ReSound Vivia: Audiologist and Lab Reviewed for Performance and Features

ReSound Vivia impressed us with its remarkably small size, user-friendly design, and excellent battery life. In our testing, it delivered clear sound in quiet environments, with noticeable improvements in speech clarity over the previous generation. While their new AI-driven noise reduction feature provided some benefit in louder settings, we found its impact to be less pronounced than expected in challenging noise environments.

Introduced in early February 2025, Vivia is ReSound's latest flagship hearing aid and its first to employ Deep Neural Network (DNN) artificial intelligence. It is designed to deliver exceptional speech-in-noise performance while maintaining a discreet design and long-lasting battery life.

Vivia, which follows closely on the heels of ReSound's previous generation Nexia hearing aids, offers three models that include the world’s smallest AI-powered micro-receiver-in-ear (microRIE) hearing aid, according to ReSound. All Vivia models integrate AI processing, Bluetooth LE Audio with Auracast, and an upgraded Intelligent Focus system that prioritizes speech based on where the user is looking.

Below, we'll take a look at the audiological features, review my (Steve Taddei) experiences with Vivia in the HearAdvisor lab, and also present some first-hand impressions of these hearing aids from Jon Douglas, AuD, a clinical audiologist who has used hearing aids since he was a young child and has recently spent time wearing these hearing aids.

Audiologists' Hands-On Review of Vivia

Setting up ReSound Vivia is straightforward. Your hearing care provider will program them for your hearing needs and ensure a proper fit. This is one of the key advantages of purchasing prescription hearing aids from a traditional clinic.

Both Jon and I emphasize that, to get the most out of these (and most other) hearing aids, you need the hearing care professional to observe best practices and perform real-ear measurement (REM). Jon says his “first-fit” targets (i.e., the initial manufacturing setting prescribed by ReSound) were way off from meeting his actual targets (re: NAL-NL2). Once the adjustments were made using REM, the performance was significantly improved.

Your provider should also assist with pairing Vivia to your mobile device, enabling further customization through ReSound’s Smart 3D app (more on this below).

ReSound has done an excellent job of making Vivia user-friendly. The microRIE model that I reviewed features a large multi-function button, which I found much easier to press than the smaller rocker switches commonly used on hearing aids. The devices themselves are impressively lightweight and extremely small—practically invisible from both a comfort and visual standpoint.

ReSound has also improved usability with tap controls on the microRIE. This feature allows you to answer calls by simply tapping the hearing aids. It worked seamlessly on the first call I received without requiring any finesse.

While not revolutionary, ReSound’s portable charger is another well-designed aspect of Vivia. It’s sturdy, features LED indicators, and connects via a USB-C port on the back—avoiding the awkward bottom-mounted plugs found on some competing models. That said, the larger size and heavier weight make it less convenient for travel.

My experience with Vivia’s sound quality was a bit more nuanced. In quiet environments, I found the audio to be crisp without being overly sharp. My spatial awareness remained intact, suggesting that Vivia’s processing does a good job of preserving natural localization cues. However, my impressions shifted in louder settings, where I was somewhat underwhelmed.

This was particularly surprising, given that Vivia is ReSound’s first hearing aid to incorporate artificial intelligence for noise reduction. Vivia provided benefits in noisy environments that I could further tune within their mobile app. However, speech remained further into the background noise than expected, and my spatial awareness collapsed. To be fair, speech-in-noise processing is the Holy Grail of hearing aid technology, and the industry is making strides towards that awaited breakthrough.

On a more positive note, the streamed sound quality was quite good—noticeably better than that of many other products. The audio stream was clear and free of dropouts, providing a solid foundation for optimizing devices for music listening. Speak with your provider, as adjustments to the physical fit (e.g., custom earmolds) and programming can further improve the fidelity you experience.

Jon's reaction to streamed music using Vivia was less enthusiastic. While listening to "So What" by jazz legend Miles Davis, he said he could just barely make out the bass guitar in the background even after adjusting the bass boost. Donning headphones made the experience much more immersive. Pink Floyd's "Brain Damage" sounded flat with the background singer muted, but there was better stereo separation.

Jon also tested the aids listening to a podcast on a car stereo with the air conditioner fan on high. He noted that the hearing aids substantially reduced the noise—although it took about 10 seconds for the noise reduction feature to kick in. Speech clarity was good with the noise reduction on. When the app's noise filter was further increased, the noise was reduced even more and became barely audible. However, this did affect how the high frequencies sounded in the podcast. Overall, it was a good listening experience in what might be considered a challenging environment.

He also commented that an event he attended in a media room allowed him to clearly hear questions from the crowd, even when there were people talking in the background. He noted that when attending a work meeting, his spatial awareness was good and that he was able to localize sounds in the environment.

Ultimately, Jon felt that this is a great hearing aid for people who need strong noise reduction and seamless Bluetooth with low dropouts while streaming, but it's less of a great pick for music lovers who plan to spend a lot of time streaming audio through their hearing aids.

Bluetooth Streaming and Wireless Controls for Vivia

ReSound Vivia utilizes the latest Bluetooth^® Low Energy (LE) Audio standard, providing enhanced connectivity and audio streaming for compatible iOS and Android devices. Unlike previous protocols like Made for iPhone (MFi) and Android Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA), LE Audio is a universal standard that simplifies pairing across various devices. Vivia is also Auracast-enabled, allowing it to receive broadcast audio streams from compatible Auracast transmitters.

This means that in the future, you can easily connect to public audio sources, such as airport announcements or assistive listening systems, without the need for direct pairing. We are excited to see ReSound include Auracast in Vivia; however, it may realistically take a few years for the technology to be integrated into public places and other electronic devices. You can learn more about Bluetooth LE Audio and Vivia directly from ReSound.

Hands-free calling is available with iPhone 11 or newer devices using iOS 18 or later. Hands-free call functionality is also available in other Bluetooth LE Audio devices, such as Android mobile phones with OS 13 or later.

Wireless streaming and remote control features may vary depending on the specific model. Visit GN Resound’s compatibility page to check support for your mobile devices.

My Experience Using Smart 3D App

The  ReSound Smart 3D app is an intuitive companion for Vivia hearing aids, offering seamless control over sound settings and personalization. It allows you to adjust the volume of both environmental and streamed sounds, switch programs, and fine-tune settings like noise reduction and speech focus. The app also includes ReSound Assist (discussed below), battery status monitoring, and a Find My Hearing Aids feature. While ReSound Vivia is designed to function automatically, you’d be missing out if you didn’t install the app.

I’ve used ReSound Smart 3D for years and have always appreciated its functionality and ease of use.

Teleaudiology with Resound Assist

ReSound has long offered remote audiology services through the Smart 3D app. The ReSound Assist feature allows you to schedule video-based remote appointments with your provider for real-time adjustments. If a live session isn’t needed, you can also request programming updates, which your provider can send remotely for you to download and install on your hearing aids.

Not all clinics offer remote services, so be sure to check with your provider.

Tinnitus Help with TSG and the Relief App

For those experiencing tinnitus, ReSound includes a Tinnitus Sound Generator (TSG), which your provider can activate and adjust in-office. This feature plays various masking sounds directly through your Vivia hearing aids.

I also recommend exploring the ReSound Relief app, which provides additional tinnitus management and relaxation tools. It includes guided meditations, breathing exercises, and the ability to create a personalized soundscape by blending up to five sounds from Environmental, Music, and Therapeutic (noise) categories. I often suggest patients use this feature to recreate a relaxing memory from their past, as it can be a powerful tool for managing stress and tinnitus flare-ups.

My only complaint? I wish ReSound would integrate some of the Tinnitus Relief app’s features into its Smart 3D app for a more streamlined experience, especially for those already using Resound hearing aids.

Power & Rechargeability for Vivia

The Vivia microRIE features an internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which offers up to 30 hours of use on a full charge (with 24 hours being more typical given streaming). However, even if you are an avid streamer and rely on wireless audio for 50% of your day, Vivia should last an impressive 20 hours. A quick 10-minute charge reportedly provides an additional 2.7 hours of use.

Jon said that, after 15 hours of use with no streaming, his Vivia hearing aids still had 70% power left, and 60% after a 17-hour day.

The included charging case is sturdy, features LED indicators for charge status, and offers 3 additional full charges with its internal power bank. ReSound’s portable chargers are also surprisingly durable, although the larger size is less convenient if you plan to travel with it.

Available Vivia Models

ReSound Vivia is currently offered in 3 models:

• microRIE 60: A rechargeable Bluetooth wireless model that comes with the choice of 3 chargers (desktop, standard, or premium); there is also a CROS version of the microRIE for people with single-sided deafness.
• RIE 61: A Bluetooth wireless model that uses a size 312 disposable battery, and
• RIE 62: A Bluetooth wireless model that uses the slightly larger size 13 disposable battery for greater hearing loss/power demands.

All are app-controlled and have a programmable push button, and the Vivia microRIE also features tap controls. The RIE 62 comes standard with a telecoil, and the other models can access telecoil (induction loop) systems via the MultiMic+ accessory.

Vivia is available in four tech levels (9, 7, 5 and 4, with 9 being the most advanced) and 10 color options, including the newly added Navy Blue and Red, which were unavailable in the previous Nexia family. Below is a quick comparison chart of Vivia features. (For a more detailed look at the hearing aid features at each tech level, please see the charts at the bottom of the page.)

Disposable battery life typically ranges from 6-10 days for size 312 and 6-14 days for size 13. While the RIE models are great options for those not keen on rechargeable batteries, keep in mind that ReSound’s latest Intelligence Augmented AI features are only available in the rechargeable Vivia 60s miniRIE model.

The battery life you experience may vary based on factors such as your hearing loss, streaming, environmental noise levels, and more.

Because Vivia is brand new, it is currently available only in receiver-in-ear (RIE) styles (these types of hearing aids are also referred to as Receiver-in-Canal or RICs). However, we expect ReSound to introduce Vivia in other styles, including in-ear custom and behind-the-ear (BTE) models in the future. In the meantime, the company offers these hearing aid styles in its Nexia product family.

Launched simultaneously with Vivia, ReSound Savi is ReSound's newest "essential" (economy) line of hearing aids. It uses the same 360 chipset as Vivia and Nexia but does not offer AI or many of the advanced processing features found in those product families.

A Look at Vivia Technology

Resound Vivia was designed "to have it all”: exceptional speech-in-noise performance while maintaining a discreet design and long-lasting battery life. It uses a dual-chip architecture, pairing its established 360 chip technology with a new separate chip for Deep Neural Network (DNN) processing. DNN is a form of machine learning and artificial intelligence that allows for the "teaching” of the hearing aid, so it can respond better to varied soundscapes in real-time. The overall goal is to allow the hearing aid to work similarly to the brain, enabling more accurate representations of sound and better access to speech in noisy situations.

Like Vivia, Phonak Infinio Sphere also uses a dual-chip architecture for its DNN, whereas Starkey Edge AI, Signia IX, and Oticon Intent have their DNN systems integrated onto a single chip.

Does this matter? We're not sure yet, but it probably depends on what you're looking for. It's tempting to think that single-chip architecture might yield smaller, faster, and more battery-efficient hearing aids; in contrast, dual-chip architecture might make for larger aids but also pack more sound processing power. Our lab testing doesn't point to one "winner," in these aspects, especially given the photo above that compares the size of the industry's two dual-chip architecture hearing aids.

According to ReSound, Vivia's AI-driven noise reduction has been trained on 13.5 million sentences and can process up to 4.9 trillion operations per day to separate speech from background noise. The company's studies show that that 64% of users report better speech comprehension in noise compared to other AI-assisted hearing aids, and that 89% prefer the new Intelligent Noise Tracker (see below) over ReSound’s previous generation of noise reduction technology.

Although our testing definitely shows that Vivia improves speech in noise, it wasn't as dramatic as we'd hoped. It’s important to note that HearAdvisor testing currently focuses on moderate hearing loss, and testing inside a lab can be different from what you may experience in real life. Also, with different configurations of hearing devices, including combinations of rubber domes or custom earmolds, your performance could vary widely.

Intelligent Noise Tracker

One of Vivia's standout features is its Intelligent Noise Tracker, an advanced AI-driven noise reduction system designed to make speech clearer without distorting it. Traditional noise reduction systems often struggle with sudden background sounds—like clattering dishes, laughter, or traffic—sometimes reducing speech clarity in the process. They can also eliminate or distort some sounds (e.g., a crackling fire, children playing, or the buzz of a restaurant) that make you feel "in the present" or that actually accentuate your experience.

According to a white paper¹ that summarizes three separate company studies undertaken by the company, ReSound's Intelligent Noise Tracker uses its DNN to continuously analyze the sound environment in real-time and distinguish between speech and unwanted noise better than conventional noise-reduction methods. In tests, 89% of users chose Intelligent Focus over legacy noise reduction, particularly in environments like cafés, cars, and busy streets. Additionally, Vivia’s AI-powered noise reduction performed as well as another “leading premium brand” that uses DNN processing—except Vivia's DNN is said to be 17 times more efficient, meaning longer battery life and a smaller device.

Instead of applying static noise filtering, which can sometimes reduce voice clarity, Intelligent Noise Tracker dynamically adjusts its settings based on the complexity of the background noise. This ensures that the listener hears speech more naturally without sudden changes in volume or quality.

Improved Directionality

Vivia features an upgraded 4-microphone binaural beamformer for enhancing speech clarity by focusing on voices while preserving natural sound awareness. This system extends directional processing into lower frequencies (down to 250 Hz), providing up to 2 dB better speech-in-noise performance—especially for users with occluding (closed) ear fittings (in very rough terms, for every 1 dB of speech-in-noise improvement, speech understanding has the potential to increase by about 10%).

ReSound's Leadership in Bluetooth Wireless Innovation

Among many technology "firsts," ReSound led the way in wireless streaming for iOS devices. The company is the first—and currently the only—to have an active connection for Auracast broadcast streaming; several other hearing aids with Bluetooth LE Audio are "Auracast-ready,” but they require a firmware update to actually receive Auracast.

Auracast allows for shared audio experiences by turning an Auracast-enabled device (e.g., smartphone, iPad, computer, etc.) into a transmitter that can broadcast its audio signals to as many as 1,000 other Auracast-enabled receivers, such as hearing aids, earbuds, and audio headphones. This means you can tune into and receive transmitted audio from a specific TV, airport gate, lecturer, arena, museum PA system, etc. HearingTracker Founder and Audiologist Abram Bailey, AuD, was impressed by the clarity of music during a demonstration of Auracast at Australia's Sydney Opera House, which now offers this broadcast technology.

While we think Auracast is set to revolutionize large-area public audio transmission, it will take some time for Auracast to be rolled out—potentially several years before it's in widespread use across various popular venues. For those who want both telecoil (induction loop) and Auracast broadcast tech, you can opt for the Vivia RIE 62.

Final Verdict

Vivia is ReSound’s latest flagship product, and we’ve seen several advancements compared to their previous Nexia product line. You can expect excellent sound processing packed into one of the industry's most discrete sizes. As these are prescription devices, your hearing care professional should optimize audio performance to your needs in the office, helping you hear your best. Consider these devices if you seek the latest generation technology, industry-leading miniaturization, all-day battery life, and a mobile app full of personalization features.