Insound's Lyric hearing aid cozies up right next to your ear drum

It's not quite implantable, but Insound Medical's new Lyric hearing aid is about as close as you can get, with it designed to squeeze in deep in your ear canal and sit just a few millimeters from your ear drum. That, the company says, not only allows for the wearer to hear much more natural sounds since they don't have to be amplified as much, but allows them to wear the hearing aid for 24 hours a day. Of course, a device of that size also poses a number of problems, but Insound appears to have all those sorted out, with it employing a special "spongy material" that allows moisture to escape and prevent infection, and a magnet to actually remove the device from the ear. On the downside, the device is apparently still too large for about half of potential patients, but the company says it's now working on a newer version that should accommodate about 85 percent of patients. It also, as you might have guessed, doesn't come cheap, with it costing between $2,900 to $3,600 for an annual "subscription" for both ears, which includes replacement devices for whenever the non-replaceable battery dies.

[Via Medgadget]

[Jordan @ Apr 16th 2008 1:10PM]

OK!

[Derbeste @ Apr 16th 2008 1:12PM]

WHAT!?

[rv @ Apr 16th 2008 1:20PM]

YEAAAAAYAAAAAAAA MUTHAFUCKAZ LIL Jon up in this bitch!

[Derbeste @ Apr 16th 2008 3:54PM]

What!?

No really...I can't hear you. I think I put this thing in wrong.

[Brian @ Apr 16th 2008 1:13PM]

it's like an aural tampon!! Does it have a little string to help you remove it?

[mike @ Apr 16th 2008 1:15PM]

No, it has a magnet...

[Wwhat @ Apr 16th 2008 2:28PM]

Should someone not quickly patent the stringless magnetised tampon? Or did MS do it already?

[mike @ Apr 16th 2008 3:28PM]

Apple already did...

[Kaminix @ Apr 16th 2008 1:23PM]

My first thought would be: wireless earphones!

[ingus @ Apr 16th 2008 1:31PM]

anyone else thinks its time to invest in companies like these? with so many PMPs and what not these days (and kids running them at 11), hearing aids will be almost mandatory in say ten, twenty years, no? :P

[darkstar @ Apr 16th 2008 1:38PM]

yep!
perfect for generation ipod in 10+ years from now :)

[Wwhat @ Apr 16th 2008 2:31PM]

No they can chat via their ipod touch 5th generation touchscreens wifi link, no need for sound.
As for music: the ringing/tinnitus will take care of that.

[Going Postal @ Jul 8th 2008 7:02PM]

This is Amerika where good ideas profit the rich not you and me.

[telepheedian @ Apr 16th 2008 1:38PM]

I am getting tired of every company on earth trying to make their product subscription based.

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 16th 2008 1:46PM]

Well, the battery is irreplaceable, and I believe it would cost much less to pay 3k a year to have a licensed technician repair this than it would to build your own, or try tampering with its power source.

[Wwhat @ Apr 16th 2008 2:34PM]

Also I'm guessing these things need to be tweaked to the person's affliction, like a prosthetic leg, so you can't just sell them in the bulk?
Although it's true that there is a most annoying growing trend in trying to secure income with needless subscription nonsense and maybe I'm just being optimistic thinking this isn't the case here.

[GETYOID @ Apr 16th 2008 4:09PM]

Damn right about that! I will NOT purchase any product that carries a subscription aside from my cable and cell phone bill. Screw that.

[Palmtree3000 @ Apr 16th 2008 4:19PM]

@getyoid
So, no electricity or water for you then?

[Lupo @ Apr 16th 2008 1:41PM]

babelfish?

[Vagn Henning @ Apr 16th 2008 1:52PM]

Expensive... non-replaceable battery... Insound isn't by any chance owned by Apple Corp.?

[Wwhat @ Apr 16th 2008 2:35PM]

Haha, if not apple might want to buy them, or sue them..

[John @ Apr 16th 2008 3:20PM]

Apple hasnt made their ipods subscription based 'yet' but they do have the mechanisms in place with its singular connectivity to itunes and proprietary DRM.

[natalie @ Apr 16th 2008 2:08PM]

It is a shame that there is no insurence to help with the cost of hearing aids. And to pay $2900 to $3600 is a lot of money. This is not a breakthrough this is aweful. I paid $3000 for the aides I am currently wearing and $80.00 for repairs.

[GETYOID @ Apr 16th 2008 4:09PM]

Yea, and hard-on drugs are covered but eyeglasses, hearing aids - good luck. Not to mention those absurd and pathetic TV ads with those pathetic guys whining...

[Lisa E @ Nov 2nd 2009 10:24PM]

I have insurance that helps pay for my hearing aids.

[CaptSaltyJack @ Apr 16th 2008 2:19PM]

Subscription-based? WTF!

[dbam987 @ Apr 16th 2008 2:37PM]

Yeah, subscription-based service for this seems very wacky. Its expensive enough as it is!

[dbam987 @ Apr 16th 2008 2:36PM]

This is something that would work out for me very nicely... no dangling cords to the gear handing from my head, and no metallic bolt hiding behind my ear.

[The_Steven @ Apr 16th 2008 2:38PM]

Small, yellow, fits in the ear.... Hmmm... Sounds like a "Babel Fish" to me.

[ingus @ Apr 16th 2008 2:45PM]

except, of course, babel fish is subscription free~

[Alexicov @ Apr 16th 2008 5:06PM]

and also goes inside your brain, haha

[Alexicov @ Apr 16th 2008 5:06PM]

and also goes inside your brain, haha

[jwach26 @ Apr 16th 2008 3:33PM]

How long before someone wires up a reciever to this thing and uses it to cheat on a gameshow...

[LukeKilpatrick @ Apr 16th 2008 3:38PM]

The unit needs to be inserted by a doctor and its designed to be in place for months. I have actually seen people using it and its really cool. Disclosure- I worked on the lyric hearing and insound medical websites but no longer work for the company that created them.

[Meg @ Jan 6th 2009 11:35PM]

Luke:
You made an interesting comment and may be in a position to answer my question.
Are you aware of customers who praised these hearing aids and thought that they were much better than the usual types?
I have tried in the ear and over the ear and both perform poorly for me.
Lyric is so different and I'd love to hear from "real" people who have used it.
Thanks for your time.
Meg

[Alexicov @ Apr 16th 2008 5:05PM]

Can I Get a "Bluetooth"?

[wickedpheonix @ Apr 16th 2008 5:06PM]

I have a hearing loss and I have to say that this sounds very interesting - but it is WAY too expensive. Even if you get 2 top of the line hearing aids for both ears for $6000 altogether, this is still more expensive because hearing aids last a lifetime - if they break, its $230 flat-fee to replace each one no matter what the problem is, and the only reason to get new hearing aids is for ones that have better features and technology - less feedback, better background noise reduction, etc. What you're really doing here is replacing the power source each time, not the actual electronics, and its the electronics that make hearing aids so expensive, not the battery. So essentially, they sell the hearing aids to you at a small loss but recoup their losses MANY times over with each year of subscription you pay - even though the power source is probably soldered to the amplification circuitry to save room.

Furthermore, I highly doubt that this will work for people with severe hearing loss, just like how CIC (Completely-In-the-Canal) hearing aids were a while back. When I asked my audiologist about those, she said to forget about them because her patients who did have them had the CIC's break on them about once a month - I would expect similar problems with this device - the testimonials are probably made after about 2 weeks of wearing them or something.

I also really, really dislike the feeling of paying someone on a yearly basis to let me hear - kind of like indentured servitude for the 21st century, but instead of working for them I pay them a huge amount of money.

So thanks, but... no thanks.

[David @ Apr 18th 2008 12:54PM]

These aids are not the same as the CIC hearing aids. Its true that a lot of salespeople at cheap places like Miracle Ear let their customers falsely believe that CIC's will work for them when their hearing loss is much to severe. Results: an unhappy customer with aids that feedback too much.

These aids work for hearing losses that are more severe than CIC's can handle. The research and human feedback is there to prove it. I'm actually going to try them out for 30 days (a free trial period by California law for all aids- and my money back if I don't like em).

As for the cost- yeah- they must get some really high margins! I agree with you, they are too expensive. So are all hearing aids. Damnit- they should absolutely be covered by health insurance and they aren't.

[Tony @ Apr 17th 2008 9:08AM]

what a freaken ridiculous price for such a tiny amount of electronics! What a freaken rip off! Is there no competition or what?!?!

[kelvin @ Apr 17th 2008 10:05PM]

I have a hearing loss and the price is too expensive.
2 ears need $6,000/year and average $500/month.
Just wait for 2 years for new technology.
I may spend $20,000 to have Stem Cell Thearpy in the future but not a $500/month for this one.

[Danbo @ Apr 18th 2008 5:23AM]

Actually, that's not too expensive for a top of the range hearing aid; my dad is seriously har dof hearing after 35 years in the music industry, and he wears a pair of hearing aids that cost close to £2000 each; that;s around $8000 a pair!

[David @ Feb 13th 2009 7:15PM]

Context: I'm 30 years old with a moderately severe hearing loss in both ears- been wearing aids for about 27 of those....started off with a box on my waist and wires running up to my ears..

California Law allows me to try any hearing aid, including the Lyric, for 30 days and if you aren't happy with the device you get your money back- no questions asked. Because of that law I have nothing to lose by trying it out and I'll do so and tell the forum what I think.

The cost of hearing aids in general is egregious. The Lyric is a part of that trend but can't really be singled out. If consumers were only aware that it costs about $100 dollars to make a hearing aid that costs $6,000! This problem goes further though- blame needs to be placed on the health care system as well. Most insurance plans, barring the most expensive ones, don't put in a dime towards hearing health. Hearing health is absolutely a "health" issue. If left untreated leads to problems with physical and emotional health, self image and self esteem, social and communication skills (needed for any typical workplace environment), family relationships, e.t.c. Let your local congressman or woman know what you think about these issues!

Ive been wearing hearing aids for 30 years now- and of course, the expense is annoying. But when I put it in the perspective that they are the single biggest quality of life difference for me from any product I can buy (better than a house, better than a car). I pay about 2,000 for my macbook (too expensive too) but it still pales in comparision to my hearing aids - in terms of how it changes my life. Therefore, I pay for the best. If the Lyric turns out to be the highest quality sound then I'll pay for it- no questions asked. Now - I happen to be young and flexible and I'm not over 55 and on a fixed income. Those people have fewer options and I'm not happy about that.

For all the faults that the Lyric has- I'm excited about their potential and I want to encourage small, creative startups to exist for the sake of my hearing. Huge conglomerates aren't always good for a cutting edge product. Insound Medical is thinking for themselves: for example- they use analog sound as supposed to digital. A lot of people would assume that digital is automatically better- but if one does their homework you'll see that isn't necessarily the case. Analog sound might prove important to hearing aids. The main problem with these aids is their lack of flexibility and cost. Hopefully the company knows this and they are working on it.

I'll write again when I try these hearing aids out. They probably won't be a good solution for me because I swim and surf in the ocean almost every day.

In my opinion, the only way to really comment on the Lyric is to try one and see what I really think- dazzling marketing claims can be put aside.

I write about these hearing related issues on my blog called HearingInformed.com

[paul @ Apr 19th 2008 6:33PM]

Hi,

I’m a hearing aid audiologist from Cambridge, England.
I just heard about this product today at the British Society for Hearing aid Audiologists Congress.
Obviously, things are different here in the UK for hearing impaired people because of the NHS (free at the point of delivery health care) , But if you do get to try this product I would love to hear your views. I have been involved with lots of different hearing aids from the disposable ‘songbird’ to the latest digital solutions for 10 years or so.
I work as a private independent consultant so I deal with every product that comes to market, I would really be interested in your opinions as we have not see this device over here yet.

Any comments would be welcome to
[e-mail]

many thanks


Paul

[David Sigismund @ Oct 30th 2008 4:21PM]

I wanted to update the information on my site- its no longer known as hearinginformed.com. Unfortunately someone poached my site in the period of time that my domain wasn't re-registered. Its my own fault but its still a jerk move. My site is now called hearinginformed.org. Thanks for your visits.

[Meg @ Dec 12th 2008 9:53PM]

David:
I read your comments and am interested in what your opinion will be once you test drive the Lyrics.
I didn't know California had a 30 day return policy.
I question what will happen if you buy in one state and then leave the state, who carries on the "exchanges" then?
I'll be waiting for your opinion.
Meg

[DiscoCat5 @ Apr 19th 2008 1:19AM]

i think these would be a huge success if they were a bit cheaper. see my grandfather has to wear a hearing aid but doesnt (most like because he feels degraded) so instead choses this option "hey, whatd ya say? ya mumblin" so this would be invisible to the naked eye so i see it has being a succes.

[HearHelper @ May 20th 2008 7:47PM]

I work in a hearing aid office, and we see a lot of people come in who have unhealthy ear canals. Some wear hearing aids, and some do not. I think we need to investigate the probability of bacteria growth and infection these "Lyric Hearing Aids" may cause. To me that's the scary part, forget the cost! I clean 10+ hearing aids a day and see first hand the amount of moisture and debris that accumulates in a short period of time. The thought of not washing your ears thoroughly or trapping body chemistry and moisture behind this device for 120 days is not only disgusting, but could potentially cause greater hearing loss or other health problems if an infection were to occur.

[WillfromSF @ Jun 19th 2008 6:20PM]

I've done a lot of research on the Lyric devices and now find I'm not a candidate for it as I have severe hearing loss at the high frequencies (where most speech is determined) and this will go up only to moderately severe loss because its size prevents it from pumping out much volume. In the San Francisco area, I found annual prices of $2900-$3500 so it pays to shop around. Also there may be extra fees. Would you believe UCSF had the worst prices vs. 3 privately held audiology companies?