What Is New With Sonic Radiant™ Hearing Aids in 2022?
AudiologyOnline: The Sonic Radiant lineup had a major upgrade this spring, can you tell us about that?
Scott Bunnell: For the Radiant product release in 2022, we are attempting to satisfy more market needs to support hearing care professionals and their patients. We are doing this in three ways:
- First, we are adding more styles to capture more individual needs and preferences. In addition to our popular miniRITE styles, we now have a mini-Behind-the-Ear (miniBTE) form factor which can be fit with either a thin tube or earhook for slight to severe hearing losses.
- Second, we are adding more technology levels for a wider range of performance options. Radiant 40 and Radiant 20 are our new Basic and Entry-level options. They join our existing Radiant 100-80-60 Premium, Advanced and Mid-level options for ALL styles, both miniRITEs and the new miniBTEs.
- And third, we are adding more features. We are providing improved connectivity for patients who use iPhones® and iPads® with a new Bluetooth® protocol for iOS devices. Patients can now enjoy hands-free communication without the need to hold their phone or use an intermediary device during a phone call.
AudiologyOnline: Tell us more about the Radiant miniBTE, are the hardware features similar to the Radiant miniRITE?
Scott Bunnell: The Radiant miniBTE is very similar to the Radiant miniRITE in hardware features. They both have a LED indicator and are IP68 rated for robust protection against moisture. They are both compatible with the Sonic CROS transmitter for CROS|BiCROS fittings. And they both offer a non-rechargeable option (the miniBTE T) and a rechargeable option (the miniBTE T R), each with a telecoil. The miniBTE T R includes a standard charger that looks almost identical to the miniRITE T R’s charger, but the two chargers are not interchangeable. Each comes with markings to indicate which product, miniBTE or miniRITE, it supports. Also, unlike the double push button on the miniRITE, both miniBTE styles come with a single push button.
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| New! Radiant miniBTE T | New! Radiant miniBTE T R |
AudiologyOnline: Does the Radiant miniBTE T R have a portable charger option like the Charger Plus for the Radiant miniRITE T R?
Scott Bunnell: There is a Charger Plus coming for the miniBTE. Its release is delayed due to supply chain issues, but we hope to have it available soon. Just like its miniRITE counterpart, it features a built-in lithium-ion power bank that provides three full charges of two rechargeable miniBTEs.
AudiologyOnline: Can you give us more detail on what hands-free communication is all about?
Scott Bunnell: Hands-free communication allows streaming in two directions, so sound can be transmitted from an iPhone or iPad to Radiant hearing aids and from Radiant hearing aids to an iPhone or iPad. So, what’s the benefit of that? Simply put, users can enjoy more convenient and comfortable phone calls, without the need to use an intermediary device like the SoundClip-A or to hold the phone close to their mouth during the call. The new feature allows the hearing aids’ microphones to stream the hearing aid user’s voice back to the iPhone or iPad. This allows hands-free phone calls and video calls with FaceTime as well. The user must still use their hands to both accept and end the call via the controls on the iPhone or iPad, but otherwise, the calls are hands-free. It’s also important to know that not all iPhones or iPads are compatible with this feature, so the patient will need to check if their devices are compatible on the Sonic website.
Hands-free communication is available on all Radiant styles and all technology levels from 100 to 20. Please note that the feature requires a firmware update for existing products, which is Firmware version 1.3 and later. Our new miniBTEs and 40|20 technology levels come with Firmware 1.3, however, the Radiant miniRITE T and miniRITE T R previously released will require a firmware update to Firmware 1.3.
AudiologyOnline: What are the highlights of the new Radiant 40 | 20 technology levels?
Scott Bunnell: The Radiant 40 | 20 product lineup is a great choice for those patients who communicate in less complex listening environments or who have a limited budget but who want a hearing aid that will provide excellent sound quality and offer conveniences like rechargeability, Apple | AndroidTM direct streaming and hands-free communication. Radiant 40 | 20 offers many of the same noise management and speech processing features as the higher performance levels, albeit with fewer customization abilities and reduced control options, including:
- Radian Speech Processing with Speech Optimizer
- Radian Noise Reduction
- Radian Directionality (Radiant 40 only)
- Impulse Noise Reduction (Radiant 40 only)
- SmartMusic Pro program (Radiant 40 only)
AudiologyOnline: Is there anything new with the EXPRESSfit Pro fitting software in 2022?
Scott Bunnell: Besides supporting the new miniBTE form factors and the new Radiant 40 | 20 technology levels, EXPRESSfit Pro version 2022.1 also has an improved Fitting Assistant which now includes solutions that change feature settings, such as the controls for Radian Speech Processing, Radian Noise Management, and other directionality and noise reduction settings.
AudiologyOnline: Where can I learn more about what’s new with Radiant in 2022?
Scott Bunnell: Certainly Sonic’s website at www.sonici.com is an abundant resource, but we also have several new courses available at Audiology Online, and I would encourage anyone looking to learn more about Sonic and the Radiant product to check out our course offerings. You can watch the Radiant product video to see all the highlights as well!
Scott Bunnell, AuD
Senior Global Product Manager
Scott Bunnell is the Senior Global Product Manager at Sonic and is responsible for the management of all products offered in the US, including participation in the product launch process, product training, marketing and day to day support. Scott received his Master’s degree in Audiology from the University of Minnesota and his Audiology Doctorate from the University of Florida. Prior to coming to Sonic he worked clinically in a hospital setting specializing in amplification and vestibular testing.