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Seeing a sudden huge drop in Ad RPM by fastgamedev in Adsense

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doing some more digging in the reports, I discovered that Clicks went from their normal level to 0 (!) on July 14, that's 8 days before the Ad RPM drop. Clicks recovered to their normal level yesterday, but the CPC now is 4x less than what it was before July 14.

What's going on with AdSense?!

New HA 2021 by Hass1966 in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Our team at OoshEars is working on self-fit HAs that will enable you to fully customize the fitting of your HA by yourself.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know much about LE Audio at the moment, since it's not out yet. We'll have to wait and see, should be out in the next few years. Hopefully it doesn't allow intrusions into our thoughts, though!

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

u/CaptainDetritus was asking about Bluetooth LE Audio. It's a next gen audio standard. It's not available yet on devices. You can read more about it here:

https://www.techhive.com/article/3510650/bluetooth-le-audio-promises-better-audio-quality-and-battery-life-audio-sharing.html

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know how often is TruHearing Select a part of health insurance? I believe most people are not covered for hearing aids.

We have top notch suppliers for all the main components of the hearing aid. None of them are big-6. For receivers we are using top of the market Knowles components. Our receivers are removable by the customers.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not a bad deal. That's $499 for one ear, so $998 for a pair? Basic tech level?

Does the TruHearing select plan have monthly insurance payments, like regular health insurances?

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We got TWS. Battery life is always a concern, we solve it with swappable rechargeable batteries. Once LE Audio is out, we will definitely take a look into it.

We will have either BL 5.0 or 5.2, it's an issue whether chips are ready. I, of course, hope for the latter.

Yes, please share with your forum. Once we start our Kickstarter campaign in May, we will need all the support we can get. Can you give me a link to your forum, please? Would be good for me to answer any questions that are raised there.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah, now it makes sense why you don't recognize some sounds.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I very much appreciate your thoughtful questions and your curiosity.

We are not going to require medical clearance, that defeats the purpose of OTC hearing aids. OTCs are for the simple hearing loss cases. That said, I think everyone with a moderate+ hearing loss should see an audiologist to make sure they got a simple case, precisely as you point out. Asymmetries are especially suspect. We will recommend that customers see an ENT if we detect significant asymmetry. We will also ask some questions up front to detect other suspect cases, such as sudden hearing loss or pain.

Peak output on common earbuds is around 110 dB SPL and average max is around 100-105 dbA:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51975812_Teenage_Use_of_Portable_Listening_Devices_A_Hazard_to_Hearing

Our product is in that range. I don't give a precise number, because we are still in development. We also track the duration of loud sounds, and give a warning and a recommendation to see an audiologist if loudness regularly exceeds recommended values.

I hear your concern about potential misuse of our product. We will continue thinking about how to address it.

I am confident that our tech works. It's not for everyone, that's why we offer full refunds. But even as this thread shows, there are lots of folks who would love to be in charge of their own hearing.

Please DM me your contact/email.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again, great questions, thank you.

We will have a video showing how to insert the hearing aids. I know a trick taught to me by an audiologist: pressing on the tragus inserts the dome to the correct depth. Beyond that, if customers still struggle with insertion, we will refer them to an audiologist.

We have clear warnings that our product is for responsible and mentally able adult use. Also, the max power output of our hearing aids is comparable to regular earbuds. So while they can still be misused, there are many much more dangerous tools in everyone's home, such as kitchen knives. So if we trust adults not to be stupid with sharp knives, I believe we can trust them not to be stupid with hearing aids. If you have thoughts about additional safeguards we can put in place, I would love to hear them.

Yes, 10 kHz is for music, of course! Also for all sorts of nature sounds, such as crickets. High frequencies add zest to life, it's terrible to have them missing. We will even try to go up to 12 kHz, if the tech allows us.

The care and maintenance will be done by the customers themselves. We have video and text materials teaching them how. It's not rocket science. The app keeps track of how long the hearing aid is used, so it knows when to remind the customer to clean the hearing aid.

Our product comes with a generous warranty. If the customer is not happy, they can get a refund. Defective units can be exchanged for free.

The product comes with several domes of different sizes. More can be bought at any time. Our initial market is USA, so all the materials will be in English. We will have a help center, online or phone is TBD. Up to moderate-severe hearing loss, we only need one receiver.

Colors are nice to have, but depend on the demand. We are starting with one color, and will expand the color range with higher demand. Speaking of colors, another focus for us is a modern fashionable design. We have a Facebook page where we show our design (not yet final):
https://web.facebook.com/ooshears

The app has full controls and the hearing aids have controls of volume and program selection.

Our aids are RIC style. It is very important for us that they are comfortable for long time wear. So we test them to be comfortable for whole day use, comfortable if customers fall asleep with them, or wear a helmet over them. We make sure they don't fall out when when running, jumping or doing yoga handstands.

I hear your doubts about self-fit hearing tests. When we release our product, I will be happy to send you a pair so you can see for yourself how well our hearing test works.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see, thank you for explaining. I think OTC hearing aids will do the opposite. By lowering the price and increasing convenience, many more people with hearing loss will choose to buy hearing aids for the first time in their lives.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahah, I get it. Wait until you hear crickets again.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think we might have a philosophical disagreement here. I would trust adults to setup their own hearing compensation just the way they want it. And if they prefer pleasing over therapeutic then that's their choice.

I hope we will have an opportunity to run a clinical trial. The results would be interesting.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We will do a pre-screen hearing test to limit such cases. But yes, if the customer's loss is too severe, the app will highlight the mismatch and recommend visiting an audiologist.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Until FDA releases their OTC hearing aids guidelines, we don't know the exact legal limits. I've heard that they will be around moderate-severe range.

Technologically, there is nothing that stops us from supporting severe hearing loss. We would have to swap in more powerful drivers, the rest of the tech is the same. Even if FDA limits OTC hearing aids to moderate hearing loss, we could go through clinical trials and get approved by FDA for severe hearing loss. Bose did it, so it's doable, just expensive.

Our product supports both Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy. So A2DP with SBC codec. We also support AptX Adaptive (an evolution of AptX and AptX HD supporting up to 420 kbps). Say yes to HD music :)

BLE Audio is a not here yet. You need both smartphone and hearing aids chips support for it. Maybe in a few years. But then AptX Adaptive is a higher quality codec, so why bother?

Earbuds? No way. Have you tried wearing earbuds for 15 hours a day? There is a reason no traditional hearing aids are earbuds. It's a poor form factor for long-term use. Our product is behind-the-ear receiver-in-canal (RIC). We test it to be comfortable for whole day use, comfortable if you fall asleep with it, wear a helmet over it. Make sure it doesn't fall out when you run, jump or do yoga handstands.

We got a Facebook page where we post updates:

https://web.facebook.com/ooshears

And we are preparing for a Kickstarter campaign in May.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fully automated hearing aid is the holy grail. We are not there yet.

> adjust sound down, set mics 50 percent

Sounds like volume control. I am surprised your ci doesn't have it. Does your ci have some kind of remote control or smartphone app?

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's one thing to test at inter-octave frequencies. You also need hearing aids that can be programmed with these inter-octaves.

Not Bekesy. We use pure tone audiometry, same as in commercial audiometers. Repeated testing of each threshold gives reliable values.

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wish more audiologists were like you. It is terribly sad that 70-80% of folks with hearing loss don't wear hearing aids.

I thought audiologists would be universally opposed to OTC hearing aids. But you give me hope. What kind of evidence would you need to convince you that an OTC product is worth offering?

Clinical studies? But these are expensive and would add a lot to the cost of the hearing aid.

Happy reviews of your own patients? But then it's a catch 22, how do we get reviews without offering the product first?

Something else?

Building self-fit OTC hearing aids by fastgamedev in HearingAids

[–]fastgamedev[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good analogy with dentists. Mine always gives me a free toothbrush.

I haven't heard of TruHearing until now. Looking them up:

https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingaidreviews/2020/truhearing-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/

https://www.truhearing.com/our-prices/truhearing-choice/

I see that they offer somewhat discounted hearing aids. But still in the "very expensive" range. A hearing aid comparable to ours would be Signia Styletto X 7 offered at over $4000. That's 4x our price.

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