Sennheiser Hearing Aids and Hearables: Models, Costs, Reviews, and Sound Samples

Sennheiser is a world-renowned maker of consumer audio and broadcast industry products. In 2023, the company entered the hearing care market with two over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids and a hearable—a device that melds high-quality earbuds with hearing aid functionality. Sennheiser offers the self-fitting All-Day Clear and All-Day Clear Slim OTC hearing aids for about $1,400-$1,500 per pair and the Conversation Clear Plus hearable earbuds for about $850 per pair.

Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co. KG has been around for almost 80 years, with a rich history of technological innovations in microphone and headphone technology. Today, as part of the Sonova group—the world's largest manufacturer of hearing aids—Sennheiser is leveraging its technological synergies with Sonova and prominent brand name to gain a leadership position in the new over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid market.

In this article, we'll give you an overview of Sennheiser hearing aids and hearables, highlighting their technology, available models, features, pricing, and even give you an opportunity to listen to sound samples.

Who is Sennheiser and how did they get into hearing aids?

Sennheiser's history begins in 1945, just after WWII, when Fritz Sennheiser and several other engineers from the University of Hannover developed a microphone for broadcasting. By the mid-1950s, Sennheiser had manufactured the world’s first shotgun microphone and dynamic and wireless microphones for the fledgling television industry.

HearingTracker Audiologist Matthew Allsop reviews the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus, which is not an OTC hearing aid, but is a "hearable"—possessing many hearing aid-like features that might be helpful to you. Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.

But today, most people associate Sennheiser with the headphones it first started making in 1968—only a few years after Sennheiser Electronics Corp (US) was established in Old Lyme, Conn. Under the management of Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, the founder’s son, the global company earned a reputation as a premium audio equipment manufacturer— notably for its classic Orpheus and HE1 headphones. Around the turn of the century, Sennheiser also acquired studio microphone manufacturer Georg Neumann and speaker manufacturer Klein + Hummel.

So, where do hearing aids fit into this? In 2003, Sennheiser formed a 50/50 partnership with William Demant Holding (now Demant A/S), the maker of Oticon, Bernafon, and Sonic hearing aids. This manufacturing and distribution agreement lasted for about 17 years, until Demant created a new company, EPOS, which focuses on workplace headsets while Sennheiser continued to pursue the mobile music market. Ultimately, there was what the companies described as an “amicable” parting of ways. But in 2022, Sennheiser was purchased by Sonova Holding AG—a competitor of Demant that manufactures Phonak, Unitron, and Hansaton hearing aids, as well as Advanced Bionics cochlear implants. In fact, Switzerland-based Sonova is the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the world.

It was a strategic union for both companies. The advent of the new FDA-approved over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid category in late-2022 has placed a premium on popular consumer brands, with names like Sony, Jabra, and Bose being leveraged by traditional hearing aid manufacturers to attract new, younger customers. Sonova had previously developed entry-level products for the global market that function similar to an OTC hearing aid, like its HelloGo hearing device. However, with Sennheiser’s branding and the synergies of Sonova-Sennheiser technology, these companies have now created some very attractive, high-end—albeit slightly more pricey—OTC hearing aids and hearables.

Rock legend Dee Snider of Twisted Sister sits down to a meal in a noisy restaurant and soon understands the appeal of Conversation Clear Plus earbuds in this Sennheiser-produced commercial.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sennheiser hearing aid and hearables technology

We don't really know how much of Sennheiser's hearing aid technology actually originates from Sennheiser and how much comes from its Sonova sister companies, Phonak and Unitron. Certainly, with several other OTC hearing aid brands, it's clear the tech inside them is mostly (or all) originating from the hearing aid manufacturers (e.g., the Sony CRE uses WS Audiology tech; Jabra Enhance Plus uses ReSound tech, etc.). From a consumer's point of view, it doesn't really matter as long as it works!

However, some of Sennheiser's consumer audio products bordered on being hearables even before the "OTC hearing aid era" officially started in late 2022. For that reason, we think Sennheiser hearing aid technology, while certainly borrowing from Sonova, is at least somewhat unique to the company.

Key technology features include:

• Rechargeability: Full charge provides 16 hours of battery life on All-Day Clear/Slim.
• Wireless connectivity: Bluetooth streaming of phone calls and audio for compatible Android and Apple devices.
• Automated and optimized hearing: The aids are fully automatic, seamlessly shifting their processing strategies to match your hearing and perform their best in challenging listening situations.
• Appealing styles in all models: The All-Day Clear devices give you the look of a conventional hearing aid, while high-tech All-Day Clear Slim and Conversation Clear Plus look more like high-tech wireless audio devices.
• Easy set-up and controls: These hearing aids can be set up in about 5 minutes, and you can control them through the same app and the onboard button; however, the self-fitting instructions and procedures are rather simplistic compared to other OTC hearing aids.

Sennheiser All-Day Clear and All-Day Clear Slim OTC hearing aids

Sennheiser All-Day Clear and All-Day Clear Slim are FDA-listed OTC hearing aids for adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss and are currently offered at $1,100 per pair on the Sennheiser website (originally, they sold for $1,400 and $1,500, respectively). These devices are self-fitting via the app and designed to address the affordability and accessibility concerns associated with hearing aids; however, they also provide an optional package that includes professional support.

The Sennheiser All-Day Clear and All-Day Clear Slim are previewed by Audiologist Matthew Allsop. Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.

Both All-Day Clear and All-Day Clear Slim offer speech intelligibility and promise clear, vibrant sound with up to 16 hours of battery life. They're fully automatic and feature intelligent scene detection, adapting to the wearer's environment. The All-Day Clear App allows for easy setup in as little as 5 minutes, as well as on-the-go customization and changes to volume, programs, and other features (details below).

All-Day Clear Slim has a sleek elongated design with an earbud-type receiver, while All-Day Clear looks like a more traditional prescription hearing aid, with the receiver inside the ear canal. In general, an "open fit" receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid like All-Day Clear will usually provide more natural-sounding audio while reducing the "boomy" quality of your own voice (i.e., the occlusion effect). In contrast, a more "closed fit" earbud-style device like All-Day Clear Slim is generally better at sealing the ear canal and retaining the quality of streamed audio (e.g., music, podcasts, etc.), with the tradeoff being an increase in the occlusion effect.

Both hearing aids include two listening modes, directional microphones, wind noise control, and Bluetooth connectivity for music streaming and hands-free calling.

Put on a pair of good-quality headphones and listen to the sound samples of Sennheiser All-Day Clear Slim OTC hearing aids below:

The extensive network of licensed hearing care providers that dispense Sonova's Phonak and Unitron products means Sennheiser can offer an In-Clinic Care Package for around $250, providing custom care, fine-tuning, and maintenance. Prices may vary between practices and there is some "patchiness" in dispensing offices offering these services in some states.

A 45-day risk-free trial period allows users to assess the effectiveness of the devices at no risk; you can send them back and get a refund as long as you're within the trial period. The products are backed by a 1-year warranty (2 years with the In-Clinic Care package).

Controls and the All-Day Clear app

Sennheiser All-Day Clear and Slim are intended to be completely automatic, adjusting to different sound scenes as you encounter them. However, they also have onboard push-button controls for turning the devices on/off, and adjusting volume, changing sound modes, and accepting/rejecting phone calls.

Compatible with Bluetooth-enabled smartphones or tablets running at least iOS 14 or Android 8.0, the All-Day Clear App allows for easy customization and setup of the device within minutes. During setup, the app runs you through a quick step-by-step process, resulting in your sound profile based on your unique hearing. However, unlike some hearing tests, this is more like a sound preference test than an actual hearing test. Once completed, your sound profile is then saved in your hearing aids and app, but you can adjust it later to your preferences using the Equalizer that features a slider for Bass, Mid, and Treble frequencies.

The app also allows you to adjust volume, switch sound modes, control audio streaming, fine-tune the aid, and employ a wind noise reduction system.

If you opt for the In-Clinic Care Package, your hearing care provider will program your hearing aids using an audiogram for a more precise fitting. In this case, you'll forfeit the ability to change the sound profile; you can contact your hearing care professional for further adjustments.

Read more: HearingTracker provides more details about these devices on our All-Day Clear and All-Day Clear Slim product review.

Sennheiser Conversation Clear earbuds

First and foremost, we must emphasize that the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus is not a hearing aid, nor is it intended to treat hearing loss. However, it does belong to a fast-growing class of situational hearing devices that have collectively become known as hearables—in this case, earbuds and headphones that employ useful hearing-aid-like features. Some other examples of hearables include Apple AirPods Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

Costing about $850, Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus are true wireless stereo earbuds with advanced features for streaming, noise reduction, and improving speech clarity. The earbuds use Sonova chip technology and Sennheiser's Automatic Scene Detection to analyze the noise level of a user's environment and match the speech enhancement level to their surroundings. The goal is to ensure you can hear speech clearly in challenging environments, whether it's an in-person conversation or on the phone. Combined with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Speech Enhancement, the earbuds can block out distracting noise and improve clarity.

Put on a pair of good-quality headphones and listen to the sound samples of Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus below:

They come with a clamshell-like charging case that provides 9 hours of use on a full charge with an additional 27 hours of on-the-go charging.

Conversation Clear Plus App

Although Conversation Clear Plus is designed to be automatic, you can also set the sound to your own preferences using the Conversation Clear App. They do not include a "self-fit" procedure like Sennheiser's OTC hearing aids, but the app does guide you through two personalization listening tasks where you set your preferences for volume and clarity.

Along with providing simple guided setup instructions, it also provides you with access to all your settings in one place. These boil down to three modes that can be accessed in the app tabs:

• Relax Mode: If you feel things are too loud, you can decrease this so you can enjoy more quiet
• Communicate Mode: If you're struggling to hear speech in noise or quiet, you can turn up the speech volume and/or turn on the Clarity Boost button
• Stream Mode: If you're streaming audio, this acts like a transparency mode where you can adjust how much external environmental sounds are mixing in with your streamed music, podcast, etc.

​Conversation Clear Plus also lets you choose how much background noise you want to hear. Active Noise Cancellation blocks out distractions, while the Ambient Awareness mode enables more connection with the outside environment when desired.

Read more: HearingTracker provides more details about these devices on our Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus product review.

Sennheiser hearing aid accessories and other hearables useful for people with hearing loss

Sennheiser offers a wide array of audio products, including other wireless earbuds and TV systems. Here are a few that may be useful for people with mild to moderate hearing losses.

Sennheiser All-Day Clear TV Connector

The Sennheiser All-Day Clear TV Connector accessory, which as the name implies, allows you to stream stereo sound to your hearing aids from your TV, stereo system, or other compatible device from up to 45 feet away. With a plug-and-play setup, it appears to be identical to the Phonak TV Connector and is sold for $350.

TV Clear Set 2

If you only need to hear the TV at louder volumes and with more clarity—and don’t necessarily want to invest in Sennheiser OTC hearing aids—you may want to consider the Sennheiser TV Clear Set 2 system. The system's transmitter links to a set of Sennheiser true wireless earbuds (included). It supports Dolby 5.1 and can also connect to smart devices, phones, tablets, and laptops. TV Clear Set 2 comes with earbuds, a carrying case, and a transmitter, and sells for $400.