Hearing Aid BW-265

Target SDGs

Market Suggested Retail Price

$100.00

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Household, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Solar Ear

Competitive Landscape

Direct competitors include ALIMCO Behind the Ear Hearing Aid and Solar ear: Solar-powered hearing.

Regions

Worldwide

Manufacturing/Building Method

Solar Ear manufactures all of their products in their factories in Brazil, Botswana, and China.

Intellectural Property Type

Open-source

User Provision Model

Solar Ear has national distributors in over 40 countries. Customers residing in countries without a national distributor can fill out an online contact form to request a quote.

Distributions to Date Status

Between 2002 and 2018 Solar Ear has sold over 50,000 Solar Ear hearing aids, 100,000 solar chargers, and 250,000 rechargeable hearing aid batteries.

Design Specifications

The device consists of two headphones that are connected to an electronic box by a wire. The headphones are placed in both ears of the user and the electronic box is stored by the user in, for example, pockets or a bag. Product specifications include:

Two channels - one for each ear
Individual-ear adjustment
Binaural headset
New Class- AB Amplifier
Audio input support
Telecoil
With trimmers
MTO Switch
Product dimensions are: 660 x 43.1 x 20.3 mm

Technical Support

The listening programs must be set by a hearing healthcare professional or the manufacturer. All Solar Ear hearing aids come with a 2-year warranty. Technical support is provided in the user manual.

Replacement Components

Replacement batteries are available for purchase from the manufacturer.

Lifecycle

The rechargeable battery can withstand at least 500 cycles. The lifetime of the hearing aid is approximately five years.

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

Manufacturer specified performance targets include: clear and balanced sound delivery, low noise, low harmonic distort, attractive design.

Vetted Performance Status

Results from a clinical trial of a Solar Ear BTE hearing aid with 21 participants revealed that the hearing aid offers substantial benefit to the hearing impaired with a severe predominantly sensorineural hearing impairment (i.e >60 dB at 2 kHz) and gives amplification in the desired frequency range that is aligned with National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) recommendations.

Safety

Patients with a middle-ear infection are cautioned not to use this product until cured, unless instructed otherwise by a doctor.

Complementary Technical Systems

USB charging ports are needed to recharge the device battery.

Academic Research and References

Compliance with regulations

CE mark, U.S FDA approved, ANVISA approved, and compliant with ISO standards.

Evaluation methods

The hearing aid was evaluated using the IOI-HA form. This form has 7 questions about product satisfaction and limitations in activity. The responses are graded on a scale of 1-5, where 5 is the maximum score. At the end of testing the subject marks a preference for the test-hearing aid or the previously fitted hearing aid.

Other Information

Solar Ear has been featured in several articles and by several TV shows, magazines, and newspapers.