CROS HEARING AIDS

The classic CROS Hearing Aid comprises two devices. One CROS hearing aid device is placed on the poorer ear whose job is to transmit sound it detects wirelessly across the head to the better ear. The better ear also has a compatible hearing aid which will receive the transmitted signal and provide it for the better ear to hear. Only a minimal amount of amplification is required as the better ear is normal or near normal in this scenario. The CROS Hearing Aid system can be a classic behind-the-ear style (BTE) or there now exists a completely-in-the-canal (CIC) version known as the Signia CROS Silk Nx.

The primary advantage of a CROS Hearing Aid fitting is when sound is presented the poorer ear it is heard in the better ear without any reduction in volume, thus removing the head shadow effect. There is some improvement in noise but this is dependent on the direction from which the noise and signal are coming from respectively.

Studies have shown that Completely-in-the-Canal CROS Hearing Aids have excellent wearing comfort and are easy to use, however, as the batteries are small, and transmission takes energy, the frequency of battery change will be higher than with a BTE CROS Hearing Aid.

The BiCROS Hearing Aids work in a similar fashion to the CROS Hearing Aid described above. In the situation where the better ear does have some measure of hearing loss, then, rather than just simply providing the sound from the poorer ear, the better ear also needs some amplification. This way sounds presented at the poorer and better ear are joined together and amplified as one providing audible sound at a comfortable level appropriate for the degree of hearing loss that exists in the better ear. The BiCROS approach may be applied with both a BTE Style fitting and CIC.

CROS hearing aids work best with individuals who have specific listening demands, when they are particularly disadvantaged when sound reaches the poorer ear first, and are motivated to improve their communicative deficit. The CROS hearing aid will not restore your ability to localise the source of a sound nor do you hear in the poorer ear. These are both common misunderstandings of potential CROS patients. A Cochlear Implant, which does stimulate the poorer ear via its electrode array, will however provide you with some localisation information and other benefits that only hearing in both ears can provide. A Cochlear Implant is not advised as an immediate first step as other technologies, that are less intrusive, such as a CROS hearing aid, permit you to have some experience of the utility of such technology. Studies have shown also that children with single sided deafness can benefit in the classroom and socially by wearing a CROS hearing aid (Shapiro et al). The finding of kids CROS Hearing Aids is important as helping early education is important.

One of the most significant advances with the Nx hearing aid range is the use of “Own Voice Processing” (OVP) to diminish the annoyance of your own amplified voice. Speech master is a method by which speech can be extracted from background noise to assist in comprehension in these difficulty listening environments. In order for the CROS system to work Signia have also developed an energy efficient transfer protocol and wide bandwidth audio ear to ear transmission.

Siemens Signia Hearing Aids now have the capability to be adjusted remotely via the Signia Touch control in real time. By connecting with your Audiologist via the application fine tuning can be applied instantly reducing the need for face to face contact.

The Signia CROS are now available in the new Augmented Reality (Ax) platform as well and the previous Nx range in a variety of Receiver in the Canal, Behind the Ear, Click In the Ear and Custom In the Ear models.