Soundhawk aims to let you hear exactly what you want

Soundhawk, a start-up company from Calif, has announced a brand new hearing device that aims to allow users to selectively hear whatever they want. The $299 device connects with your smartphone via Bluetooth and lets you choose what you want to listen to in any setting. It works through a combination of reducing noises that you don’t want to hear while amplifying those you do. The Soundhawk isn’t designed for those with medical problems, but rather for the everyday person who struggles to hear in certain situations. CEO Michael Kisch explained: “Hearing aids are really helping a much older customer who has a persistent problem. People with those issues clearly should stay in the hearing aid world”

“It’s for a different customer where we’re going to try and help them listen better in specific situations throughout the day. This isn’t a product that would be persistently worn. It would be worn two to five hours a day as the situation would dictate. Everybody has these situational hearing problems over the course of the day. There’s never been a problem that’s been built for them.” To control Soundhawk you use a purpose built app on your smartphone of choice (both iOS and Android are supported) to personalize the hearing experience for the particular setting you find yourself in. You can then save pre-sets for certain situations that you find yourself in regularly. Another useful feature is the tiny microphone ear that can transmit up to 35 feet, giving users to options of hearing something that is happening across large rooms.

The Soundhawk hardware has been meticulously designed to look modern and sleek. It comes without around an 8 hour battery life with a further 16 hours available from the included charging case, giving you plenty of use time before you’ll have to plug it back in. Making the best possible device has been an important factor and why the team is made up from those who have such invaluable experience. “We’ve resourced people with decades of hearing science expertise, but the people designing and building the product are people who come from Apple, Amazon, Moto, Palm, Flip Video,” added Kisch.