Signia has introduced the new Pure Charge&Go MaX, a receiver-in-canal hearing aid built around a new AI-powered platform called Acoustic Intelligence. The technology uses four deep neural networks (DNNs) to analyse speech, the wearer’s own voice, the wider listening environment and different types of background noise.
For many people with hearing loss, background noise is one of the biggest challenges, particularly in restaurants and group conversations.
Traditional hearing aids often respond by increasing noise reduction and focusing their microphones more strongly on sounds in front of you. Signia argues that real-life listening is more complicated, because the sounds you want to hear can change depending on the situation.
For example, you may want to enjoy the ambience of a restaurant before your friends arrive, but then need to prioritise conversation once they sit down. Outside, you may want to remain aware of traffic without allowing it to overwhelm your conversation.
Signia’s new approach is designed to recognise these changing listening priorities and decide what you need to hear at that particular moment, rather than simply reducing as much background noise as possible.
Signia calls this new system Acoustic Intelligence.
Rather than being a single feature that switches on when an environment becomes noisy, Signia describes Acoustic Intelligence as a decision-making system that continuously analyses the sounds around you.
The company compares it to having a live sound engineer inside the hearing aids, constantly adjusting different aspects of the sound depending on what is happening around you.
The system considers factors such as who is speaking, whether they are close or further away, whether multiple people are talking and which background sounds are useful, unwanted or potentially important for safety.
One of the key features of Acoustic Intelligence is its use of four deep neural networks (DNNs) – essentially, four AI systems working together to analyse different aspects of your listening environment.
One focuses on speech, another on your own voice, a third on the wider acoustic environment and the fourth on different types of background noise. Together, they help the hearing aids determine what you need to hear in each situation, rather than simply reducing background noise.
Signia says the system has been trained using 40 million sound samples across 11 languages, six music genres, thousands of voices and different listening environments. It can also select from 800 million possible optimisations every second.
Another focus of Pure Charge&Go MaX is the sound of your own voice.
A common complaint when people first start wearing hearing aids is that their voice can sound boomy, echoey or unnatural. This can affect how comfortable they feel wearing their hearing aids, particularly during the early stages of their hearing journey.
Signia’s Own Voice Processing AI is designed to make your own voice sound more natural. The technology was available in Signia’s previous generation but required programming in clinic. With MaX, Signia says it is now automatic and active by default, having been trained using more than 1.5 million real voice samples.
Signia also states that its data shows Own Voice Processing is associated with lower hearing aid return rates, particularly among new users.
Connectivity is another major focus of the new platform.
Pure Charge&Go MaX includes Bluetooth Classic, Bluetooth LE Audio, Auracast readiness and a telecoil, allowing it to connect to a wide range of devices. The hearing aids can automatically use the appropriate connection depending on the device, giving users greater flexibility.
There is one important limitation: although the hardware is Auracast-ready, the feature will not be active at launch. Signia expects Auracast to be activated around March 2027, either through the Signia app or in clinic. Until then, it should be considered a future capability.
The Pure Charge&Go MaX could be particularly worth considering if you:
The Pure Charge&Go MaX combines four deep neural networks (DNNs) to analyse speech, your own voice, the wider environment and background noise. The aim is to make more intelligent decisions about which sounds to prioritise in different situations.
It also combines this AI technology with enhanced conversation processing, Own Voice Processing AI and extensive connectivity options.
Many of the performance claims currently available come directly from Signia, so independent testing and real-world patient feedback will be important in determining how much difference the technology makes in everyday life.
As with any hearing aid, the right choice depends on your hearing loss, lifestyle, listening environments and individual preferences. At Harley Street Hearing, our independent clinical audiologists can help you compare the latest hearing aid technology and determine which solution is most appropriate for you. Call us now on 020 7486 1053 or contact us here.
Matthew Allsop is a Partner at Harley Street Hearing and one of the world’s leading independent hearing technology reviewers through Hearing Tracker.
Watch his full video on the Signia Pure Charge&Go MaX here.
