World-class Augmented Hearing Technology From ams Enables Nuheara’s Latest Smart Hearing Buds to Enhance the User’s Hearing Ability

ams (SIX: AMS), a leading worldwide supplier of high-performance sensor solutions, today disclosed that its Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) chip technology provides the personalized noise attenuation in the new IQbuds² MAX product from Nuheara, marketed by Nuheara as ‘the world’s most advanced hearing bud.’

The unique appeal of the Nuheara earbuds is that they combine excellent playback sound quality with personalized augmented hearing features to enhance the hearing of users with mild hearing challenges. The buds, retailing online at €379, deliver an option for consumers who are not ready for hearing aids, but who are looking for an outstanding music listening experience as good as that of conventional earphones.

"Nuheara is blazing a trail for a new type of smart hearing device that enhances the hearing experience of those consumers who up until now have been underserved by traditional hearing solutions,” said Christian Feierl, Head of Segment Audio Sensing at ams. "For this type of product, broadband ANC from ams is a must-have feature to enable the hearing buds to block out acoustic distractions from the ambient environment.”

Rave reviews for buds’ audio performance

The IQbuds² MAX have met with critical acclaim around the globe, including TIME 100 Best Inventions of 2020 and winning three CES Innovation Awards in 2020. Many reviewers are particularly impressed by Nuheara’s EAR ID personalization system. This enables users to assess their own hearing thresholds in each ear and calibrate the buds to their own hearing profile.

The outstanding sound reproduction and hearing enhancement which have impressed reviewers are dependent on the excellent noise attenuation – typically more than 30dB over a broad frequency range – provided by ams’ class-leading ANC chip technology. ANC from ams provides the near-silent acoustic background on which Nuheara’s IQbuds² MAX project the user’s chosen types of sound, delivering on the promise that you ‘hear what you want to hear’.

The recent ‘Comfortable, Smart, High-Performing Earbuds’ survey by ams found that alongside performance, comfort and secure fit, digital ANC is a major differentiator for earbud manufacturers.

"ams’ ANC technology is at the heart of the hearing enhancement features provided by the IQbuds² MAX,” says David Cannington, Cofounder and CMO of Nuheara. "That’s in part because of the attenuation provided by the ams ANC chip, but it’s also thanks to the excellent support for tuning and design implementation which the audio experts at ams provided to our design engineering team.”

Why ams?

The introduction of technologies that enable digital augmented hearing is consistent with ams’ history of making breakthroughs in audio product development. Manufacturers of noise-cancelling headphones have been using ams’ analog ANC speaker driver ICs for more than a decade, benefiting from their high, broadband noise attenuation and low power consumption. ams’ strong market position also owes much to the expertise that it provides to headphone manufacturers, helping them to optimize the acoustic, mechanical, and electrical aspects of their product designs.

With the acquisition of Incus Laboratories in 2016, ams gained new digital audio technology to supplement its analog know-how. This move is bearing fruit with the development of the Augmented Hearing Engine platform, which enables the introduction of features such as Adaptive Leakage Compensation (ALC), Automatic Preset Selection (APS), and ‘hear what you want to hear’ capabilities for both tight- and loose-fit earbuds. The innovation pipeline is expected to include sealed ALC, which will be able to compensate for earbud misfit, and raising ANC performance to 50dB+.

For more information on ams’ Audio sensing technology please go to https://ams.com/audio-sensing.

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