Sony CRE-C10

As the first-ever over-the-counter hearing aid sold by Sony, we think the CRE-C10 is one of the best discreet self-fitting hearing aids, as it offers good sound quality, speech enhancement, and comfort. It is sold for $800 a pair and, at the time of this update, is on sale for $700.

Unveiled in October 2022, the CRE-C10 is the result of a groundbreaking collaboration between Sony and global hearing aid manufacturer WS Audiology (WSA). This partnership has led to a device that shares similarities with WSA's Signia Vibe “ready to wear” self-fitting hearing aid. With its compact Completely-in-Canal (CIC) design and affordable price, the CRE-10 does not feature Bluetooth^® streaming or rechargeability, unlike its Sony CRE-E10 counterpart, now on sale for $1,000. More recently, Sony has launched a rechargeable second-generation version of the C10, the CRE-C20, which costs $900.

But don't let that dissuade you from checking out the CRE-C10. This is a very good OTC hearing aid—even without these features. It still ranks among top-10 OTC hearing aids in independent lab testing, earning it a HearAdvisor Expert Choice Award. Besides the C20 and E10, probably the CRE-C10's closest competitor is the Eargo 7, which also fits discreetly and comfortably in the ear canal, is self-fitted using a smartphone app, and does not offer Bluetooth audio streaming—but costs almost three times the price at $2,000 a pair (although other features and important online audiology support is included in Eargo pricing).

The CRE-C10 can be purchased at Sony.com and through various third-party retailers, including Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon, and select hearing-care professionals.

Who makes the Sony CRE-C10?

HearingTracker believes the Sony CRE-C10 is almost solely the work of WSA, with only minimal technological input from Sony. Headquartered in Denmark and Singapore, WSA is the parent group of hearing aid brands Widex, Signia, and Rexton, and the third-largest hearing aid company in the world. Sony is headquartered in Tokyo and ranked as the fifth-largest global consumer electronics company, but third (after Apple and Samsung) when counting only those that make earphones.

Sony and WSA entered into a partnership agreement to produce Sony OTC hearing aids in September 2022. Branding partnerships with consumer electronics leaders are becoming increasingly important for hearing aid manufacturers as OTC hearing devices gain widespread acceptance with mass-market retailers. Sony’s broad product line and consumer earbud appeal (e.g., Sony WF-1000XM4) is now paired with WSA’s hearing aid manufacturing expertise and pits the Sony brand against the likes of Jabra, Philips, HP, and Sennheiser—all of which are currently being leveraged by WSA's competitors to attract new, younger customers.

Key Features of the Sony CRE-C10

• Self-fitting app-based system that chooses settings based on your hearing loss profile and features app controls for volume and other sound parameters
• One of the smallest OTC hearing aids on the market, providing a discreet hearing solution
• Analyzes and optimizes soundscape and automatically adjusts sound for easier listening and comfort
• Wireless link between hearing aids provides "improved noise reduction"
• Up to 70 hours on a single small battery
• Handy clamshell style recharging/carring case

Who should use the Sony CRE-C10 OTC hearing aid?

As with all OTC hearing aids, Sony CRE-C10 hearing aids are designed for people who have mild to moderate hearing loss. People with mild hearing loss are broadly described as those who have situational hearing problems, often in noisy places like bars and restaurants. In contrast, people with moderate hearing loss may have difficulty hearing parts of conversational speech even in relative quiet.

The Sony Hearing Control app will help you screen your hearing to see if you’re an appropriate user. There are also several good online hearing screeners you might try before your purchase that can help you determine your level of hearing loss. HearingTracker also provides a 100% free online hearing test that can be taken without downloading an app.

You might be interested in this hearing aid if you are:

• Looking for a small, discreet, cosmetically appealing hearing solution
• Seeking an OTC hearing solution designed to compensate for your unique hearing loss with the convenience and time savings that does not necessarily involve a licensed hearing care professional
• Wanting similar technology found in a basic modern hearing aid, including noise reduction and some directional listening capabilities, automatic sound adjustments based on your listening environment, and some app-based controls like a volume control, etc.
• Not needing to stream phone calls or audio from a smartphone, tablet, or computer to your hearing aids
• Fairly proficient with smartphone technology, apps, and the idea of self-directed care and trouble-shooting
• Free of any health contraindications or red flags that indicate you should first seek the care of a physician, such as a hearing loss in only one ear, a sudden decrease in hearing, ear drainage or pain, and more (please take the free Mayo/Northwestern CEDRA screening)

Unboxing the CRE-C10

Opening the box, you’ll find the hearing aids come with four click-sleeves that act as flexible eartips—ranging from extra-small to large—and are designed to provide both comfort and a good acoustic seal. Also included are batteries, a charger/carrying case with detachable USB charging cable, a cleaning cloth, and a cleaning brush.

Pairing the CRE-C10 to your phone

The CRE-C10 can be used soon after purchase by downloading the Sony Hearing Control app from the Google Play or Apple App Store. The hearing aids and app are compatible with Apple iOS version 13 or above, and Google Android 10 or above, but remember audio streaming of music and phone calls is not supported by the CRE-C10.

After downloading the app, you'll pair your phone and the Sony Hearing Control app to your hearing aids using the step-by-step set-up guide in the app; an online user guide is also available.

Testing your hearing

After pairing the devices to your phone, you'll need to take a quick count-the-beeps style hearing test through your new Sony hearing aids. The in-app fitting system adjusts your hearing aids to find a sound profile that suits your needs. Sony says their process for selecting settings was developed by looking at real-life hearing aid settings for thousands of hearing aid users with varying audiogram results. This setup process takes about 10 minutes to complete.

It has been HearingTracker’s experience that, during the set-up process of OTC hearing aids, it’s very important to be in the quietest room possible. You don't want any competing/distracting sound or interruptions as this part of the process is very important for the "tuning" the hearing aid to your unique hearing loss.

Best features of the Sony CRE-C10

Sony CRE-C10 hearing aids provide people who have mild to moderate hearing loss with numerous advantages for listening better in multiple listening environments.

Controlling your hearing aids with the Sony Hearing Control app

The Sony Hearing Control app provides you with basic controls to adjust the settings on the devices, including a volume control and sound balance. A fine-tuning system is also included, which allows you to report issues with things like speech being too soft. The app will push an updated sound profile to your hearing aids to improve any problems you report.

Situation Analyzer to your sound environment

When functioning, Sony says its Situation Analyzer optimizes sound settings based on your soundscape. The aids are wirelessly connected using the ear-to-ear Wireless Link, so the aids function as a single coordinated system rather than as two independent hearing aids acting in an uncoordinated manner.

Directional hearing

Sony advertises that these hearing aids offer directionality. CIC hearing aids provide some natural directional benefits due to their placement in the ear canal and the two hearing aids can coordinate their listening responses. This feature has appeared before in many WSA hearing aids—"Binaural OneMic Directionality" is available in the Signia Silk X, which Signia says "enables wearers to focus on their conversation partner even in difficult listening environments". The CRE-C10s also use a Speech/Noise management system for "advanced acoustic processing that reduces the burden of listening.”

Reducing unwanted noises

Similarly, the devices have a system that guards against sudden loud impact noises, in addition to an Artifact Cancellation feature for a smooth overall sound experience with high-speech monitoring and control of feedback (the high-pitched whistle/squelch that results from an object coming too near the microphone). The hearing aids also feature wind noise reduction that reduces the annoyance of wind when outdoors and improves sound comfort.

Battery life

The Sony CRE-C10 CIC hearing aid uses a size 10 disposable battery that provides 70 hours of continuous use, which equates to about 5-7 days of normal usage before changing batteries. Many self-fitting OTC-like hearing aids reviewed by HearingTracker this year have a battery life of less than 10 hours—which can make them questionable for "real-life daily use," given that prescription hearing aids are typically expected to be used for at least 14 hours/day.

The CRE-C10's rechargeable counterpart, the upcoming CRE-E10, is designed so that a single 3-hour charge will provide up to 26 hours of continuous use (i.e., it has a shorter battery life due to its rechargeability and its phone/music streaming capabilities).

Borrowing from previously successful prescription-fit tech

The CRE-C10's technology is most likely borrowed from successful prescription-fit hearing aid technology. From 2016 to 2020, Signia launched three versions of its Silk hearing aid (Silk Primax, Nx, and X) which looked almost identical to the Sony CRE-C10 and were all ready-to-wear CIC styles dispensed by hearing care professionals (HCPs). These models were also very similar to the Vibe hearing aid (which, as of the Sony launch, are no longer offered within the United States) as a self-fitting hearing aid not requiring fitting from an HCP—or what we now call an OTC hearing aid.

This leads HearingTracker to believe all three products—Sony, Silk, and Vibe—share essentially the same or very similar functionality and performance characteristics. Likewise, photos of the upcoming CRE-E10 earbuds closely resemble the Signia Active Pro hearing aids launched by WSA in April 2021—which are bigger and more visible than its C10 sister product.

All this is probably to be expected; in fact, most entrants in the newly FDA-created OTC hearing aid class are either replicas or hew pretty closely to some previous hearing aid model, with some exceptions like the Jabra Enhance Plus which was specifically designed for the OTC hearing aid market.

Issues that come along with extreme miniaturization

Because of their small size, it's worth noting that people with dexterity/vision problems and/or shaky hands may have difficulty replacing these batteries. Also, partly due to their size, CICs have a reputation among hearing providers as the hearing aid style most prone to being lost, broken, or returned due to discomfort in the ear canal. Sony states returns may be made within 45 days to the place of purchase.

Performance of Sony CRE-C10 hearing aids, real user reviews, and sound samples

The independent HearAdvisor test lab found that the Sony CRE-C10 achieved an excellent SoundScore of 4.1 out of 5. At this writing, it's the 8th best out of 39 tested OTC hearing aids, and the top-rated of the CIC-type self-fitting hearing aids. Here's what the lab says about these devices:

"In the initial fit condition, the Sony CRE-C10 performed above average on speech in quiet, well above average on speech in noise, below average on feedback handling, above average on occlusion results, and below average on music streaming quality. The overall fit score in the initial condition for the Sony CRE-C10 was above average.”

Consumer reviews of the Sony CRE-C10 also appear to be quite positive. The Best Buy website gives it a 4.1 rating (out of 5) with 57 out of 100 reviewers giving the product 5 stars. Here are two people's comments from the Best Buy website:

You can also check out some real-life user reviews at the bottom of this page (and please add your own comments if you've tried these devices!).

You can compare the CRE-C10 with the CRE-E10 on the HearingTracker Comparison Page. You can also listen to sound samples below by grabbing a pair of high-quality headphones and clicking on the red buttons below to hear sound samples in two different listening environments.

And, after all, the Silk Hearing Aid was good enough for the Queen…

In January 2020, a 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth II was photographed—for the first time ever, according to multiple news sources—wearing a hearing aid in her right ear by the British newspaper, Daily Mail. This sent the audiology world all atwitter, because upon closer examination, it’s pretty apparent the Queen was wearing a Signia Silk CIC hearing aid. Silk was a surprising choice for a storied monarch who almost certainly could have chosen any hearing aid in the world. Plus, it appeared the device was not positioned in the Queen’s ear correctly, leading some to suggest she could have benefitted from more counseling from her HCP on a better insertion technique. Nonetheless, apart from the audiological nit-picking, most social media posts and HearingTracker lauded the Queen for taking proactive steps for improving her hearing status. So, maybe Silk reigns?

Competing OTC and hearable alternatives to Sony CRE-C10

You will find several good-quality competing OTC hearing aids for $1000 or less now making their way onto the market, as well as hearables, including:

• Eargo 7 is a $2950 rechargeable CIC hearing aid that provides app-based controls and automatic sound adjustments with new features for improved performance in background noise and water resistance, but does not support audio streaming (e.g., phone calls and music). However, Eargo provides lifetime professionally administered support via phone or its smart app.
• Jabra Enhance Plus is a $799 rechargeable OTC hearing aid made by the GN Group (maker of ReSound and Beltone hearing aids) that looks like modern wireless earbuds but delivers speech amplification, directional microphones, and noise reduction, as well as feedback suppression. It also streams audio (e.g., phone calls and music) and provides hands-free calling via Bluetooth^® (iOS only).
• Lexie B1 and B2 Powered by Bose hearing aids are receiver-in-canal (RIC) devices for $849 and $999, respectively, offering good sound quality, onboard volume control, directional microphones, noise reduction, smartphone app controls, and real-time remote set-up and support from Lexie. The B2 is rechargeable and is designed to stream audio for phone calls while the B1 uses disposable batteries does not stream audio.
• NuHeara IQbuds² MAX earbuds are not classified as an OTC hearing aid (at this writing, they are pending FDA clearance); however, these hearables feature a smart, rechargeable, Bluetooth audio streaming, hearing-enhancement wireless earbud option offered for $500. The similar HP Hearing PRO is a self-fitting app-controlled device for $699.
• Apple AirPods Pro earbuds (and AirPods and AirPods Pro 2) can be configured to perform much like an OTC hearing aid for situational use, but they have some notable limitations, including a limited battery life.

Additionally, you might consider the following that may involve professional hearing care:

• Check to see if your insurance plan covers the cost of prescriptive hearing aids or if you might gain coverage from the VA, TRICARE, Medicaid, etc. Some insurance programs may start covering OTC hearing aids, as well.
• Most hearing care clinics and retail offices, including Costco and Sam's Club, carry sub-$1000 prescription hearing aids that include a professional fitting; they just don't spend money advertising these hearing aids—so call them and explain you're interested in their lowest cost prescriptive hearing aid and you're considering buying an OTC aid.