Beltone
Encyclopedia
Beltone is a Chicago-based company founded by Sam Posen in 1940. It is one of the largest manufacturers of hearing aids in the world. Beltone products are sold in the United States, Canada, and over 40 countries across the globe.
Beltone's individual offices are managed in independently-owned territories by hearing instrument dispensers worldwide and connected through an international networking system.
The True™ has two microphones per ear, known as dual microphones, to allow the wearer to understand where a sound is coming from and focus on conversations in noisy environments rather than to hear background noises that rival more important sounds.
The True™ circuit is the first to offer Feedback Eraser™ with WhistleStop™ technology, which eliminates squealing, whistling, and buzzing sounds that frequently accompany hearing aid usage.
The True™ can be a behind-the-ear (BTE) or in-the-ear (ITE) model, depending on user preferences. The BTE model is the most lightweight of all Beltone's hearing aids and has a very tiny wire attaching it to the receiver in the ear which replaces the bulky tube typically seen on other BTE hearing instruments. This makes it one of the most discreet hearing aids on the market with very compact ear pieces that are typically not visible to others.
One of the most distinguishing features of the True™ technology is the Direct Wireless technology that allows wearers to connect their hearing aids wirelessly to their televisions, stereos, computers, iPods, or phones via a 2.4 GHz signal. One commonly applauded feature by True™ users is that they may adjust television volume in their hearing aids independently of others around them, allowing more personal comfort and freedom for friends and family who may want the television at a different volume or who do not want to hear the television at all.
In 2011, the True™ received the International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award for its revolutionary technological advances in the field of hearing instrumentation.
Beltone's individual offices are managed in independently-owned territories by hearing instrument dispensers worldwide and connected through an international networking system.
Beltone's Products
In 2011, Beltone released its one-of-a-kind wireless hearing instrument with an innovative new circuit known as the True™. This circuit is available with 6, 9, and 17 digital channels, each mimicking natural human auditory processing more accurately as the number of channels increases. The added channels allow wearers to hear their own voices more naturally, others' voices more naturally in one-on-one as well as noisy settings, and background noises in a very similar way to how they would be heard by a person without a hearing loss. This circuit boasts a 0-millisecond attack time, meaning that when loud sounds occur that would be dangerous to the human ear, the True™ will process the sound and reduce the intensity of it in less than 0.4 milliseconds before allowing the sound to reach the user's ear. This safety feature helps wearers maintain what is left of their hearing for a longer period, thereby extending the useful life of the hearing aid by preventing avoidable hearing loss increases.The True™ has two microphones per ear, known as dual microphones, to allow the wearer to understand where a sound is coming from and focus on conversations in noisy environments rather than to hear background noises that rival more important sounds.
The True™ circuit is the first to offer Feedback Eraser™ with WhistleStop™ technology, which eliminates squealing, whistling, and buzzing sounds that frequently accompany hearing aid usage.
The True™ can be a behind-the-ear (BTE) or in-the-ear (ITE) model, depending on user preferences. The BTE model is the most lightweight of all Beltone's hearing aids and has a very tiny wire attaching it to the receiver in the ear which replaces the bulky tube typically seen on other BTE hearing instruments. This makes it one of the most discreet hearing aids on the market with very compact ear pieces that are typically not visible to others.
One of the most distinguishing features of the True™ technology is the Direct Wireless technology that allows wearers to connect their hearing aids wirelessly to their televisions, stereos, computers, iPods, or phones via a 2.4 GHz signal. One commonly applauded feature by True™ users is that they may adjust television volume in their hearing aids independently of others around them, allowing more personal comfort and freedom for friends and family who may want the television at a different volume or who do not want to hear the television at all.
In 2011, the True™ received the International CES Innovations Design and Engineering Award for its revolutionary technological advances in the field of hearing instrumentation.
Beltone's History
- 1940: Sam Posen opens Beltone in Chicago, IL by introducing the Model H™ hearing aid.
- 1944: Beltone launches Mono-Pac™, which was the first all-in-one hearing aid in the industry.
- 1946: Beltone continues to impact the industry with the release of its Harmony™ hearing aids which were at the time the smallest hearing aids available.
- 1969: Beltone was tasked with the creation of earmolds for astronauts in the space program. These earmolds protected the hearing of astronauts during lift-off and re-entry.
- 1971: Beltone expands their resources to begin conducting hearing loss research at their headquarters.
- 1979: Beltone opens for business in Canada.
- 1983: Beltone introduces its first custom in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aid.
- 1989: Beltone leads the industry again by unveiling the most powerful in-the-canal hearing aid available.
- 2007: Marq™ becomes the smallest and most most cosmetically transparent hearing aid available in its class.
- 2011: The True™ is introduced to the market with wireless technology and a set of functional upgrades that propel it far beyond the standards previously set by the industry in terms of quality and customized comfort.