Signia Launches Integrated Xperience (Signia IX) Hearing Aids: New Speech Enhancement Technology for Dynamic Conversations

HearingTracker Audiologist Matthew Allsop provides an overview and his perspectives on the new Signia IX family of hearing aids. Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.

Signia has announced the launch of its latest flagship hearing aid family, Integrated Xperience (IX), which is designed to pinpoint multiple conversation partners in real-time, providing unprecedented sound clarity and definition for hearing aid wearers in multi-speaker scenarios, even when they or their partners are in motion. The company has also announced the Silk Charge&Go IX, reportedly the world’s first and only rechargeable, instant-fit, completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid.

Signia is part of the WS Audiology (WSA) Group, the world’s third-largest hearing aid company that includes Widex, Rexton, and has more recently partnered with Sony to create the Sony CRE-C10 and CRE-E10 over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids.

Signia IX is built on the company's Augmented Xperience (AX) technology, introduced in September 2022, which uses Augmented Focus™ split processing technology. This system uses dual speech processors and binaural beam-forming microphones to process speech and background noise separately to create a clear contrast between the two. Integrated Xperience (IX) features Signia’s RealTime Conversation Enhancement solution that analyzes, augments, and adapts to the dynamic flow of multi-party conversation environments.

Signia IX works in three stages, allowing patients to engage, interact, and participate in immersive group conversations regardless of their location, movement, and noise level:

• Analyze: 192,000 data points per second are processed to detect speakers and analyze conversation dynamics.
• Augment - These data are analyzed to control multiple focus streams that lock onto and dynamically highlight each speaker’s voice in noise. At the same time, Augmented Focus™ split processing technology processes background sound to ensure a comfortable immersive conversational experience without distractions.
• Adapt - Signia’s patented Multi-Stream Architecture updates 1,000 times per second, merging focus streams into dynamic auditory space that adapts to evolving conversations. This allows the real-time tracking and enhancement of multiple moving speakers, ensuring wearers can fully engage in group conversations.

Signia IX Models and Availability

The new Signia IX hearing aid product line is initially available in 4 Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) models and 2 Completely-in-Canal (CIC) models. The four RICs are the Pure Charge&Go IX and Pure Charge&Go TIX, both of which are available in CROS (Contralateral Routing of Signals) versions for one-sided hearing loss or single-sided deafness. The CICs are the Silk Charge&Go IX and Silk Charge&Go IX CROS. All are rechargeable.

Signia Pure Charge&Go IX and TIX differ because the TIX has a telecoil (T-coil) and provides 34 hours of battery life on a single charge while the IX does not have a telecoil and provides a battery life of 24 hours.

As noted, the Silk Charge & Go IX is the only instant-fit rechargeable CIC on the market—a unique and discreet hearing aid with a flexible ready-to-wear silicon click sleeve. However, to allow for their tiny size, these hearing aids sacrifice the advanced Bluetooth LE audio streaming found in the rest of the IX line. Importantly, the Silk Charge&Go IX CROS system is also offered for people who want a more discreet hearing solution.

Integrated Xperience for Speech Understanding in Noise and Dynamic Conversations

Hearing speech in noise remains the largest challenge for both people with hearing loss and the hearing healthcare field. Although significant strides have been made, the focus has been on reducing noise first and then preserving speech. However, according to Signia, the natural interactions of a conversation—the effects of moving your head and people coming in and out of the discussion—have not been accounted for by hearing aid technology.

Until now with Signia Integrated Xperience. This new hearing technology is said to leverage insights and harnesses the dynamic shifts in speaker positions to ensure uninterrupted engagement in even the most noisy, immersive environments. The new hearing system is designed to facilitate more engaging conversations that enable patients to actively participate—ushering in a profoundly enriched and meaningful life experience.

“Every conversation is a powerful opportunity to cultivate stronger connections with friends, family, colleagues, and beyond,” says Signia US President Mike O’Neil in a press statement.  “Whether it's a casual encounter at a grocery store or lively discussion in an office or a cocktail party, conversations don’t stand still—and hearing technology needs to evolve to support these dynamic conversational environments. With Signia Integrated Xperience, we’re delivering a solution to HCPs that empowers wearers to actively contribute to every conversation, creating a future—that now exists today—where every conversation becomes an enriching and fulfilling experience, rather than one that’s frustrating and isolating.”

In a study of speech understanding in group conversations, Signia IX showed significant improvement, with 95% of participants experiencing greater hearing clarity with Signia Integrated Xperience compared to without.¹

Signia Pure Charge&Go IX and Signia Silk Charge&Go IX: Pioneering Hearing Technology

Pure Charge&Go IX and Silk Charge&Go IX hearing aids are the first two models to leverage the Integrated Xperience platform, offering a substantial improvement in conversational ability for patients.

Featuring a sleek RIC design, Pure Charge&Go IX features the company’s RealTime Conversation Enhancement solution, which enables enhanced group conversation performance for patients with mild to severe hearing loss.

Pure Charge&Go IX also features Signia’s Own Voice Processing (OVP) 2.0 technology, which ensures own-voice comfort that activates whenever a patient speaks to keep their voice sounding natural and clear. The new hearing aid also delivers enhanced, future-proof connectivity—ready for the upcoming Bluetooth LE Audio standard and currently equipped with iOS, ASHA, and Bluetooth operability.

Furthermore, Pure Charge&Go IX is compatible with the AI-powered Signia Assistant. Bolstered by a cloud-based live Deep Neural Network (DNN) trained and updated with real-world data, Signia Assistant understands the patient’s environment and adapts the hearing aids to provide personalized support. Hearing providers can review and validate these adjustments, ensuring optimal benefits for each patient and streamlined appointments to focus on their needs.

Pure Charge&Go IX is also available with an optional telecoil that allows patients to connect to public sound systems in places like airports, concert halls, universities, and more.

Silk Charge&Go IX is reported to be the world’s first and only rechargeable, instant-fit, completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid. It is a small and unobtrusive solution that delivers superior speech in noise performance. The hearing aid is also instant-fit, which saves time for HCPs, and will be offered with the option of customized earmolds. It comes equipped with a built-in power bank to provide charging on the go and can be charged through USB 3.0 or with a wireless Qi charger.

Both models are available as IX CROS for wearers with single-sided deafness.