HearingAble Iris20 20 Channel Personal Sound Amplifier (Right)

Unfortunately with my severe hearing loss I had to return the product. It could not even evaluate my hearing test so it never did work for me. There are a few issues that are not mentioned in the product features:It only works when you have your cell phone with you and it has to be on. Turn it off and the hearing aid turns off.Battery on the phone dies, so does the hearing aid.Go beyond the Bluetooth range, the hearing aid turns off.I do not have my cell phone as an extension of my arm , therefor I do not take it everywhere i go, but I would have to.Just seems a little gimmicky to me.I'll give it a neutral rating only because for some people this would work, just not for me.

Most Americans can't afford the hearing aids they need. I assume you have been looking for help with your hearing, and have noticed that the monopoly of companies and specialists who have been selling hearing aids at a huge markup is ending. You can now buy various levels of performance on-line.But beware of scammers who advertise and resell the same basic Chinese devices at fat markup. Scrutinize photos and compare prices.Now, if your hearing loss is about the same at different pitches (frequencies), and your ear canal is shaped just so, you can manage with an In-The-Canal or Behind-The-Ear little “personal amplifier” at around $20-50, with a simple rotary volume control. Most people cannot.The next step up is digital, with a button that selects volume and “program”, or settings. They use a microchip that breaks up the sound into “channels” and applies compression to each independently. The squeal, or feedback, caused by sound from the little speaker leaking back to the microphone, can be zeroed in on and “notched” out by more complex signal processing. If you are lucky, and your ear canal is shaped lucky, you can find a silicone “dome” that will allow an In-The-Canal device to amplify some without squealing - if the device has decent feedback suppression (listen for it gradually knocking it down). I found one at about $100 that I’m keeping as a backup, though sound quality is mediocre.If you go to a specialist, they will run a hearing test and obtain a curve of where your hearing is weakest. Then they can then “fit” hearing aids to counter this loss. They can also match them to your ears, all the way to taking an impression, and having the manufacturer machine a perfectly shaped pair. They handhold you. The audio quality can be excellent. At a significant cost.Currently, the most sophisticated full price hearing aids can be controlled from your smartphone. They can also channel music and calls to your ears, often through a separate box. The next generation is getting smarter in adapting to ambient sound, and will require less adjustment. Features and prices are changing quickly. I doubt it’s a good time to “buy in” at several thousand dollars.Having tried a number of devices, I have settled for now on the HearingAble IRIS20 at about $500 a pair. This is less than 1/5 of the average, and around 1/10 of a high-end fully customized pair of hearing aids. Here briefly is how I think they stack up. Spoiler: very well.CONS.Vendor is sole importer, not an audiologist. You are on your own.Devices are fragile. They require careful handling.Bluetooth is Low Energy, short range, easily loses connection; phone must be up to date. Not for technophobes.No streaming of music or calls from phone.PROSVendor is responsible, honors warranty.Devices are very small and light. Barely visible. Easy to forget; don't get in the shower ;-)Bluetooth Low Energy allows programming device from phone app. Batteries are cheap, last a week.Devices don’t get in the way of hearing my phone, speakers, or using over-the-ear headphones. For music I prefer that.The “domes” are long lasting, thin and allow low frequencies to pass directly to your eardrum. Important: no "occlusion" effect.Essential: the built-in hearing test lets you do your own fitting.There is only one FDA approved device pending (Bose) that can do a full hearing test. Even the most expensive ones lack that. Wonder why.You start out installing an app on your Android (4.4 and up) or iOS (7 and up) phone. It walks you through hearing tests that will “fit” them to your losses.The hearing test can be tricky. We all want to please. If you do, and guess “yes” when you can’t really hear the tone, the amplification will be set too weak. Run the test over anytime to optimize.The app’s main screen lets you set loudness, pick 1 of 5 programs (including a custom one), and turn them off/on without wearing out plastic hinges. You CAN use them standalone once you fit them to your hearing. But you need the phone app to do more than that. These are not for tech-shy folks. I don’t know if they can work well for profound hearing loss.Bluetooth Low Energy can be wonky. There’s no traditional pairing. Distance of a foot or so is best. It’s often the phone’s fault. Try restarting its Bluetooth.Be gentle. Don’t yank them out or soak them. Get a “dryer” or just an airtight little box with silica desiccant. Store the devices in the box when you’re not wearing them. Keep them very clean with a little brush (supplied) and dry wipes. They use no separate wax guards.The little in-ear speaker is white. I use a sliver of flesh-colored Band-Aid to change that.I'm an engineer, audiophile, I work in studios. I’m demanding. I have not found any inexpensive Behind-The-Ear or In-The-Canal units that come close in performance. Most sound distorted and like a garden hose. The IRIS20 processes sound with 20 independent “channels”, has smart noise processing. Audio fidelity seems comparable to high-end hearing aids. When correctly fitted they sound clear, you hear more, better, no “tube” effect.The newest most expensive hearing aids can do better for speech comprehension in noisy settings. But with the 5 programs these are versatile enough for my (typical) high frequency loss.I wouldn’t test just one unless you have one perfect ear. Left-right are not quite interchangeable, and a single hearing aid doesn’t convey full benefit. You have 30 days to adapt to them and decide. They have been life changing for me.

have tried 5 and this is best by far. adjusted via bluetooth/app to my needs. extremely comfortable ,excellent hearing accuracy ,no odd sounds does not screech and is quite invisible. truly great product certainly as good as 4000 aids.

For the price, the Iris20 can't be beat. The app to control the device is great. Sound quality is at least as good as Costcos Kirkland signature aids and they cost $1600 a pair.

This is the 3rd PSA I've owned. I started with the Sound World Solutions CS10. While the sound quality was great, it kind of looks like an old style blue-tooth. I hated that "Frankenstein" look but I decided to deal with it since it helped my hearing. The batteries also seemed to crack and break a lot. Eventually, I just decided to junk the unit and move on.My second unit was the iHearHD from iHearMedical. This was an in-the-canal type hearing aid that was virtually invisible. Unfortunately, the quality wasn't quite as good as the CS10. It also required you to use a computer to reprogram it and make changes to the sound. This was a bit of a pain since I was used to the CS10's android app. Either way, I used the iHearHD for about a year. After 6 months, the device cracked but iHearMedical replaced it free of charge. When it cracked again, a little after a year, I decided to see what else was out there in the market.This brings me to the Hearing Able Iris 20. I had never come across this brand during my previous research but I decided to give it a try since it had a few good reviews and was priced cheaper than the other units I had tried. I purchased the unit in December of 2018 and I've got to say I'm really happy. Not only is the sound quality as good as the CS10, but it's virtually invisible. It employs a typical over-the-ear style of a traditional hearing aid but it's really hard to see unless your looking directly at someone's ear from their side. It also allows you to use a phone app to configure the sound. This is great if you want to adjust the sound in an unusually loud restaurant or a cavernous movie theater. You just run the app, make the changes and boom - you're good to go. It also takes traditional hearing aid batteries, which are extremely cheap on Amazon. I purchased a box of 80 Duracell for $20. That's about a year and a half supply. Batteries typically last 7-9 days.Overall, I highly recommend this PSA. Unlike the other two I've tried, I will definitely buy another one if/when it dies. Peace. Out.

Stopped working the first day. We're still waiting for a return label. No one will answer us.

Small, very comfortable to wear all day/night. Battery life is long lasting. Dramatic improvement in sound around me, and definitely undervalued with the 20 channel feature on the application.

It's easy to set up once you get the APP. To get the APP you nee to type (Hearing Able) with space. It's nice and small. I can hear now even what people are thinking/almost. I really can't compare because this is my first time with a hearing device. You need to be some kind of in the technology side for this device to work the best.