Signia IX’s Real-World Performance: Key Findings From the Recent Hörzentrum Oldenburg Study

Interview with Eric Branda, AuD, PhD, Director of Applied Audiological Research at WS Audiology, and Sheena Oliver, AuD, MBA, Chief Clinical Officer at WS Audiology, in connection with the article Improving Speech Understanding in Noisy Group Conversation

AudiologyOnline: Could you elaborate on the key findings from the recent Hörzentrum Oldenburg study and what they reveal about Signia IX’s real-world performance?

Eric Branda, AuD, PhD: A recent third-party study conducted by Hörzentrum Oldenburg confirmed that Signia’s Integrated Xperience (IX) platform delivers significantly better speech understanding in noisy, group-based conversations compared to a leading competitive hearing aid featuring an AI co-processor launched in 2024.

Using a rigorous speech-in-noise protocol and standardized testing methods, the study found that 86% of participants experienced clearer speech understanding with Signia IX. It also demonstrated a 1.5 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in a 24% improvement in speech intelligibility. These results validate what clinicians and patients have long reported: Signia IX enables wearers to confidently engage in the kinds of complex, real-world listening environments where traditional hearing aids often fall short.

AudiologyOnline: What made the testing environment used in the Hörzentrum Oldenburg study so relevant to everyday hearing challenges?

Sheena Oliver, AuD, MBA:  Rather than relying on idealized test conditions, the study recreated one of the toughest real-life listening environments: a noisy cafeteria with overlapping conversations.

Using the Oldenburger Satztest (OLSA), participants were placed in a circle of loudspeakers simulating a 360-degree sound field. Sentences were delivered from alternating speakers positioned in front (one directly and one off-center), while additional talkers behind the listener created diffused background noise. This setup authentically replicated spontaneous attention shifts and conversational complexity – an accurate reflection of what hearing aid users face every day.

AudiologyOnline: What sets Signia IX apart from the competitor device in these conditions?

Eric Branda, AuD, PhD: The key differentiator is Signia’s split processing technology with RealTime Conversation Enhancement, which processes speech and background noise independently. This allows the hearing aid to track and enhance multiple speakers, even as a listener turns their head or shifts attention, without compromising speech clarity.

In contrast, many competitive platforms rely on single-stream processing and directional microphones that may lose track of a speaker if the user’s attention shifts. Signia IX’s multistream processing ensures consistent performance across changing environments, making it ideal for patients who struggle in group conversations.

AudiologyOnline: How has Signia ensured that IX is validated beyond the lab?

Sheena Oliver, AuD, MBA: To reinforce the clinical findings, Signia IX was also evaluated in a second study in a busy food court, conducted by the University of Western Ontario. This real-world environment was chosen for its acoustic unpredictability: reverberation, overlapping conversations, and ambient distractions.

Even in this uncontrolled, unpredictable setting, users consistently preferred Signia IX for speech clarity, noise reduction, and reduced listening effort. Together, these two studies paint a compelling picture of IX’s capabilities across both structured clinical and chaotic real-life environments.

AudiologyOnline: How has Signia translated the research-validated performance of Integrated Xperience into its new Signia BCT IX hearing aid to support better clinical and real-world outcomes?

Eric Branda, AuD, PhD: With Signia BCT IX, Signia has taken the proven performance of Integrated Xperience and packaged it into a simple and effective hearing aid that’s built for daily life. Its Bluetooth® Classic Technology ensures reliable pairing with 99% of mobile devices, removing one of the most common frustrations for both patients and providers. This empowers audiologists to focus on care, not workarounds.

The device also offers a 36-hour rechargeable battery with five hours of streaming, supporting even the most active lifestyles without frequent charging interruptions. For clinicians, practical enhancements – like visible serial numbers, LED status indicators, and real-time support via Signia Assistant – help streamline fittings, reduce troubleshooting time, and increase first-fit success.

And with SCIF compliance through in-clinic programming, Signia BCT IX is also a strong fit for patients who work in secure government or defense environments. Together, these features ensure that the real-world performance benefits of Integrated Xperience are delivered in a package that is clinician-friendly, patient-ready, and built to perform.

AudiologyOnline: How does Signia BCT IX support audiologists in delivering better outcomes for diverse patient populations, including veterans?

Sheena Oliver, AuD, MBA: Signia BCT IX was purpose-built with input from clinicians serving a wide range of patients, from busy professionals to veterans and older adults. It pairs industry-leading speech-in-noise performance with highly practical clinical features, including:

• Bluetooth Classic Technology, compatible with 99% of devices
• 36-hour battery life, with five hours of streaming, for all-day use
• Visible serial numbers and LED status lights to streamline fittings
• Real-time support through Signia Assistant
• SCIF compliance, making it suitable for secure government work environments

These features simplify fittings, reduce troubleshooting, and ultimately give clinicians more time to focus on delivering personalized care.

AudiologyOnline: In what ways does Signia BCT IX address veteran hearing loss, such as high-frequency loss from noise exposure or difficulty understanding speech in complex environments?

Eric Branda, AuD, PhD: Veterans often experience high-frequency hearing loss from service-related noise exposure. Signia BCT IX addresses this with flexible amplification and frequency compression strategies to bring high-frequency sounds into audible ranges. In noisy group conversations, RealTime Conversation Enhancement tracks multiple moving speakers in real-time conversations, so the wearer stays involved no matter how lively the environment gets.

AudiologyOnline: What role does Signia’s RealTime Conversation Enhancement technology play in supporting patients in noisy group conversations, and how does it differ from traditional noise reduction technologies?

Sheena Oliver, AuD, MBA: Traditional hearing aids often focus on a single talker and suppress background noise uniformly. Signia’s split processing technology with RealTime Conversation Enhancement is different – it separates out and enhances multiple simultaneous speech streams, prioritizing speech over noise to ensure uninterrupted engagement. It’s the world’s only hearing aid technology that puts the conversation first, enabling an effortless hearing experience even in the most complex listening environments.

AudiologyOnline: What has clinician feedback been like since the launch of Signia BCT IX?

Eric Branda, AuD, PhD: Clinicians have embraced Signia BCT IX as a return to audiology-first innovation. Many report reduced patient follow-ups, faster fittings, and renewed confidence in recommending Signia. One shared that a longtime patient who had previously chosen another brand for streaming compatibility has now returned, able to get both superior hearing and seamless connectivity in one device.

AudiologyOnline: What does the introduction of Signia BCT IX suggest about the evolving priorities and innovations in hearing healthcare?

Sheena Oliver, AuD, MBA: Signia BCT IX reflects a growing recognition that hearing aids must do more than deliver great sound – they need to seamlessly fit into the complexity of modern life. With Bluetooth Classic compatibility, Signia BCT IX eliminates many of the pairing and connectivity frustrations that traditionally slow down fittings, allowing clinicians to focus on what matters most: providing exceptional care.

The Article related to this interview can be found here.