Alango’s BeHear Hearables Take On Bose Hearphones
Will Alango’s BeHear NOW headsets compete successfully with the popular Bose Hearphones? Alango has a great product with a lower price. Coupled with what I’m calling its “Trojan Horse” distribution strategy, Alango is entering the burgeoning “hearables” market well prepared to compete with the consumer electronics giant.
 "Alango's BeHear NOW and Bose Hearphones Hearables")
Bose calls its $499.95 Hearphones “conversation-enhancing headphones” that are “specially designed to help you hear in louder environments.” Like other Bose products, they are loaded with great technology. They feature active noise cancellation, directional microphones, wireless Bluetooth streaming of music and phone calls, smartphone app control, and more.
The $249.00 BeHear NOW headset is strikingly similar. It features Bluetooth wireless audio streaming. It’s also a personal sound amplifier that is tunable and customizable from a smartphone, tablet or PC.
Competing on product, price, and distribution
But then we get to some additional distinctions.
- Product: BeHear can actually slow down someone else’s voice to make it easier to understand while talking on the phone or listening to voicemail. Alango EasyListen™ technology slows down speech to improve intelligibility of “fast talkers,” foreign languages, and recorded messages. And BeHear pairs with Alango’s optional $49 HearLink™ TV transmitter to send the television’s audio signal directly to the paired BeHear NOW headset. Bose isn’t currently offering a TV transmitter for its Hearphones.
- Price: In addition to a single-unit BeHear price that’s $250 less than the Bose Hearphone, Alango’s Wear & Hear online shop sells a “Personal Bundle” for $288 that includes BeHear NOW with the HearLink TV transmitter. It also sells a “Harmony Bundle” for $499 that includes two BeHear headsets and a HearLink transmitter. That’s two headsets plus transmitter for the same price as a Bose Hearphone.
- Distribution: In addition to its online store, Alango is committed to working with audiologists who want to resell its products for patients with mild hearing loss. Alango just inked a deal with Clinic Management Service (CMS) to sell BeHear NOW through the CMS network of audiologist practices in Canada. I call it a “Trojan Horse” distribution strategy. Once Alango develops a network of audiologists, it will be positioned to follow up with other possible future products. For example, many audiologists are considering selling affordable over-the-counter hearing aids as a first step for customers who eventually might graduate to more expensive customer solutions.
Following the leader
Does all this mean Alango will leapfrog Bose in the race to establish market leadership in hearables? Not necessarily. As an established leader in consumer electronics, Bose is able to command premium prices. And both companies, along with numerous emerging competitors such as Nuheara (IQ Buds Boost), will tell you the hearables market is still in its infancy. There will be plenty of room in this wide-open, fast-growing market for new competitors with new products at new prices.
In the meantime, Alango is a small company that until recently has mainly developed very high-end audio technologies that other manufacturers integrated into their products. The BeHear NOW headset, the HearLink transmitter, and the Wear & Hear Store are its first ventures into the rough-and-tumble consumer electronics world. But its combination of innovations in product, price and distribution position it to compete successfully with established brands like Bose in the emerging hearables market.
BeHear Now vs Hearphones
Bose Hearphones were introduced in 2016. They feature active noise reduction, directional microphones, Bluetooth audio and call streaming, smartphone app control, and more. But with the hearables market heating up, there are now multiple alternatives to consider, some of which offer similar technology at a lower price point.
Alango's BeHear NOW headset, launched in 2018 by Alango's Wear & Hear (W&H) assistive products line, is the most noteworthy Bose Hearphones alternative. Both the Alango and Bose headsets aim to enhance hearing, and both support Class II Bluetooth connectivity. And because both use an in-ear neckband form factor, they are strikingly similar in appearance.
But with BeHear NOW coming in at just $249 (versus $499 for the Bose), price is a major differentiator between the two. And aside from price, there are a number of key differences to consider when comparing the Bose Hearphones with Alango’s BeHear NOW.
Key differences
Hearing assessment for sound personalization
Bose enables customization of sound amplification through Hearphones by allowing the user to change the balance between low and high frequencies. The BeHear headset is designed to take customization a step further with an informal hearing assessment (performed through the BeHear companion app) that enables the BeHear NOW headset to provide amplification that is custom-tailored to each person’s unique hearing profile. Alango believes this personalization provides immediate benefit to the average user by providing amplification that selectively boosts the sounds that they have difficulty hearing.
Locating the Best Sound Point (BSP)
The tone control feature of Bose Hearphones allows the user to perform sound modification in real time. BeHear NOW offers the same functionality using a slightly different approach. The W&H BeHear NOW companion app displays a grid that enables the user to fine-tune the sound, choosing from among 31 different combinations of selective frequency amplifications. The user finds the best sound point for the current environment simply by listening to the result of a tap on each square in the grid. The resulting setting can be discarded or saved to one of the existing presets for repeat use.
 "BeHear App")
Mobile calls
Both Hearphones and BeHear NOW optimize the sound of phone calls according to the user's specific hearing preferences. Manual control of sound levels is an option for both products. But BeHear NOW also does it automatically by optimizing sound according to the results of the user's hearing assessment, amplifying only the frequencies that require a boost, without distracting the user from the call itself.
BeHear NOW also has a solution for conversations with “fast talkers” or people with accents that can lead to frustration. And for often-cryptic voicemail messages, where asking the caller to repeat themselves for clarity is not an option. The proprietary EasyListen™ feature in BeHear NOW dynamically slows down incoming speech (in three different user-selectable speeds) to improve the intelligibility of the caller’s voice. Sophisticated speech analysis is performed, and only those sounds that are important for speech understanding are slowed down, so as not to interrupt the flow of live conversations. Alango believes the result is improved comprehension for both voicemail and live mobile phone conversations.
Assistive listening capabilities
BeHear NOW can be purchased together with the HearLink™, an optional auxiliary Bluetooth transmitter, for $298. HearLink connects to the analog sound output found on most standard audio devices, including most television sets. It sends the audio signal directly to the Bluetooth-paired BeHear NOW headset, thus eliminating ambient noises, room reverberation, and other types of sound interference that may hamper speech intelligibility or negatively impact the sound quality of music. The BeHear NOW headset can be connected to the HearLink transmitter and to a smartphone at the same time, so the user will never miss a phone call while watching TV (or listening to music). Hearphones are also Bluetooth compatible, and capable of streaming audio via Bluetooth, but Bose currently does not offer a dedicated streaming device to help users get the sound from their non-Bluetooth-enabled audio devices.
Charging and battery life
The rechargeable battery in the BeHear NOW take around two hours to charge, while the batteries in the Hearphones take around three. On a full charge, the BeHear NOW headset lasts around 12 hours, while Hearphones last around 10 hours. Streaming audio via Bluetooth will lead to fewer hours of battery life for both devices.
Supported phones
Both the W&H BeHear NOW app and Hearphones app are supported in Android version 4.4 and up. The W&H BeHear NOW app supports iOS 9 and up, while Hearphones support starts at iOS 10. So BeHear NOW is a great option for anyone still running iOS 9.
Amplification
Maximum amplification for BeHear NOW is ~43 decibels (dB), while in Hearphones it is ~35dB. For reference, 43dB is just shy of the amplification capabilities of a low-powered hearing aid like the Phonak Marvel operating with its low power (LP) receiver. Additional amplification is helpful for users who need to better understand speech in challenging listening environments. By enabling customization of sound levels based on the user's personal preferences, the amplification can be used only at the frequencies the user requires, and only when needed.
Price
BeHear NOW is priced at $249 for a single unit. Alango also offers a "bundle" combining BeHear NOW with the HearLink™ Bluetooth transmitter for $298. Bose currently sells its Hearphones for $499.
BeHear Now and Bose Hearphones Comparison Table
| Feature | BeHear NOW | Bose Hearphones |
|---|---|---|
| In ear, neckband form factor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Class II Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hearing enhancement | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live listening | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile phone conversations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Audio play | ✓ | ✓ |
| Personalization (assessment-based) | ✓ | |
| Most comfortable levels checked | ✓ | |
| Preset, modifiable hearing profiles | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-time customization | ✓ | Tone control only |
| Loudness control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Maximum gain | ~43 dB | ~35 dB |
| Adjustable noise reduction levels | ✓ | ✓ |
| Active noise cancellation | ✓ | |
| Feedback cancellation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Speech slowdown for phone calls | ✓ | |
| Directionality | ✓ | ✓ |
| Frequency range (Hz) | 70-12,000 | ? |
| Ear balance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Adjustable-fit earbuds | 3 types, 4 sizes | 1 type, 3 sizes |
| Rechargeable battery | ✓ | ✓ |
| Battery life | up to 12 hours | up to 10 hours |
| Multi-connection BT support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support for NFC | ✓ | |
| Minimum iOS version for app | iOS 9 and up | iOS 10 and up |
| Minimum Android version for app | Android 4.4 and up | Android 4.4 and up |
| TV transmitter bundle | ✓ | |
| Price | $249 | $499 |
Additional Features
BeHear NOW also includes features designed to maximize listening comfort, including:
Acoustic feedback
With Alango's proprietary algorithms, acoustic feedback is virtually non-existent in the BeHear NOW headset.
Wind noise
Wind noise can be a very annoying feature for users of hearing aids and other amplification devices that don’t use special protection. BeHear NOW users experience little, if any, wind noise due to a unique, proprietary digital wind noise reduction technology integrated into the headset.
Ambient awareness
BeHear NOW allows the wearer to hear and be aware of ambient sounds while listening to streamed audio. But what about unwanted noise and other extraneous sounds the user doesn't want to hear? Alango's ListenThrough™ technology allows only “important” sounds to reach the user's ear. Static sounds, and other distant distractions, are blocked.
Convenience
BeHear NOW comes with three different types of earplugs (mushroom, cone and open fit) in various sizes, and three sizes of in-ear hooks. All told, there are 24 combinations for the BeHear NOW headset to fit virtually any type of ear. Customers appreciate the “open fit” ear buds, which allow slight air passage, alleviating occlusion that many people find uncomfortable.
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Dear Member,
ANC is not mentioned in any BeHear technical or marketing documents www.wearandhear.com. As such you are right, there is an error in the comparison table that we need to correct. BeHear doesn't include Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) while BOSE Hearphones does. However, in BOSE Hearphones ANC technology is disabled when ambient sound amplification is switched on. This is very logical as ANC generates an antinoise sound wave such that combining noise and antinoise waves in user’s ears nullify both. A perfect ANC shall cancel ALL outside sounds that allowing its user to enjoy music or other audio content in noisy conditions. Obviously, this contradicts with the purpose of a hearing amplification device that shall amplify ambient sounds. That is why we haven’t included auxiliary ANC technology into our product. It is simply redundant for hearing amplification applications adding extra cost and complexity. That is one of the reasons BOSE Hearphones cost twice BeHear NOW. Like all modern digital BeHear devices include Ambient (not Active) Noise Cancellation in the amplified sound which may be a source of confusion. Comparing sound quality of the two devices may be difficult and subjective. We have many users who say (and write in their reviews) that after a simple hearing assessment our BeHear devices perform better than BOSE Hearphones and most expensive hearing they tried. But we believe that there may be others who prefer competitive products. Like one size cannot fit all, one device and one type of digital sound enhancement cannot fit all either. We are working hard to make our devices better and more versatile providing constant firmware and smartphone application updates. We hope that one day you will like what we do.
Best regards
Alexander (Alango Wear & Hear founder and CEO)
Thanks Alexander. This has been corrected.
Hello David,
Again, I am sorry that our product didn't meet your expectations and personal preferences. As I stated before, hearing experience is very personal and I hope we can improve it. Would you like to try BeHear it with the latest firmware? If you are happy, you will buy it. If you are not, you will give us your feedback and wait for the next FW update that will include own voice suppression, 3 levels of directivity and CROS/BiCROS functionality.
BTW, in the last two days we received these 5 star reviews from our customers who bought BeHear on Amazon:
1: "I bought this product to allow me to hear dialog on TV without blasting the wife out of the room. It does that and more. I am 73. Age, Navy guns and two wars have taken a tole. My hearing is shot for high frequencies, voices in a crowded room are noise, voices are rarely not distinct nor can I hear at low volumes. My hearing aids are great and fix the problem but are not always available (my fault) and become uncomfortable after hours of use. The BeHear product makes the TV voices highly understandable and it's comfortable. The battery lasts all day for Netflix's binges. The Software is easy. Adjustments are made for each ear to customize for hearing loss. For techies, the unit eliminated the sync issues (sound not synced with video) with many bluetooth/cable units. Very minor complaints-Things sounds tinny at times. I can hear my wife better.(can't use the bad ear excuse now). I can turn the TV sound down to the point the wife can't hear it and I can still understand the dialog. Keep in mind, this unit amplifies EVERYTHING in the vicinity . I hear the clock tic now as well as the TV dialog."
2: "This personal sound amp has a lot of potencial , just wait for FDA to give the ok for this hearing gadgets to be called Hearing Aids , Not all personal hearing aid are created equal , this model have a greater advantage and controls and personal adjustments including Your personal hearing Assessment , EQ , Noice Reduction , and when talking on the phone it will reduce the speed of speech you listen from person talking on the other side of the phone , making it easy to understand , has bluetooth music player using your phone and will connect to your Bluetooth TV audio out Or a TV audio transmitter , battery life is great , cover Frequency from 500 to 8000 , i wish sound volume was louder but it is made for moderate hearing loss , but for the price is great compared to a SINGLE $3000 Hearing Aid with none of the advantages this Stereo BeHear offers , and you don't need to return to hearing clinic and pay every time your hearing aid need adjustments , With this BeHear lets call it Hearing Aid , every thing is at your hands from Hearing Assessments , to Your personal adjustments , and you can change all the configuration every time your ears is playing tricks on you and you Blame the Hearing Aid , i recommend this"
I respectfully suggest that the arguments put forward for not using Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and the claim made the Hearphones disables ANC when ambient sound amplification is switched on are incorrect. Proof that the Hearphones use ANC to reduce noise in ambient situations is shown in Dr Olson's YouTube video. In fact, because the BeHear gave me no benefit at all in noisy situations I bought the Hearphones. I can now have conversations with friends in a cafe whereas I couldn't before.
Dear Member,
The purpose of citing the reviews was to show that hearing and, specifically, hearing enhancement is a very personal matter and one product, even Apple AirPods Pro cannot fit all. Otherwise, Hearphones and Airpods Pro are excellent products. Regarding ANC in Hearphones during hearing enhancement, we'll recheck it again in our acoustic lab and publish the results.
Bose Hearphones - My personal experience
THINGS TO LIKE
Very good speech clarity with minimal distortion. Able to hear in situations of background noise better than my normally hearing friends can!
Avoids having to turn the volume up on the TV and produces improved sound quality. (but still not as good as a dedicated system that bypasses the onboard speakers)
Reliable Bluetooth.
Battery lasts almost all day
THINGS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED
Tendency for feedback at higher World Volume settings which limits its suitability to those with a mild and possibly moderate hearing loss.
Wind noise.
Own voice boomy at higher volumes.
Narrow focus microphones, although effective, still pick too much surround sound.
Very small and fiddly in-line control buttons. Have to be used for media and calls but the good phone app can be used instead for World Volume settings.
Bluetooth is not low latency so can't be used directly with the TV
The success of the Hearphones, and why it has led the field for such a long time, has very largely been due to its active noise cancellation (ANC), directional microphones and loudness technology, with ambient volume being controlled by a unique combination of ANC and a form of compression which Bose calls a volume-dependent EQ system. There has been nothing to match it. Bose might still be ahead in terms of how it addresses the issue of dynamic range but most competing manufacturers have caught up and surpassed several of its other features. You would now expect, for instance, conversational products reaching the market to incorporate hybrid ANC. Bose have had four years to work on a replacement for the Hearphones and their forthcoming hearing aid should be a very significant advancement. That said, and in spite of its drawbacks, the Hearphones still performs for conversation as well as anything, including high-end hearing aids, I have so far used. $499 well spent!
UPDATE
Bose is withdrawing the Hearphone from the market and can no longer be found on Amazon. Buying used might be an option but check the battery. New, it would last 10 hours. It is good for 500 charges and can't be replaced.