Signia IX Delivers More Than Twice the Speech Enhancement Benefit in Noisy Group Conversations Than Closest Competitors

New study reveals that Signia Integrated Xperience (IX) outperforms the competition with a 3.2 dB higher signal-to noise ratio compared to the very best of its top 4 competitor hearing aids.

This means that Signia IX delivers more than twice the speech enhancement benefit in a noisy group conversation than the closest competitors, including AI co-processor-driven platforms.

Lynge, Denmark – October 14, 2024 – At a time when hearing family and friends in noise continues to be the top requirement for hearing aid wearers,[1] hearing aid innovator Signia announced today the results of a new study that demonstrates the superiority of its Signia Integrated Xperience (IX) platform to overcome the added challenge of following dynamic group conversations in noisy environments. [2]

According to study results, Signia IX, with its Real Time Conversation Enhancement (RTCE) technology, substantially outperformed other leading hearing aids in measured output SNR with at least a 3.2 dB higher conversation signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in a group conversation set-up.

The current study pits Signia IX against the latest technology from competing hearing aid manufacturers – including those with AI co-processor-driven platforms – employing a method that simulates a typical group conversation in background noise.

Jens Moeller, Head of Brand, Signia, said:

Integrated Xperience is about more than just hearing better. It is about giving hearing aid wearers the confidence to engage, interact, and contribute – especially in noisy group conversations. Only Signia Integrated Xperience hearing aids independently enhance speech and process noise so wearers can better follow dynamic group conversations. To prove that point, we’ve studied the signal-to-noise ratios of leading hearing aids in a realistic dynamic group conversation scenario – and the results clearly show Signia IX is still the leader.

The boost in conversation SNR, achieved through Signia IX’s unique split and multi-stream processing technology, significantly enhances conversation performance for Signia IX hearing aid wearers in dynamic group conversations.

Conversation Performance Tests in Dynamic Group Conversations

Despite advances in noise reduction by different manufacturers, including products featuring machine learning and artificial intelligence, other platforms still employ single-stream processing, where speech and noise are processed in the same way. This approach to processing limits their ability to improve SNR under dynamic conditions. However, Signia IX overcomes this limitation by managing speech and noise separately in a multi-stream architecture.

“Signia IX’s unique multi-stream platform requires studies with multiple speakers in order to showcase and confirm its performance in group conversations,” Moeller continued. “We believe these multi-speaker test setups are crucial for advancing the industry beyond simple comparisons with static single speakers in noise.” 

The latest lab tests analyzed the performance of Signia IX and key competitors’ hearing aids using a KEMAR manikin and four independent loudspeakers, positioned in front and behind the manikin. Two loudspeakers simulated background noise, while the other two played sections of the International Speech Test Signal (ISTS) at intervals to simulate conversation partners entering and leaving a group conversation from different locations.

Signia IX hearing aids showed an 8.1 dB improvement in conversation SNR compared to unaided listening. The nearest competitor showed only a 4.9 dB improvement. Details are now available in a new Signia white paper establishing a real-world methodology for testing conversation SNR.

“As this rigorous study shows, Signia Integrated Xperience offers the best improvement in overall conversation SNR, which means wearers can better engage with multiple family members and friends regardless of background noise,” Moeller concluded. “Signia’s goal is always to help people connect with conversations, and when it comes to studying the results of our engineering, Signia is committed to evaluating hearing aids in conditions that matter to wearers in everyday life.”

To read a detailed account of Signia’s new lab study, click here. For more information on Signia, click here.

[1] “Consumer Ratings of the Most Desirable Hearing Aid Attributes,” Manchaiah et al., 2021

[2] Jensen NS, Wilson C, Kamkar Parsi H, Samra B, Hain J, Best S & Taylor B. 2024. Signia IX delivers more than twice the speech enhancement benefit in a noisy group conversation than the closest competitors. Signia White Paper. Retrieved from www.signia-library.com.

About Signia

Signia is one of the world’s leading hearing aid brands. We aim to enhance human performance through iconic innovations and consumer-friendly designs that shape the hearing health market. Since its launch in 2016, Signia has regularly brought innovative, industry-leading solutions to the market and is a pioneer in rechargeable hearing technology.

In addition to highly innovative hearing aids, Signia also delivers tools and apps to increase customer interaction and engagement at all levels of hearing aid management. Signia, and its hearing care professionals, enable hearing aid wearers not just to correct hearing loss but to gain an edge — to Be Brilliant.