufacturers – Phonak, Signia, Starkey, Widex, Oticon, and ReSound—ReSound was the only manufacturer there and I managed to needle my way into an exclusive event to see what the Vivia was all about.
ReSound Vivia models
Vivia is available in four new models to start off with:
- The Vivia RIE 312, which uses a size 312 disposable battery.
- The Vivia RIE 13, which uses a size 13 disposable battery.
- The Vivia Micro RIE, which has to be one of the smallest rechargeable Auracast-ready hearing aids out there.
- CROS, which is for those with single-sided deafness
ReSound’s “Have it all” philosophy
At the event, ReSound’s chief scientific officer and I took the opportunity to learn as much as possible about why ReSound feels their new hearing aid technology is unique in the hearing tech space for 2025. In doing so, there was one catchphrase that resonated throughout the presentations: their “Have It All” philosophy.
Watch the video below for my exclusive ReSound interview at CES 2025.
“Have It All” means they feel there is no compromise with their new technology. So, what exactly are their unique selling points?
Artificial intelligence
ReSound has finally caught up with the likes of Oticon, Starkey, and Phonak and has introduced an offline form of AI (artificial intelligence) into this new model of hearing aid, in the form of a deep neural network.
They’ve named this feature “Intelligent Focus,” which has been trained using over 13 million speech sentences, working across 3.9 million sound parameters, and, as a result, performing 4.9 trillion operations—all in order for the hearing aids to recognise speech within your environment, whether that’s a restaurant, car, or walking down the street, and to prioritise and focus on the speech sounds you want to hear while attenuating the sounds you don’t.
ReSound’s data shows that 83% of users experience better hearing in noise with their new Clear Focus technology when compared to leading solutions from other manufacturers with four-mic beamforming setups. Additionally, 64% experience better hearing in noise compared to other leading AI solutions.
Hardware developments
Now, when they say “Have It All,” in my opinion, the first thing they’re referring to is the size of these new hearing aids. While the likes of Phonak and Oticon have had to increase the size of their hearing aids to fit everything inside, it’s a joy to see that ReSound has been able to maintain the same size as their previous hearing aids, the Nexias.
They’ve followed in the footsteps of Phonak and introduced a second chip to power this artificial intelligence, which obviously requires significantly more power to run. So, I’m impressed with the engineering that’s clearly gone into making this work without an increase in the size of the technology.
Microphones
The microphones have also had a redesign which isn’t that much of a big deal in terms of improving the sound but it will have a positive impact in terms of robustness, meaning that the new microphone covers will prevent debris ingress and can be changed by you at home or in-clinic rather than needing to be sent back to ReSound HQ if there’s a fault.
Battery life
Now, with other manufacturers, we’ve heard there’s a limit in terms of how long their AI tech can be engaged due to its massive consumption of battery life. And when I say “others,” it’s Phonak that I mean. I have to tell you that, to date, their ability to cope in noisy situations is unrivalled by any other manufacturer, so I appreciate why it’s so power-hungry. Of course, because today is launch day and my first opportunity to share anything with you about these hearing aids, I haven’t yet had the chance to fit this tech into any patients’ ears. That will all come in time, and when I do, or when I have, I’ll upload a full review with both my and my patients’ feedback.
ReSound is claiming that, despite the incredible work their AI will be doing, you’ll be able to wear the hearing aids non-stop for 30 hours on a single charge – reduced to 20 hours with the addition of streaming. The AI can technically be engaged for 10 hours straight, which, if the claims are true, is three times longer than Phonak allows. I cannot wait to test these.
Auracast
While this isn’t ReSound’s first hearing aid with low-energy Bluetooth and Auracast integration – and while every other manufacturer apart from Widex already has Auracast functionality – ReSound is the first hearing aid manufacturer to have fully activated Auracast streaming, putting them way ahead of the competition. And I have seen and heard it in action, it’s pretty awesome.
For those unfamiliar with this new technology, in my opinion, Auracast is going to change your life for two main reasons. Firstly, you’ll see an improvement in the Bluetooth capabilities with your phone when it comes to sound quality and battery consumption—whether you’re listening to the radio, music, podcasts, or streaming phone calls. But that’s not all.
The second and main benefit is that public venues can have a built-in Auracast transmitter. This new form of transmitter is specifically designed to work with newer LE Audio technology and can technically send any signal directly to your hearing aids. For example, if you head to a football game and want to hear the commentator, walk into an airport and hear the announcements, or go to a place of worship and want to hear the sermon, Auracast can stream that audio directly to your hearing aids.
Over the next few years, it’s likely that we’ll see public venues installing these Auracast transmitters. Auracast-broadcasted audio will replace the century-old loop systems built into public venues, allowing multiple hearing aid users to simultaneously connect to audio in public spaces—all with improved sound quality and significantly lower battery consumption. This is going to be a game-changer, not just for those of you wearing hearing aids but I predict that this will be built into regular headphones too. So, ReSound’s brand-new Vivia technology is available as of now, February 2025.
When will ReSound Vivia be available?
ReSound Vivia is not yet available in the UK, but you can contact us using the form below and we’ll let you know when they are available at Harley Street Hearing.
Four New ReSound Vivia Hearing Aids: First Look and EVERYTHING You Need to Know 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 first look at ReSound Vivia video below.
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