Signia Hearing Aid Reviews

Signia Hearing Aids: New name, historic company

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4.6 of 5
13+ Style Options
120+ Markets Worldwide
$1,000 Starting Price
19 Hrs On Single Charge

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SeniorLiving.org Rating:
4.6 of 5
Brad Ingrao
Dr. Brad Ingrao, Audiologist Read About Our Panel of Experts

Since before I started my clinical practice in 1992, I was actively involved in the signing Deaf community. As such, I became familiar with very powerful hearing aids we affectionately called “boomers.” One of the most common was the Siemens 284PP, a predecessor to the current Signia hearing aids. A unique feature of this vintage of Siemens hearing aids was that they had sterling silver battery contacts, so we needed to keep toothpaste and cotton swabs in the lab to clean (de-tarnish) them.

Fast forward to today, and Signia offers one of the broadest ranges of products and price points. If you haven’t shopped for a new hearing aid in a while, and the name Signia is unfamiliar to you, here’s a quick summary to catch you up.

In 2013, Siemens hearing aids division was purchased and renamed Sivantos, and the hearing aids were rebranded as Signia.1 In 2019, Sivantos and Widex merged to form WS Audiology.2 This company offers hearing aids (Signia, Widex, Rexton, A&M), as well as several distribution networks (HearUSA, TruHearing in the US, and others worldwide).

In this year’s review, I’ll go through Signia’s current portfolio, show you how their smartphone app works, review my experiences with Signia products from my clinical practice, and take a few of their hearing aids on a test drive (the company was kind enough to send me a few samples).

Test Driving Signia Hearing Aids

Before getting into Signia’s full line of hearing aids, let’s talk about fit and durability. Signia sent me some replicas to play around with, including the Syletto and Charge&Go Nx (full descriptions and pictures of these products are in the next section).

Despite their small size, the build quality is quite good. I expect them to hold up as well as the other Signia receiver-in-canal (RIC) models I have dispensed in my clinical practice. They are very light and fit quite well behind my ears, even with my glasses on. As an experiment, I left them in and took a short ride on my motorcycle. I wear a “half” helmet with straps that cover my ears tightly below my chin. The Syletto was comfortable even after the 10-minute ride to the store. For the return trip, I switched to the Charge&Go Nx replicas (a more traditional RIC). They weren’t bad at all, but the Styletto certainly felt better longer. Signia’s domes and wires for their RIC devices have always held up.

How Does Signia Stack Up to Other Brands?

Signia hearing aids are durable, reliable, and are available in a variety of price points. Plus, Signia offers a lot of different products, giving you plenty of options when it’s time to invest in a hearing device. However, it’s always good to know what else is out there. If you aren’t sure about Signia or you want more budget-friendly options, be sure to check out some of the best providers that 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
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Broad Product Portfolio

One of the things I’ve always liked about Signia is that they offer my patients a very wide range of products and price points. When I was practicing in South Florida, we sold a lot of hearing aids to people visiting from South America. Signia not only kept older “legacy” models available at a lower cost but also had a network of dispensers all around the world. With very few exceptions, I was able to provide my patients with a list of certified Signia dispensers in their country should they need a warranty service.

Quick Tip:

Quick Tip: Visit our list of the best hearing aid providers in 2024 to see how Signia compares to other notable brands.

The Signia technology I tested for this review is the “Nx” series, but the predecessor, Primax, is still around and is very good for folks on a budget. The Nx series is available in all form factors, including the Styletto super-slim RIC and a clever ready-fit completely-in-canal (CIC) model called Silk.

Pro Tip:

Pro Tip: If you’re unfamiliar with the different styles of hearing aids, check out our handy hearing aid guide for seniors.

One of the primary benefits of the Nx platform is direct streaming to Android and iOS devices via Bluetooth LE (Low Energy). This is not the Bluetooth you use for your computer mouse or keyboard, but rather the “made for iPhone” kind. This connectivity is available in Nx behind-the-ear (BTE), RIC, and some in-the-ear (ITE) models.

All of the Nx products offer a set of features designed to address the most common complaints of hearing aid users. “Own Voice Processing” is designed to reduce the tendency for the user’s voice to sound hollow when wearing hearing aids. They also provide automatic adjustment for volume and directional microphone settings. Like many other advanced hearing aids, the Nx offers frequency lowering, which allows people with very poor hearing for high pitches to hear and understand them better.

Signia is also one of the leaders in lithium-ion rechargeability. The Nx line is their second-generation rechargeable family and offers inductance charging. This eliminates the need for charging contacts, which can become tarnished or corroded, especially in humid climates.

Styletto

Styletto Hearing Aids

Styletto Hearing Aids

The Styletto hearing aid reminds me of some of the very thin body-worn hearing aids in the early transistor age. Miniaturization allowed them to pack more technology into a smaller case. Manufacturers took advantage of this and hid hearing aids in everything from broaches to fountain pens. The Styletto is very similar. It has the same tech as a traditional Signia Nx in a sleeker case aimed at the younger, high-tech patient, and it comes in an RIC style.

Charge&Go Nx

Pure Charge & Go RIC and Charger

Pure Charge & Go RIC and Charger

Signia’s Charge&Go Nx is the rechargeable line of Nx-equipped hearing aids. They come in two versions: Motion in a BTE style and Pure in a RIC style.

Both cover hearing losses from mild to severe and offer contact-less inductance charging. I’ve fit a fair number of these, and, like their predecessors, I find them to be reliable, comfortable, and very user-friendly.

Motion BTE Hearing Aid

Motion BTE Hearing Aid

Insio Nx ITC/ITE

Insio Nx ITC/ICE

Insio Nx ITC/ICE

Signia’s ITE product line is called Insio. Under the hood, they are the same as the Pure, Motion, and Styletto but in an “all-in-one” design. Aside from personal preference, I have found that for patients with dexterity or shoulder issues an ITE can often be easier to insert and remove. One caveat with ITE instruments. Those smaller than a “half shell” and some in-the-canal (ITC) models usually only have one microphone. This limits how well the hearing aid can reduce background noise.

Quick Tip:

Quick Tip: If you ever have trouble putting in your hearing aids, check out our guide on how to put in hearing aids. ​​

Insio Nx IIC/CIC

Insio Nx ICC and CIC

Insio Nx IIC/CIC

For those looking for a nearly invisible hearing solution, the CIC or invisible-in-canal (IIC) style may be a good option. While they only have one microphone, the deep position inside the ear canal allows for some natural directional benefit.

Products for Unique Needs

Signia makes a couple of products for a smaller subset of folks, but they are worth mentioning here.

CROS and BiCROS

The majority of people with hearing loss have an equal loss in both ears. However, some either have “single-sided deafness” or asymmetric loss such that one ear is too distorted to benefit from direct amplification. For these folks, Contralateral Routing Of Signal (CROS) or Bilateral CROS (BiCROS) can be helpful. In the case of true single-sided hearing loss, a microphone and wireless transmitter sits on the poorer side and sends sound to a receiver on the other side. If there is also hearing loss in the better ear, the receiver is also a hearing aid. The system looks just like two hearing aids. It doesn’t provide true directional hearing, but it alleviates the logistical problems of not hearing on one side, like always needing to sit in a certain place or leaning toward speakers to hear better.

Silk Nx

Silk Nx

Silk Nx

Typical CIC instruments are custom made which means that you need an ear impression, and they take up to a few weeks for delivery. Using the same “click” sleeve system employed in their domes, Signia can provide CIC size and discretion for many people (depending on the size and shape of the ear canal) in an instant-fit form factor. That means you don’t have to wait the extra weeks to get your devices.

It provides the same Nx features and uses a disposable zinc-air battery. While not for everyone, it can provide a good solution for people who want a CIC, but can’t (or don’t want to) wait once they decide to move forward with hearing improvement.

Signia Accessories

Like other major manufacturers, Signia recognizes that even the best hearing aids are susceptible to the negative effects of distance, reverberation, and background noise on speech understanding. To address this, they offer a series of accessories. The ones described below are all compatible with the Nx line. Some may also work with older products. If you have an older Signia hearing aid and think some of these may be helpful, contact your hearing care professional and ask about compatibility or alternate versions for your devices.

StreamLine Mic

StreamLine Mic

StreamLine Mic

Hearing aids work best when they are less than 12 feet from the sounds they are capturing. Beyond that, the quality of the signal is degraded significantly by reverberation and background noise. The StreamLine Mic is held or clipped very close to the mouth of the speaker. This captures the signal at an ideal “signal-to-noise ratio,” then beams it wirelessly to your hearing aids. The range is between 60 and 80 feet depending on the type of room you’re in.

In addition, the StreamLine Mic can act as a Bluetooth re-broadcaster, allowing paired Bluetooth audio devices to stream to the hearing aids. I like both the flexibility of this device and the relatively low price. The operation takes a little getting used to, but the majority of the folks I’ve sold it to catch on within one office visit.

StreamLine TV

Streamline TV LED

Streamline TV LED

Similar in concept to the StreamLine Mic, the StreamLine TV connects to your TV or cable box and streams the audio directly to your hearing aids. Because it uses an audio output, the TV speaker volume can be set to the comfort of those without hearing loss (or muted for private listening), and the hearing aids can be adjusted to your needs.

Set up is simple and once connected, it is pretty much hands-off.

Remote controls

Hearing aids today, including Signia models, are designed to operate automatically. However, as Finley Peter Dunne implied when he said “Trust everyone, but cut the cards,”3 having a manual override is always a good idea. The majority of Signia products have on-board controls, but those buttons are pretty small. Remote controls not only offer sausage-fingered folks like me a way to adjust volume and programs, but they allow caregiver access to hearing aids for patients who may need additional assistance, particularly those with dexterity or memory issues. Signa offers both standalone remotes and smartphone applications for this purpose. This review will cover only the current version of each. Other, older versions may be an option and should be discussed with your hearing care professional.

miniPocket Remote Control

miniPocket Remote Control

miniPocket Remote Control

The mini pocket control is very basic. It allows you to control volume and toggle between programs. I find these remotes to be a good match to folks who prefer their hearing aids to be automatic, but occasionally need minor adjustments or a specific manual program such as a telecoil program for a hearing loop at church.

Signia App

Recently, Signia combined several of their smartphone applications into a “master” app simply called the Signia App. In addition to serving as a remote control, it allows for quite a bit of fine-tuning, information about the hearing aids, and an extensive remote assistance (tele-audiology) toolkit.

This remote support can be as easy as a text message or if needed, a live, remote programming session. This functionality changes the game for hearing care. I envision the possibility that savvy providers will start to offer extended hours via remote support. This would chip away at the access limitations of the traditional weekday, nine-to-five model of hearing care, which I believe is a major contributor to the historically poor market penetration of hearing aids.

Basic Remote Control

Signia App Volume Control

Volume Control

This screenshot shows the basic remote control of the Signia App. Volume for each device is shown on the slider.

User Fine-Tuning

Signia App Directional Hearing

Directional Hearing

In this view, the user can fine-tune the behavior of the directional microphone. The example above is often used in the car to allow the driver to hear the front-seat passenger while reducing road noise.

Accessory Control

Signia App Accessory Control

Accessory control

When the StreamLine TV icon is selected on the lower ribbon, this slider changes the volume of the TV signal. This only affects the streaming volume, not the TV speakers.

In-App Assistant

Signia App Hearing Lessons

In-App Assistant

This set of screens provides tips and suggestions to improve the efficacy of hearing aids in different situations. Based on your feedback additional suggestions are provided.

Text-based Remote Assist

Signia App TeleCare Chat

TeleCare Chat

If you get stuck, you can reach out to your hearing care professional. They need to enable remote assistance, but I strongly suggest requesting this. This text-based tool is good for simple issues or to set up a live session.

Live Remote Programming

Signia App Virtual Appointment

Virtual Appointment

If you need an actual adjustment rather than advice, a live session can be initiated. This telehealth session allows your hearing care professional to adjust your hearing aids live.

Need Help Finding the Right Hearing Aid?

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Customer Service

I’ve always found Signia customer care to be very good. For dispensers, they offer phone support, online resources, and both in-person and online training. For end-users, they have a wide range of text and video-based resources on their website. I like how they opted for text-based instructions rather than narration with captions. This “open captioned” approach doesn’t require the viewer to enable captions. As a musician, I appreciate the groovy music these videos have in the background.

Summary

Overall, I am as happy with the current offerings from Signia as I was with that old boomer in 1992. The folks at Signia are continuing the long tradition that began at Siemens for producing solid products with effective hearing technology inside. Their lithium ion technology is just as good, if not better, than the competition and their utilization of 2.4 GHz wireless tech rounds out the product line beyond the ideal listening environment. Finally, their ability to stream to mobile devices makes them convenient for use in our tech-driven world.

Below are my ratings for different aspects of Signia’s hearing aids out of five stars:

  • Variety of styles: 5
  • Tinnitus features: 5
  • Mobile app experience: 4
  • Technology: 5
  • Accessories: 5
  • Affordability: 3.5

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Citations
  1. Wikipedia. (2020). Siemens Hearing Instruments.

  2. WS Audiology. (2020). About Us.

  3. GoodReads. (2020). Finley Peter Dunne Quotes.

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