Oticon Hearing Aid Reviews

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SeniorLiving.org Rating:
4.4 of 5
Questions? Speak with a Oticon Specialist:
888-979-9726
155+ Years in Business
360-degree Soundscape
5+ Style Options
$1,000 Starting Price

SeniorLiving.org is compensated when you click on the provider links listed on this page. This compensation does not impact our ratings or reviews. Read our Editorial Guidelines here to learn more about our review process and to learn more about how we are compensated.

SeniorLiving.org Rating:
4.4 of 5
Questions? Speak with a Oticon Specialist:
888-979-9726
Brad Ingrao
Dr. Brad Ingrao, Audiologist Read About Our Panel of Experts

“Hey Doc, what’s your opinion of Oticon?” That’s the type of question I’m asked frequently, as there are many different hearing aid styles, prices, and brands. I have experience with Oticon, starting with their behind-the-ear (BTE) devices in college. I found them to be one of the most popular instruments among my Deaf friends. Oticon was one of the first hearing aid companies to focus on the sound quality of a user’s voice, which tends to sound strange when amplified through hearing aids.

For this year’s review, I’ll show you how Oticon fits my friend’s father-in-law and discuss my experiences with their products. I’ll also review Oticon’s product line and most popular accessories and provide a history lesson for those interested.

I can confidently say that if you buy an Oticon hearing aid and have it properly fitted, you will hear better and have a satisfactory user experience. I’ve fit my patients with Oticon hearing aids for nearly 30 years, including three of my own family members. Not only do these devices improve sound, but they also hold up for years to come, making them a solid investment. The company stands behind the product, and there is likely an experienced Oticon dispenser in any decent-sized town in America.

How Does Oticon Compare?

Oticon is a great hearing aid provider that has been around for more than a century. The company has a history of technological innovation, offering some of the best hearing aids on the market. That said, some older adults may prefer hearing aids that are cheaper and available to buy without contacting a medical professional. If you want to learn more about affordable alternatives, check out the top-rated hearing aid providers we have reviewed.

We may receive compensation from the brands listed here. The compensation we receive from our partners impacts the products and services shown here, but it does not impact our ratings in any way. Our ratings are chosen through comprehensive research, clear methodologies, hands-on testing, and input from our team of experts.
SeniorLiving.org Rating:
4.8 of 5
SeniorLiving.org Rating:
4.7 of 5
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SeniorLiving.org Rating:
4.3 of 5
Call for best price: Call to Order: 855-922-3431

Build Quality and Durability

Since the early days, I’ve always found Oticon products to be well-built and durable. They offer up to a three-year warranty, and, in my clinical experience, they have always gone the extra mile to resolve any repair issues promptly. As with other top companies in the industry, including Phonak and ReSound, the warranty is international, and they have an extensive network of independent providers and company-owned HearingLife locations.

You can see that the hearing aid itself is barely visible. It is his second pair of Oticon hearing aids. The first lasted 13 years; they still work, but he wanted to take advantage of the newest technology.

Below is an image of the rechargeable base station. Simply put it on your nightstand, and you’ll have a full day’s charge when you wake up. It is smaller than a clock radio, making it easy to place.

Here is a picture of my friend’s father-in-law with the Oticon Opn S, which I’ll explain in more detail below.

 My Friend's Father-in-Law wearing Oticon

My Friend’s Father-in-Law wearing Oticon

You can see that the hearing aid itself is barely visible. This is his second pair of Oticon hearing aids. The first lasted 13 years; they still work, but he wanted to take advantage of the newest technology.

Below is an image of the rechargeable base station. Simply put it on your nightstand, and you’ll have a full day’s charge when you wake up in the morning. It is smaller than a clock radio, making it easy to place.

Oticon Rechargeable Base Station

Oticon Rechargeable Base Station

Here’s one last picture of the hearing aids resting on the bench of this septuagenarian’s boat he rented for the day to water ski. He (wisely) took out the hearing aids before skiing and snapped the photo for me. You might notice they’re color-coded to easily tell left vs. right ears.

Oticon Hearing Aids

Oticon Hearing Aids

Oticon Hearing Aid Prices

Like most premium hearing aid brands, Oticon does not list its prices online. You must visit a hearing clinic in person to get accurate pricing information. From my years of fitting Oticon devices, I’d estimate that you’ll pay anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500 per device. It is similar to other comparable hearing aids, including Phonak’s prices and Signia’s costs.

If these estimates are outside your budget, don’t worry! There are plenty of affordable over-the-counter hearing aids for mild to moderate hearing loss on the market. For comparison, MDHearing’s prices start at just a few hundred dollars, while Eargo’s prices start at around $1,650 per pair.

A Bit of History on Oticon

Oticon is one of the oldest hearing aid companies in the world. In 1904, Hans Demant became the Danish distributor of Acousticon, which later became Oticon.1

In 1992, Oticon released MultiFocus, their first non-linear, programmable, automatic hearing aid. This new approach to amplification has become the standard. At that time, only Oticon and ReSound hearing aids had this technology. Patients reported significant improvements in hearing and quality of life. The success of the MultiFocus was followed by their first digital instrument, DigiFocus, in 1996.

Since MultiFocus, Oticon’s philosophy of hearing aids has revolved around designing hearing aids that restore normal loudness perception through compression. Their approach differed slightly from other providers I’ve reviewed, like ReSound, because Oticon used less compression in the higher frequencies to allow critical speech sounds to remain audible in background noise. In combination with directional microphones, this has worked well for many of my patients.

Current Product Lineup

The current iteration of Oticon’s technology is called BrainHearing, first introduced in the Opn product line in 2016. The current version of this line, which is also the one my friend’s father-in-law has, is the Opn S.

FYI:

FYI: Oticon offers several different styles and models of hearing aids. In this review, I’ll only cover some of the company’s most popular devices.

BrainHearing and the OPN concept is that the brain is the best filter of sound, based on the content rather than the specific direction or combination of pitch and loudness. The approach was designed to reduce listening effort for the user, and it has proven to do so! I find it works very well with folks with mild to moderate hearing loss with good to excellent speech discrimination. For my patients with more severe hearing loss, I often provide a manual program with a more traditional directional microphone setting for challenging listening.

The Opn S comes in a mini receiver-in-the-ear (RITE) model, which other manufacturers call RIC, in rechargeable and standard zinc-air battery models. The standard models include a telecoil, which is designed so that users can pair their hearing aids with smartphones and other devices. For more severe losses, the Opn S behind-the-ear (BTE) model provides a slight modification of the Opn algorithm and much more power. This model has a telecoil and uses a zinc-air battery. On the custom or in-the-ear (ITE) side, Oticon offers the previous generation Opn in invisible-in-canal (IIC) through full-shell models.

Oticon also offers an “essential” line of hearing aids called Ruby (BTE and MiniRITE devices) and Siya (ITEs). These are very high-quality products that are essentially “pre-Opn” level technology. These legacy products are sometimes described as compromises for people who can’t afford the latest and greatest, but in reality, these were the latest and greatest just a few years ago. One of the things I like about Oticon as a company is that they offer a very wide range of price points, making their technologies available to more people. From the outside, the Ruby and Siya devices look exactly the same as Opn S and Opn, and they support all the accessories and apps described below.

Pro Tip:

Pro Tip:Oticon’s prices aren’t listed on their website. You’ll need to visit a local provider to learn more about costs.

One of the key features of Opn and Ruby products is that they are “Made for iPhone,” which allows users to stream directly to iPhones and iPads. It’s a nice feature for phone calls, and it also provides better fidelity from binging streaming media or connecting with family remotely using FaceTime or Zoom.

Need Help Finding the Right Hearing Aid?

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Accessories and Apps

The Oticon ON app provides basic remote control of the devices and cool features like “Find My Hearing Aid” and the ability to manually adjust the “mix” of accessories and ambient sounds. This is great for TV listening (keeping the noise from the kitchen down) or when using a remote microphone.

They also provide an app so your hearing care professional can provide remote support. This is very useful for those who don’t want to visit a store in person whenever they need an adjustment.

ConnectClip Microphone

The ConnectClip is a nice multifunction device. First, as the name suggests, it is a directional remote microphone. This allows you to control the negative impact of distance, reverberation, and background noise by picking up speech very close to the person talking and then wirelessly streaming that “clean” speech to your hearing aids up to about 60 feet away.

Secondly, it acts as a simple remote control for volume and program change. It’s ideal for users with dexterity difficulties and those with memory problems who may need a family member or caregiver to assist them with their hearing aids.

Finally, Android users can use the Connect Clip as a Bluetooth “re-broadcaster” to stream phone calls and music from the phone.

Pro Tip:

Pro Tip: Want to compare Oticon to other popular hearing aids? Head to our list of the top hearing aid providers for seniors.

TV Adapter 3.0

This small device connects to your TV or cable box using either an analog or digital connection. Once paired with the hearing aids, it will stream the TV audio up to 45 feet. This is separate from the TV speaker, so your listening partners have separate volume control. As noted above, the mix of TV sounds with environmental sounds can be adjusted using the ON app.

Phone Adapter

This small box connects to your landline phone and pairs to the ConnectClip, which then streams to your hearing aids. This essentially turns your landline phone into a cordless phone.

The Bottom Line on Oticon

While I think Oticon does a solid job of trying to offer a wide range of price points, the reality is that many people still cannot afford hearing aids. Unfortunately, the most seemingly obvious solution, Medicare, doesn’t provide any coverage for hearing aids. There is legislation in the works, but that’s a non-starter for now. Some private insurance plans cover some of the costs. If you are of limited means, your state Medicaid program may be able to help. If you’re still working, as many seniors find themselves needing to do, check with your state Vocational Rehabilitation office. If you are a veteran and eligible for general VA healthcare, hearing aids, including premium devices like the Opn S, are fully covered, as are accessories. For more information, head to our guide on how to find free or reduced-cost hearing aids.

If Oticon hearing aids are in your price range, I have a high degree of confidence that you will hear better and have a wonderful user experience – from fit to service to reliability. For more details, watch my interview on Medicare and hearing aids with SeniorLiving.org Editor-in-Chief Jeff Hoyt below.

Brad Ingrao discussed why hearing aids should be covered by Medicare.

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Citations
  1. Demant. (2020). Our History.

  2. Oticon. (2020). Inium Sense Platform.

Written By:
Dr. Brad Ingrao
Audiologist
Read About Our Panel of Experts
As a practicing audiologist since the 1990’s, Brad Ingrao, AuD has fitted thousands of hearing aids to seniors and people of all ages. Brad is the Official Audiologist for the International Committee on Sports for the Deaf and a well-known… Learn More About Dr. Brad Ingrao