Signia Active Pro IX: Lab Testing Results from HearingTracker
An earbud-style rechargeable wireless hearing aid that delivers exceptional across-the-board performance)
We were impressed by the earbud-like Active Pro IX by Signia, which delivers excellent hearing enhancement and comfort in an instant-fit hearing aid. Its distinctive feature set makes it a standout choice for anyone seeking a prescription hearing aid that looks like a modern earbud.
When tested in the independent HearAdvisor lab, Active Pro IX achieved a SoundGrade of "A" and an overall score of 4.6 out of 5, ranking among the top 10% of all prescription hearing aids tested to date. In the tuned fit condition (i.e., after an audiologist uses best practice methods to program the device), the Signia Active Pro IX performed well above average on speech in quiet, speech in noise, and occlusion, and above average on music streaming quality. It scored below average on feedback handling, probably due to the "instant fit" ear tip used in testing. The device earned HearAdvisor's Expert Choice Award.
The following explores the features, lab testing, and my overall experience using the Active Pro IX. Readers should be aware that there is also a more basic model called the Active IX. Although physically identical to the Active Pro IX, the Active IX lacks several of its important processing and speech management features. I describe the Active IX in more detail at the end of this article.
What I loved about Signia Active Pro IX
Hear Better in Dynamic Situations
Signia’s IX platform boasts a new processing method that utilizes multiple “focus streams” to improve speech clarity. While this was difficult to judge on my ears, testing at HearAdvisor indicated Active Pro IX performed well in noisy speech settings.Modern Earbud Design
Active Pro IX offers a sleek universal fit (not custom-made) design that resembles other modern true-wireless stereo earbuds.Latest Wireless Streaming
Enjoy the latest Bluetooth™ streaming with iOS and Android devices.User-Friendly TeleCare
Signia has put a lot of work into its remote care, and it shows. Virtual visits are possible directly through the Signia app and in the comfort of your home.All-Day Battery Life
Active Pro IX has a 34-hour battery life (less with streaming). Run time will vary with streaming, age of batteries, and other factors.Connection with Accessories
The IX platform is compatible with Signia’s accessory library offering more options for streaming, remote microphones, and wireless control.Resilient Case with Power Bank
While not groundbreaking, I found Signia’s Portable Charger rather robust and user-friendly.
Drawbacks of the Signia Active Pro IX
No Disposable Battery Option
Signia’s latest hearing aids do not include a disposable battery option. This may not matter for most people as companies have long since been migrating to internal rechargeable battery use.Noticeable in Ear
Active Pro IX are visible in your ears given their earbud design, which may not suit your preferences. Signia offers other products, such as Styletto IX and custom hearing aids, that are more discrete.Not a Self-Fit Options
While not entirely a drawback, some people may prefer an over-the-counter hearing aid that can be fit at home. Signia Active Pro IX, however, requires the traditional doctor's visit and fitting process.Not Custom Fit
Active Pro IX is an instant-fit device, which is unique for a prescription hearing aid. Custom-fit devices offer several benefits that you may prefer based on your hearing needs.No Telecoil Option
You will not be able to pick up audio broadcasted by hearing loops in public auditoriums or other places where hearing loops are in use.
Audiologist's Hands-on Review of the Signia Active Pro IX
Signia Active Pro IX integrates the latest IX (Integrated Xperience) processing technology from Signia, one of the world's largest hearing aid manufacturers, into a unique earbud-like hearing aid design. We have seen a similar form factor before in Signia’s previous Active X, and I have been a fan since then due to its ease of use. Despite being instant-fit and not custom-made for the unique contours of your ear, I found Active Pro IX both comfortable and ergonomic, and I did not experience any issues with retention.
One aspect you will surely notice is how visible they are in the ear. While I favor the modern earbud aesthetic, you must decide whether a more discrete hearing aid is better for you (Signia does offer Active Pro in six different colors).
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A standout feature of Active Pro IX is Signia’s Real-Time Conversation Enhancement. According to Signia’s internal research, this technology provides superior speech enhancement in noise compared to competitors, including those using AI-driven denoising.1 While I noticed clear speech improvements and appreciated the ability to reduce noise further via the Signia app, it is difficult to subjectively compare Real-Time Conversation Enhancement to flagship products from other brands. In my experience, it performed well, which aligns with expectations for top-tier modern hearing aids. Objective testing from the HearAdvisor lab aligns with my listening tests, showing that Active Pro IX offers respectable speech-in-quiet and speech-in-noise scores.
The placement of the microphones in Active Pro IX is also a benefit. Positioning them close to your ear offers several advantages as they leverage the natural acoustics of our pinna (i.e., the "pinna effect”). Localization, or detecting where sounds are coming from, is one benefit that stood out to me while testing Active Pro IX.
While Signia has made strides with its earbud design, Active Pro's simplicity can be a double-edged sword. I have grown accustomed to buttons or tap controls with earbuds and missed having some ear-level controls, such as muting or answering calls. The device’s faceplate has a slight indentation that seems ideal for tap control, so its absence feels like a missed opportunity. As someone who prefers to minimize using the smartphone app for adjusting a hearing device, tap controls would be a nice addition and ultimately bring the product closer to achieving its earbud-inspired goal.
Bluetooth Audio Streaming
Signia Active Pro IX hearing aids are well-equipped for wireless audio, being compatible with iOS®, Android™, and standard Bluetooth® LE devices. You can enjoy your favorite music with audio streaming and wireless control with the Signia App. Thanks to Signia's HandsFree Mode, hands-free calling is also available for iOS users, which allows the hearing aid microphones to pick up your voice during calls. If you use Android, you will still need to hold the phone closer to your mouth for clean audio.
Overall, audio streaming for Active Pro IX worked well without dropouts, and while we are seeing incremental improvements in this area, I still would not consider the music quality all that great. If this is important to you, speak with your hearing care provider, as adjustments can be made to the physical ear tip and programming to optimize streamed audio quality.
Controlling Active Pro IX with the Signia App
Signia’s App is available for download from either the App Store or Google Play for both iOS and Android devices, respectively. You can check your phone’s compatibility here. Downloading the app is simple, and installation will take roughly a minute with a good internet connection. If you run into any problems, Signia offers step-by-step pairing guides along with lots of other useful app information. My HearingTracker colleague, Matthew Allsop, also has created a short tutorial on how to pair a smartphone with the Signia app below.
Audiologist Matthew Allsop explains how to pair Signia IX hearing aids to your smartphone. Closed captions are available on this video. If you are using a mobile phone, please enable captions clicking on the gear icon.
You will definitely want to use the Signia App with your Active Pro IX devices—even if you are not the most tech-savvy person. This is because the app significantly expands your control over the devices and unlocks several features not accessible through the manual rocker-switch previously discussed.
But before we dive into those, the app’s main page provides access to three tabs accessible along the bottom edge of the screen:
- Volume
- Sound Balance, and
- Directional Hearing
This is likely where you will spend most of your time as they offer the greatest and fastest control over your hearing aid’s sound. The final tab, Directional Hearing, offers you the ability to adjust where your hearing aids are “listening.” Adjustments to this tab override IX’s RealTime Conversation Enhancement focus streams and can even adjust the directionality down to an impressively narrow 15-degree arc.
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While the app and its tabs offer you considerable personalization of your IX hearing aids, the app also opens the doors to remote care with your hearing provider. Continue reading to learn more about individual features offered within the app.
My WellBeing
My WellBeing is Signia’s answer to fitness tracking and is possible due to built-in motion sensors in the hearing aids. Active Pro IX goes beyond the basics of step counting by providing information on your overall activity, wear time, and even how active you are during social interactions (this relies on Signia’s Own Voice Processing discussed above). If you like using these metrics for motivation, you will be happy to learn that the app allows you to set your own goals and monitor progress over time.
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Signia assured me that all health data is kept private on your phone and neither shared with them nor your provider. Your Active Pro IX hearing aids must also be connected to the app in order for this feature to work, and it updates every 15 minutes, as opposed to continuously, to save on battery life.
Signia Assistant
Signia Assistant is an artificial intelligence (AI) powered smart-guide for your hearing aids. If you are struggling to hear, open the Signia Assistant and use its simple chat interface to make adjustments to your hearing aid sound quality in real-time. When you use this feature, you leverage feedback from Signia hearing aid users around the world and contribute to a live “neural network” that is constantly updating and being perfected by people like you. The adjustments made within Signia Assistant are applied to your Universal program and will remain active unless you either change them, reset them to default, or make further adjustments with your hearing provider.
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Mask Mode
Face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to the importance of both visual cues and high-frequency clarity while conversing. While we no longer rely as heavily on personal protective equipment, Signia has kept its Mask Mode as people continue to find it useful. Try selecting Mask Mode when you wish to improve speech audibility and focus more on the people in front of you.
Hearing Lessons and Satisfaction Rating
Two final features within the app offer you information and the ability to provide Signia feedback about your overall experiences. This can be especially helpful for those starting their hearing journey and trying hearing aids for the first time. Use Signia’s Hearing Lessons for motivation and to help you get used to your new hearing aids.
Power and Rechargeability of Active Pro IX
Active Pro IX hearing aids have built-in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries which offer up to 34 hours of use per charge or up to 29 hours with 5 hours of audio streaming. This is consistent with Pure C&G IX hearing aids and longer than Signia's more sleek Styletto IX device, which offer only around 20 hours of battery life per charge. It is reassuring that regardless of which Signia device you look at, the battery life is enough to get you through your day.
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Charging Active Pro IX from a fully depleted battery takes up to 4 hours. The charging process is simple and requires placing the hearing aids into their designated left and right slots in the charging case. They should magnetically lock into position and begin charging; however, I find it can take a little finesse to align them properly in place. Keep an eye on the case’s LED indicators to ensure they are seated properly and charging. You will notice the pulsing green light turn solid once fully charged.
The Active Pro IX Charger includes an integrated power bank, so while you can plug it into the wall using the included USB-C cable, it also offers an additional 3 full charges of portable power. It can also be charged with a wireless QI transmitter pad.
Remote Assistance
Virtual appointments are not for everyone and it is hard to argue with the direct care of an in-person visit. However, many people are learning to love the flexibility and comfort online appointments offer, particularly those with mobility restrictions.
Remote Assistance within the Signia app affords you this freedom and allows you to contact your hearing provider for nearly any aspect of a typical brick-and-mortar appointment. Adjustments can be made in real-time and transferred to your hearing aids from the comfort of your car, office, or home. CareChat is also available, connecting you and your provider via text or phone call.
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Questions and Answers
Augmented Xperience (AX) was released in May 2021 and is the precursor to Signia’s latest Integrated Xperience (IX) generation. IX claims to offer improved speech clarity due to changes in its directional microphone processing and advancements in overall sound quality, battery life, and more.
Signia indicates that their batteries last up to 39 hours (without streaming) and up to 34 hours (with 5 hours of streaming) per charge.
Prescription hearing aids like Active Pro IX should last 3 to 5 years. They can last much longer if cared for properly, while exposure to regular moisture and extreme use can shorten their life. The internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery should also span the entire life of the hearing aid; in many cases, you can also ask your provider for a manufacturer refurbishment before the warranty ends, and this will extend the life and performance of the device (albeit, sometimes at an extra cost). Regular cleaning and maintenance are an important contributor to your hearing device's lifespan and general function.
Wireless Accessories
Modern hearing aids are remarkable technologies that have advanced considerably over the past decade. However, even the best hearing aids can sometimes struggle in challenging listening environments. This is where wireless accessories can make a significant difference.
Signia offers tools like the StreamLine TV, StreamLine Mic, and miniPocket remote control, which can enhance your user experience. Speak with your provider to determine how these accessories might fit your needs.
Remember that the app also includes many useful features, and iPhone users can turn their mobile devices into remote microphones with the Apple Live Listen feature.
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Remember that the app also includes many useful features, and iPhone users can turn their mobile devices into remote microphones with the Apple Live Listen feature.
Final Verdict
Signia Active Pro IX offers all the benefits of a traditional hearing aid in a sleek distinguished design. There is much to love about this hearing aid if you like the modern earbud aesthetic, and the cost is even lower than other comparable prescription devices (likely due to the instant-fit design).
However, its feature set also creates some limitations that you should consider before you make a decision:
- There are no physical buttons or tap controls. Adjustments must be made through the Signia app or with the miniPocket remote control (an extra accessory that can be purchased through your hearing care provider).
- Wireless communication is limited to Bluetooth and there is no telecoil option.
- These hearing aids are not very discrete, even if you select a matching skin-tone color.
The instant-fit design is a double-edged sword, meaning both the comfort and fit you experience may be compromised. Your hearing care provider can change the silicon dome ear tip; however, this is not the same level of personalization you have with a traditional custom in-the-ear hearing aid.
Alternatives and Other Products to Consider
The Signia Active Pro IX is unique, and few hearing aid manufacturers have embraced its earbud-like design. Although Signia does not promote it heavily, its Active IX earbuds look identical to the Active Pro IX and represent a good, less expensive alternative. Active IX is essentially a "stripped-down" version of the Pro IX. Notably, it does not employ the most sophisticated Conversation Management, Speech Focus, and listening comfort features. It also has fewer channels (16 vs. 48) and hearing programs (4 vs. 6) and does not offer the My WellBeing and Spatial Configurator in the app or the tinnitus sound therapy options. But given all this, it should still provide good sound quality and listening benefits.
Phonak offers Virto Infinio, a custom-made hearing aid designed to compete with other earbud-style devices. It features Phonak’s latest ERA chip for enhanced audio processing. Unlike the Active Pro IX, Virto Infinio is available in several styles (including a tiny titanium invisible-in-canal model); however, it does not feature audio streaming at this writing (we think Phonak will launch an in-ear rechargeable wireless Virto Infinio model soon).
You may also wish to look into the ReSound Nexia custom in-the-canal (ITC) and in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids, which also have a high-tech earbud-like design with one large, easy-to-access button prominently featured on its faceplate. Nexia uses Bluetooth LE 5.2 with Auracast and audio streaming for both iOS and Android devices, as well as compatible Windows PCs, with hands-free calling for iPhones.
If you prefer to stay within Signia's product line but seek a nearly invisible option, Silk Charge&Go IX is a rechargeable, completely-in-canal (CIC) instant-fit device. However, its small, discreet size comes with trade-offs: you lose access to Signia’s RealTime Conversation Enhancement, audio streaming, and some advanced features within the Signia app. Despite these compromises, the Silk Charge&Go IX offers a compelling blend of functionality and convenience for the right user. Beyond Silk, Signia offers various other hearing aids within their IX lineup such as Pure IX and Styletto IX.
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For an over-the-counter alternative, consider the Sony CRE-E10. This Bluetooth rechargeable device shares design elements with Signia's original Active X hearing aid and was introduced in 2023 following Sony’s partnership with WS Audiology (the parent company of Signia). You can expect similar overall performance with this OTC redesign of the Signia Active X, which represents technology that is two generations removed (circa 2021) from the newer Active Pro IX.
References
- Jensen NS, Wilson C, Kamkar Parsi H, Samra B, Hain J, Best S & Taylor B. 2024. Signia IX delivers more than twice the speech enhancement benefit in a noisy group conversation than the closest competitors. Signia White Paper.
- Ricketts, T. A. (2001). Directional hearing aids. Trends in Amplification, 5(4), 139-176.
Dr Steve Taddei
Doctor of AudiologySteve Taddei, Au.D., merges his audio engineering degree from Columbia College Chicago with his doctorate in audiology from Northern Illinois University to advance hearing technologies and raise hearing loss awareness as the Lab Director at HearAdvisor. He also contributes consumer-focused hearing aid and earplug reviews at HearingTracker.com, and inspires future professionals through his adjunct faculty roles at several colleges, encouraging the next generation to discover and pursue their passions.