Having a hearing loss can be frustrating and having a hearing aid that doesn't work like you want it to can be even more frustrating. If you are going to shell out thousands of dollars, you want a hearing instrument that actually works well AND one that is cosmetically appealing. This can be difficult to find because your hearing is an extremely complex sense. You are unique - and so are your hearing needs. What one person wants to hear, you might not want to hear, and vice versa. Hearing aids of the past always relied on the user to adapt to the technology rather than the technology adapting to the individual. 

Hearing. The Natural Way.
The ultimate goal for any hearing aid is to allow you to hear as naturally as possible. The new GN ReSound Azure Hearing Aid represents an entirely new and revolutionary approach to hearing instrument design. Azure more accurately mimics the way we naturally hear. With Azure's new directional technology, you can focus fully on the conversation that is happening in front of you, without missing any of the sound going on around you - just like the way you naturally hear.

Directionality
Ever been in a noisy restaurant and you weren't able to understand a single word because of all of the background noise? Directional microphones help fix this problem. What they do is focus on what sounds you want to hear by the way your head is positioned. For example, if you are looking at the person across the table from you, the directional microphones will pick up their voice more than it will pick up all of the noise that is happening around you. This helps you to hear conversations more clearly in a noisy place. But, what happens when the waiter comes up behind you and asks if you need something else to drink, or if a person sitting next to you starts talking to you? Directional microphones cannot help you in those situations, in fact they can make it worse. This is why the new GN ReSound Azure is so revolutionary.

The GN ReSound Azure hearing aids are designed to be fit with one hearing aid having directional microphones and the other hearing aid having omnidirectional microphones. Several laboratory studies have revealed substantial differences in the magnitude of the "Azure advantage" across hearing-impaired listeners. The directional microphones will pick up conversations in front of you more clearly, while the other ear will pick up all sounds around you enabling you to not only hear all of the conversations at the table more clearly - it also picks up sounds behind you that you want to hear, such as the waiter.

One Size Doesnt Fit Everyone
If you have worn hearing aids before, you might be used to having to set up different programs or memories for different hearing situations like a noisy restaurant or a show at a theater. While it is great to have these options, a lot of the time they don't work perfectly for every situation. Users often complain that they just cannot seem to find the setting that works well in a given situation.

A special feature in the GN Resound Azure, called the Environmental Optimizer, constantly analyzes and fine tunes all of the amplification in different listening environments. Azure automatically shifts smoothly from one environment to the next. The unique design of Azure allows the hearing professional to make adjustments specific to the environment in which you're experiencing problems. The result is a hearing instrument that seamlessly delivers excellent speech intelligibility and comfort in each listening situation, precisely tuned to your hearing loss, and automatically adapts to your personal preferences.

Feedback Management
Ever been around someone that wears hearing aids - and they whistle all the time? With the Azure, you dont have to worry about that anymore. GN ReSound has developed a superior feedback management and noise reduction system that not only cuts down annoying whistling sounds - it also cuts down on sounds that you dont want to hear (like the hum of the refrigerator or the buzz of overhead lights)

Conclusion
In my experience, the patients that I have fit with GN ReSound Azure hearing aids have been extremely satisfied. They were amazed at how well they worked. Many of them tell me that they forget that they are even wearing hearing aids, and sometimes accidentally go to bed with them on. They are also able to dramatically hear better in noisy environments. What I like about Azure, however, is the fact that the hearing aid will continue to adapt to the user's lifestyle and over time enable them to hear even better.