Name: Lucid Hearing Tala
Brand: Lucid Hearing
Price: 1299.99 USD

Lucid Hearing Tala OTC Hearing Aid: Lab Tested & Audio Samples

In this short video, Audiologist Steve Taddei, AuD, summarizes the results of HearAdvisor's testing of the Lucid Tala hearing aid.

The new "premium" Tala OTC hearing aids from Lucid Hearing offer highly-effective speech enhancement for the relatively modest price of $1,299.99. But, my testing revealed that Tala is a mixed bag—Tala has no ear-level controls and Bluetooth^® audio quality was subpar for an earbud-style hearing aid, especially at this price point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, Tala offers many features such as LucidShape™ to improve speech clarity. It also performed well in the HearAdvisor™ lab, receiving a score of 4.5 out of 5 for Speech in Noise. Both our hands-on experience and lab testing support Tala can improve speech clarity for those with hearing loss.

Lucid indicates that Tala hearing aids should last around 16 hours per charge for the average user. Those who rely heavily and audio streaming can expect a shorter battery life.

No, Tala offers various programs and settings for you to choose from. It can not be programmed based on a hearing test and there is no on-ear assessment.

It is possible for amplification alone to reduce the annoyance of your tinnitus. However, Tala does not offer a dedicated tinnitus management program at this time.

While testing Tala I was slightly disappointed to learn that the earpieces did not have physical buttons for adjusting volume or settings. This is not a deal breaker as adjustments can be made through the app. However, there are situations such as when troubleshooting or in the case of a dead phone battery where manual adjustments are nice.

As Tala are new, there is limited information and consumer reviews regarding how they hold up to daily use. What we do know is that traditional hearing aids typically last between 3 to 5 years. It is fair to assume that Tala hearing aids will have a shorter lifespan due to their lower IP rating of 22, suggesting moisture and debris may cause problems long term. A good care and maintenance routine will help them last longer and sound better throughout their life.

Lucid indicates that Tala is their most advanced hearing aid to date offering unparalleled speech intelligibility thanks to their Precision Directional Listening (PDL) technology. Unfortunately, I was not able to find more regarding the specifics of PDL and how it works. Lucid’s engineers also declined a deeper discussion indicating additional information could not be made public at this time.

Regardless, we can infer that Lucid’s PDL technology is based around directional microphone features that aim to improve signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Given Tala’s position in-ear, it also benefits from some of our bodies' natural methods of boosting speech clarity. This may be reflected in Tala’s performance in the HearAdvisor™ lab, where it scored very well for both speech in quiet/moderate and loud noise environments. More on that below.

My biggest complaints with Tala are the build quality (lower IP rating of 22) and Bluetooth audio streaming issues. It was a big disappointment to experience audio artifacts anytime my phone was in my pocket as this is a common use case for streaming. Hopefully Lucid will improve this in the near future.

Tala can be purchased online at lucidhearing.com as well as in-store at BestBuy. Lucid indicated that Tala will also be available for purchase from other consumer electronics retailers in the coming months.

Bluetooth & Wireless Control

For those familiar with Lucid Engage, Tala’s wireless capabilities will seem familiar. They use Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) allowing hands-free calling and audio streaming for both Apple^® (iPhone 6 or later) and Android™ (10 or above). Lucid hosts a full list of compatible phones on its website.

On the surface, these wireless capabilities put Tala on par with other popular advanced earbuds like Apple Airpods Pro 2 or Pro 3. But, dig deeper and you'll find that Tala aren't quite up to modern standards, yet. Here are a couple connectivity limitations you'll want to consider before purchasing:

Works with Android OR iOS, not both: While Tala works with both iOS and Android, different devices are required based on your phone—you will need to indicate this at the time of purchase so they can ship you either the iOS or Android (ASHA protocol) compatible version of Tala. This is an antiquated limitation found among Lucid’s wireless hearing products. While this is annoying, it should not be a problem unless you plan to switch from iOS or Android in the near future.

Bluetooth audio distortions: Music and podcasts would take on a warbling whooshing sound quality if my phone lost “line-of-sight” with Tala. For example, holding my phone at my side while walking or putting it in my pocket would cause these audio artifacts in the hearing aid on the opposite side of my body. The sound quality issues would resolve once the phone was positioned better however, this can be a paralyzing issue for those reliant on Bluetooth.

With those out of the way, it is worth noting that connecting Tala to mobile devices is easy and stable. I did not experience any pairing issues with my iOS device and Tala would instantly reconnect even when cycling Airplane mode on and off. This is a step-up from my past experiences with Lucid's Engage hearing aids, which would occasionally lose connection with the app and need to be repaired, having lost saved settings.

The Lucid Hearing App

The Lucid Hearing app is chock-full of useful features to personalize Tala for your hearing needs. To start, the app provides independent volume control and switching between 4 pre-determined programs which are reportedly based on audiometric research performed in conjunction with University of Texas at Dallas.

Klangperformance Laborergebnisse

Lucid Hearing Tala Spezifikationen

Lucid Hearing Tala Benutzerbewertungen

Lucid Tala OTC Hearing Aid: Expert Review and Sound Samples

What I loved about Tala

Drawbacks

Who is Lucid Hearing

What is Tala?

Frequently Asked Questions

Hands-On With Tala

Bluetooth & Wireless Control

The Lucid Hearing App

Audio EQ

LucidShape

Power & Rechargeability

Lab Testing with HearAdvisor™

Should I buy the Lucid Tala?

What other products should I consider?

HearAdvisor Disclaimer

Lucid Hearing Tala

Preise

Lucid Hearing

Keine Preissenkung verpassen

Dr Steve Taddei

Abram Bailey, AuD

Ideal für

Wichtige Merkmale

Expertenbewertung

Klangperformance Laborergebnisse

Lucid Hearing Tala Spezifikationen

Lucid Hearing Tala Benutzerbewertungen

Lucid Tala OTC Hearing Aid: Expert Review and Sound Samples

What I loved about Tala

Drawbacks

Who is Lucid Hearing

What is Tala?

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Tala help me hear conversations better?

How long do the batteries last?

Does Tala require me to get a hearing test?

Will Tala help with my tinnitus?

How do I control the sound on Tala?

How long will Tala hearing aids last me?

What's unique about Tala?

What's the biggest drawback of Tala?

Where can I buy Tala?

Hands-On With Tala

Bluetooth & Wireless Control

The Lucid Hearing App

Audio EQ

LucidShape

Power & Rechargeability

Lab Testing with HearAdvisor™

Should I buy the Lucid Tala?

What other products should I consider?

HearAdvisor Disclaimer

Lucid Hearing Tala

Preise

Lucid Hearing

Keine Preissenkung verpassen

Dr Steve Taddei

Abram Bailey, AuD

Ideal für

Wichtige Merkmale

Expertenbewertung