Starkey Hearing Aids: Enhancing Your World of Sound Love

Discover the remarkable world of Starkey hearing aids, designed to revolutionize your auditory experience. From advanced technology to personalized solutions, learn how Starkey hearing aids can improve your quality of life.

Welcome to a trip that will show you how Starkey hearing aids may change your life. We’ll dig into the complexities of Starkey’s cutting-edge technology, discuss the benefits it provides, and answer common concerns to help you make an informed decision about your hearing health in this thorough guide. Whether you’ve been using hearing aids for a long time or are thinking about getting one for the first time, this page is your one-stop shop for all things Starkey.

Introduction of the Starkey Hearing Aids

Starkey Hearing Technologies, one of the world’s leading hearing aid manufacturers, is the main brand of Starkey Hearing Technologies. Starkey, headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is the sole US business among the “Big Five,” a group of corporations that control more than 80% of the worldwide hearing aid industry.

Starkey Hearing was started in 1967 by William (Bill) F. Austin as an earmold fabrication and repair service facility for hearing aids. Soon after, the firm began manufacturing its own hearing aids and steadily extended its global sales. Starkey has made significant investments in research and development over the last decade, resulting in advancements in sound processing, wireless technology, and miniaturization. Starkey Hearing now employs over 5,000 people and operates in over 100 countries.

Starkey Hearing Aid: A Closer Look

Starkey Hearing Aids – Transforming Auditory Excellence

Starkey Hearing Aid is more than a technology; it is a portal to a world of increased auditory experiences. Starkey Hearing Aid enables people with hearing loss to reconnect with the sounds that matter most by combining breakthrough technology, ergonomic design, and customized solutions.

Starkey Hearing Aids

2023: Starkey Genesis AI
2021: Starkey Evolv AI
2018: Starkey Livio
2017: Starkey Livio
2016: Starkey SoundLens Synergy, Starkey Halo 2, Starkey Muse
2015: Starkey Z Series
2014: Starkey Halo
2013: Starkey 3 Series
2011: Starkey Xino

Starkey hearing aid technologies

Starkey manufactures high-quality hearing aids for all levels of hearing loss, which are configured by a hearing care professional (HCP) depending on the findings of your hearing test. In recent years, the firm has established itself as a pioneer in the development of new hearing aid technology. Here are a few significant “firsts” for Starkey:

• Starkey made waves in the business in the 1970s by introducing one of the first trial periods for hearing aids, which is now a standard consumer precaution for professionally delivered hearing devices. It also pioneered the use of in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids.
• Starkey was among the first to pioneer miniaturisation technology to offer “invisible hearing aids” that reside deep into the ear canal in the 1980s and 1990s.
• With its Halo and Livio hearing aides, Starkey was also an early player in the Made-for-iPhone hearing aid industry.
  Starkey claims that their artificial intelligence (AI) sound processing solution, Starkey SoundTM, improves speech understanding in loud circumstances.
• Starkey announced the “first hearing aid with integrated sensors and artificial intelligence” in 2018; for example, a sensor-based fall-detection feature warns medical personnel if you fall.
• Starkey began offering its Livio hearing aids with integrated sensor technology in a rechargeable custom-fitted form factor in 2020, as well as a table microphone for better group hearing.
• Starkey will debut Evolv AI in 2021, which will include health sensors, fall alarms, telehealth capabilities, and hands-free phone conversations on iPhone.
• Starkey launched native audio streaming for some Android smartphones in early 2020, in addition to iPhone compatibility.

Genesis AI, a wholly new hearing aid platform “reimagined from the inside out” that Starkey hopes will come to define AI-assisted hearing healthcare, will be presented in 2023.

Personalised Solutions for Every Lifestyle

Customising Sound for You

No two people have the same hearing requirements. Starkey recognizes this, which is why its hearing aids include a variety of adjustable settings. Starkey hearing aids are intended to respond to your personal tastes, from altering volume levels to focusing on certain frequencies, making every experience as natural as possible.

Starkey hearing aid models

Starkey offers a diverse range of hearing aids for all types of hearing loss. Users’ particular demands are met by several levels of technology and features. Custom invisible in-the-ear (ITE) and receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids, as well as strong behind-the-ear (BTE) solutions, are among its model types.

Starkey Genesis AI hearing aid

Starkey released their latest flagship hearing aid, Genesis AI, in February 2023, touting “all new everything”: an all-new processor, all-new sound, all-new design, and an all-new app and patient experience. The new Genesis AI is driven by one of the most powerful and quickest CPUs in the hearing industry, with six times more transistors, ten times more memory, and four times quicker processing than its predecessor, the Evolv AI. According to Starkey, this allows it to “redefine” AI and machine learning in hearing aids; it can make over 80 million changes per hour and replicate the human brain to rapidly and correctly “fill in” the gaps caused by our hearing system failing.

The new Genesis AI is available in a variety of forms, from the small Invisible-in-Canal (IIC) bespoke in-ear device to the Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) variants featured in the photo above. It also keeps all of the “healthy” components (step-counting, social interaction tracking, etc.) as well as Evolv AI’s unique fall detection and language translation functions, among other things.

PHOTO

However, the fundamental purpose of a hearing aid is to help you hear better while effortlessly blending into your sound environment. Genesis AI’s deep neural network (DNN) and Neuro Sound Processing are developed to hear speech in noise more intuitively and organically, to hear soft sounds without distracting noise, and to minimise your total listening effort. Starkey has also increased the dynamic range of the hearing aid by 20 decibels, giving you a more clear listening experience in both quiet and loud surroundings without experiencing any distortion.

Except for the CIC and IIC variants, Genesis AI supports Bluetooth streaming for Apple iOS and Android, as well as hands-free calling for compatible iOS smartphones. The hearing aids’ wireless range has been increased by up to 40% thanks to the use of a new antenna, allowing you to be further away from your iPhone whether accepting calls, listening to music, or using the Starkey TV Streamer. It also supports 2-way audio for iOS devices, allowing it to function as a set of high-quality headphones for video conferences on FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, and so on.

Here are some of the key features and unique offerings available from Genesis AI:

Key features of Genesis AI

Genesis AI has the following characteristics. Many of these capabilities are also available in Evolv AI, and a comparison table is provided below for a complete breakdown of features in the two product lines.

• Evolv AI’s principal sound processing engine is based on DNN and a unique additive compression approach designed to minimise background noise and improve voice quality in a variety of contexts.
• Edge Mode+ – A form of “booster” when you’re in a difficult listening circumstance, when you press the Edge Mode+ button on the MyStarkey app, the aid does an AI-based study of the surroundings and makes clever and rapid changes. Edge Mode+ now has options for orienting it to favour “Comfort” or “Speech Clarity.”
• Hands-free calling is supported by Evolv AI on iOS devices running iOS 15 or above
• Long battery life – Genesis features some of the longest stated battery life available for both rechargeable and disposable batteries.
• MyStarkey App – New with Genesis AI, the MyStarkey app replaces the previous Thrive app, offering you management of the hearing aids while also allowing you to monitor and share information such as step counting, hearing aid usage, social interaction, and more with pre-selected persons.
• Translate – Use a translation tool to communicate with individuals who speak various languages; the Thrive app now supports 70 languages, up from 27.
• Fall detection – Detects when you fall and sends an alarm message to the contacts you specify.
• Conversations are transcribed into text that can be saved or shared using Transcribe.
• MultiFlex Tinnitus Pro – Generates a soothing and adaptable sound stimulus that you and your hearing practitioner may fine-tune to alleviate the distinctive, unpleasant sounds you hear.
• Find My Phone – You can now locate your lost or misplaced phone by having it ring using your hearing aids and Thrive Assistant.
• Step counting – Keeps track of your daily steps, measures movement, and monitors more strenuous physical activity.
• Brain monitoring – Tracks active listening to assess the brain-health advantages of wearing hearing aids.
• Tap controls – Allows you to effortlessly pause or resume audio streaming by touching your ear twice.

Battery life and recharging Genesis AI

Another element that stands out when analysing the Genesis AI is the battery life. Power is required for the enhanced processing, sensors, and streaming that allow the aforementioned critical characteristics. Given their compact size, hearing aid developers have a significant difficulty in improving battery life.

With up to 51 hours of battery life, the Starkey Genesis AI boasts one of the longest battery lifetimes of any hearing aid on the market. The mRIC is the smallest rechargeable mRIC with sensor technology and has a battery life of up to 41 hours; the custom ITE and ITC rechargeable hearing aids have a battery life of up to 42 hours on a single charge.

The charging case options are also new with Genesis. The StarLink Charger and StarLink Premium Mini Charger function as a charging station and case for RICs and BTEs. Both include on-board turbo charging, which may charge the hearing aid in as little as 7 minutes and provide 3 hours of usage time. The Starlink Premium charger has an inbuilt battery that can carry three extra charges for individuals who need them on the road; the StarLink Charger does not feature an onboard battery and must be hooked into an external power source to charge the hearing aids.

The in-ear variants (IIC, CIC, ITC, and ITE) may be charged with either the Custom or Premium Custom Chargers, with the Premium Charger including an integrated battery. These chargers look nearly comparable to those used in Evolv AI bespoke models (see below).

StarLink Premium Mini Charger

Unique StarLink Premium Mini Chargers for Genesis AI mRIC R and RIC RT hearing aids – same design but with different charging slots to ensure secure hearing aid placement. These new chargers include on-board turbo charging for three hours of hearing aid use time in just seven minutes of charging and an on-board battery for on-the-go charging.

My Starkey App

Beyond the push-buttons on the devices, the My Starkey app serves as the control centre for Genesis AI. It lets you change the volume and programme settings, stream calls, count steps and monitor your health-related data, translate languages, create reminders, and many other things. It has the following features:

• Stream music, TV shows, and other audio devices directly from your smartphone or wireless device.
• Edge Mode+ – You can now access this option on the app’s front screen to improve hearing in difficult listening conditions.
• Smart Assistant – Adjust settings, create reminders, and ask questions with your voice.
• Personal health tracking entails tracking steps, social interaction, and achieving well-being objectives.
• Fall detection – The app continues to use the industry’s first and only fall detector, which can detect if the user has fallen and inform a loved one or carer when activated by your HCP.
• Hear Share – With your permission, your HCP may set it up so that a friend or family member can view your health and wellness data, providing you with additional piece of mind.
• The Learning Centre Starkey provides an outstanding collection of training videos and tutorials for using Genesis AI and the My Starkey app.
• TeleHear – In some situations, your HCP can utilise this capability to conduct remote hearing aid adjustments, saving you a trip to the clinic.
• Firmware upgrades You may upgrade your hearing aid system whenever you want without seeing your HCP.

The software is compatible with Apple iOS 14 and later, as well as Android 7.0 and later. Check the Starkey compatibility listings for further information about your phone.

Starkey Evolv AI hearing aid

The Evolv AI hearing aid series, which was introduced in August 2021, shares many of the same capabilities as the Genesis AI, but lacks the sophisticated DNN processing, increased battery life, and wireless range present in the newer device. Evolv AI, on the other hand, offers direct audio streaming (iOS and Android), hands-free calling (iOS only), sensor-based accelerometers to detect falls and monitor real-time health data, and AI algorithms meant to increase speech recognition in background noise.

Evolv AI comes in a variety of form factors. Wireless connection is available in all IIC hearing aids save the smallest. The BTE and RIC choices are available in a range of colours, including black, white, and silver, as well as espresso, bronze, and champagne.

Starkey Sound™ for clear speech

Chief Technology Officer Achin Bhowmik stated when Starkey unveiled Evolv AI, “Evolv AI hearing device will make 55 million adjustments – automatically.” Starkey Sound is a proprietary sound processing platform that monitors and adapts to your listening environment to optimise sound—the system is “designed to automatically suppress background noise and to increase speech audibility and intelligibility with machine learning technology,” according to Starkey.

Starkey Evolv AI

Evolv AI comes with two charger options: the Standard Charger and the Mini Turbo Charger. The Evolv AI RIC R Standard Charger is a portable plug-in charger that provides three full charges on the move. The Mini Turbo Charger is a pocket-sized charger that gives four charges on the go and is offered separately.

Evolv AI Custom

Evolv AI Custom is an in-ear version of the Evolv AI that has been custom-fitted. The Custom can be recharged and has the same integrated sensors as the behind-the-ear variant. The Custom’s external faceplate features metal charging connectors, a push button, and microphone ports. A double-tap activates Edge mode as well.

A word about Starkey personalized hearing aids and the genuinely one-of-a-kind Starkey Evolv AI CIC

Starkey is well-known among audiologists and hearing care specialists for their skill in bespoke (in-ear) hearing aid production. In fact, Bill Austin, the creator of Starkey, is recognised with being a primary motivator for the fast rise and adoption of bespoke hearing aids in the United States, which began in the 1970s. Even today, when BTE and RIC hearing aids account for around 85% of all hearing aides, Starkey is a strong supporter for the usage of bespoke in-ear hearing aids and earmolds.

Today, the Evolv AI CIC exemplifies Starkey’s “go-to” reputation for personalised in-ear hearing solutions. The Evolve AI CIC is the industry’s only rechargeable, Bluetooth-enabled, almost-invisible hearing aid for both Apple and Android, including entirely hands-free phone conversations on the iPhone. Although the larger and more capable Genesis AI line includes bespoke ITE and CIC models, these unique wireless characteristics in a CIC are now available exclusively in the Evolv AI line. Details are provided in the video below by audiologist Matthew Allsop.

PHOTO

Genesis and Evolv Comparison

Genesis AI is a significant step forward for Starkey because it improves at least four major aspects of the user experience: sound quality and speech in noise, battery life, streaming, and the enhancement of the user-device interface via the My Starkey app—all of which have a direct impact on benefit with the device. There are many more changes in Genesis AI, such as an increase in the number of languages translated from 27 to over 70, new options for defining whether you wish to emphasise comfort or voice quality, and much more.

However, the chart below shows that Evolv AI has many of the same features as Genesis AI; it merely lacks several crucial listening breakthroughs and has a less capable chip processing architecture. The basic line is that Evolv AI continues to be an amazing product in terms of both features and performance, and it has also received great evaluations from our Hear Advisor users.

	Genesis AI	Evolv AI
When introduced	Feb 2023	Aug 2021
Neuro Sound & DNN processing	✓
Long lasting rechargeability	✓
Rechargeable station options	✓	✓
Onboard control buttons	✓	✓
Tap control	✓	✓
Edge Mode	✓*	✓
Apple iOS and Android streaming	✓	✓
Hands-free calling for iPhone	✓	✓
2-way audio**	✓	✓
Wireless accessories	✓	✓
Reminders	✓	✓
Personal health monitoring	✓	✓
Fall detection and alerts	✓	✓
Hear Share for caregivers	✓	✓
Language translation	✓	✓
Speech transcription	✓	✓
Telehear for remote adjustments	✓	✓
Hearing aid self check	✓	✓
My Starkey app	✓
Thrive app		✓
Advanced tinnitus technology	✓	✓
CROS/BiCROS options	✓	✓
IP68 rating†	✓	✓

 

Thrive remote care app

The Thrive Hearing Control smartphone app integrates wellness tracking, activity tracking, brain health tracking, and language translation functions with Evolv AI and legacy Livio AI hearing aids. All versions of Evolv AI and Livio include a hearing aid finder function, iOS audio streaming for phone calls and multimedia audio, hearing-aid remote control, personalized listening programmes, geo-tagged listening programmes, audio notifications, an adaptive car mode, and Bluetooth audio streaming accessories.

App Thrive

The Livio AI hearing aids smartphone app allows you to make phone calls, change programme settings, and see and manage health data generated by the hearing aids.

• Functions
  Remote Control Smartphone App Remote Modifications
  Monitoring of Heart Rate
  
• Aids that are compatible
  Starkey Livio AI Starkey Evolv

The Thrive app also enables the hearing aids’ AI capabilities. It manages fall detection and warnings, permits voice-to-text transcription, automatically checks hearing aid performance, translates words from 27 languages into English, allows the hearing care provider to make remote changes, and controls accessories, among other things.

Picasso custom in-ear hearing aids

Picasso is Starkey’s value range of four in-ear hearing aids that are individually contoured to your ears and ear canal. All require disposable batteries and are available in four to ten different technological levels, depending on the style. The IIC and CIC styles utilize a size 10 hearing aid battery; the ITC has a size 312 battery; and the full-shell ITE needs a size 13 cell.

Picasso is compatible with Starkey’s 2.4 GHz SurfLink streaming accessories, allowing you to connect wirelessly to TVs, MP3 players, and other Bluetooth-enabled mobile devices. Picasso has an innovative anti-feedback system to prevent hearing aids from whistling, as well as devices for boosting speech audibility and general comfort with Starkey Sound (see above). The bigger hearing aids in the product series (ITC and ITE) additionally feature an Acuity Immersion Directionality technology to restore the natural advantage supplied by the curves of the outer ear (pinna).

Starkey tinnitus solutions

With all of its product types and technological levels, Starkey provides personalized tinnitus alleviation options. Multiiflex Tinnitus Technology from My Starkey and Thrive smartphone applications provides tinnitus masking sounds that the user may customize to provide relief from ringing and other disturbances in the brain. Multiflex is made up of two primary parts:

• Because no two people’s hearing is the same, this algorithm adjusts the volume of each specific noise band in response to your unique hearing configuration as established by your audiogram, rather than an overall average, as some programmes do.
• Stimulus customization tool: This builds on the previous feature by providing a more customized spectral shape for the tinnitus masker, with the purpose of placing the masking noise in the optimal frequency (pitch) ranges based on real-time automated measurements.

Starkey’s tinnitus algorithm, which is now available at higher technology levels within product families, automatically sets the tinnitus stimuli based on your audiogram. Furthermore, up to 24 bands of frequency modification allow hearing-aid users to collaborate with their audiologist to discover the optimal masking sound for them. Starkey also provides its Relax app (available for both Apple and Android), which you may self-adjust to produce customized relief sounds and peaceful graphics to match your tinnitus’ shifting behavior.

Starkey hearing aid accessories

Starkey offers a variety of accessories that increase hearing aid effectiveness in difficult listening locations, when watching TV, on the phone, and in a variety of other ways. Consult your hearing healthcare practitioner to determine which accessories are compatible with the hearing aids you use.

Remote Microphone +

Remote Microphone + sends audio to Evolv AI and Livio hearing aids from a number of sources. It allows you to utilize your hearing aids to connect directly to Amazon’s Alexa speech assistant, among other things.

+ Remote Microphone

Audio from various sources is sent to selected Starkey hearing aids.
Functions

Bluetooth Streaming Remote Microphone FM Digital Streaming
3.5mm Telecoil Streamer to Streaming Smartphone Streamer + Hands Free