Audien Hearing Atom Pro 2 vs. Sony CRE-C20

Audien’s Atom Pro 2 is an easy-to-use, budget-friendly OTC option with excellent battery life, but our hands-on experience and HearAdvisor lab results show weak speech clarity—especially in noise—leaving it a “you get what you pay for” choice for mild needs rather than a true disruptor.

The Sony CRE-C20 is a discreet, over-the-counter hearing aid designed for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss, featuring a compact size and rechargeable battery for up to 28 hours of use. While it offers a user-friendly setup and an Auto Sound Analyzer for enhanced speech clarity, it lacks Bluetooth streaming capabilities, which may be a consideration for users seeking more advanced connectivity options.

Audien Atom Pro 2 achieved a SoundScore of 2.48/5 and a SoundGrade of C in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #45 of 61 OTC Hearing Aid devices tested. The OTC Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.47/5.

The Sony CRE-C20 achieved a SoundGrade of B and ranked #21 out of 56 devices in the OTC Hearing Aid category, placing it in the top 36% of OTC devices tested by HearAdvisor. This positions it as an above-average performer within a competitive category.

Audien Atom Pro 2 hearing aids lack an IP rating, so they might not be the best against moisture or dust. While using them they feel decently built and they do come with an excellent portable charging case.

Sony CRE-C20 has an excellent IP rating of 68, which aligns with our hands-on experience as we observed an improved build quality compared to CRE-C10.

They boast a 24-hour battery life, which is impressive for their small size. Recharging is on the longer end and can take up to 5 hours.

CRE-C20 offer an impressive battery life of up to 28 hours. I also liked the portable charging case which offers you Qi wireless charging.

Not yet rated by our experts

Sony's Hearing Control app includes good features and allows your to further personalize CRE-C20 with their on-ear hearing assessment. One downside though is that the hearing aids and app communicate with sound cues from your phone. I find this method of wireless communication less reliable that Bluetooth, and it overall makes the pairing process more complicated.

I did not find Atom Pro 2 to be the most comfortable OTC in-ear hearing aids. This was likely due to their larger size and not being tailored to a standard ear shape.

CRE-C20 are good comfortable once you find the best tip for your ears. They are not overly plugging though it can take some time to get used to having a hearing aid so deep in your ear canal.

The design of Atom Pro 2 falls between a custom hearing aid and wireless earbud. They are only available in a medical beige color, which is meant to match skin color, but will not suit everyone. The case does include a UV cleaning light which is a nice touch.

CRE-C20 are surprisingly small and sit mostly invisible in your ears. The style works well and was originally designed as an "instant-fit" prescription hearing aid from Signia.

Audien Atom Pro 2 has a value score of 3.6/5 based on lab performance and public display price.

The Sony CRE-C20 offers moderate value relative to its $999 price point, with several higher-scoring alternatives available at similar or lower prices.

I found Atom easy to use though they can be more challenging to insert and remove due to the small pull tab. Two features I really liked were the larger program buttons and easy to use portable charger.

CRE-C20's smaller size and method of wireless communication make it more difficult to manage than many other hearing aids. However, Sony has improved upon the design as CRE-C20 now uses internal rechargeable batteries, as opposed to disposable ones. It is a unique offering with many pros but be sure to consider this against your needs and abilities.

Like many OTC products, Audien does not offer remote assistance from hearing experts, support is limited to email and phone customer support.

Sony does not offer great support with their hearing aids. You are limited to phone and email based technical assistance which is a downside to many OTC products.