New from GN ReSound: Vivia – “scale, talent, and processes to accelerate innovation”

GN is selling its latest launch – ReSound Vivia – as “the world’s smallest AI powered hearing aid”.

Announcing a “significant leap forward”, Scott Davis, Hearing division President at GN, emphasises the sound quality of the new device, as well its all-day battery life, “and the smallest size on the market for discretion and comfort, so users can hear their best without compromise”.

What has GN’s new hearing aid, Vivia, got to offer?

An approach to AI that mimics the brain’s natural sound processing via a new Intelligent Focus feature to create a superior hearing experience in noise.
The ReSound Vivia micro-Receiver-in-Ear (microRIE), offering all-day battery power and comfort without compromise.
ReSound Vivia is powered by a dedicated Deep Neural Network (DNN) chip trained on 13.5 million spoken sentences that spotlights speech and eliminates distracting noise, offering the best solution for hearing in noise without cutting people off from the world around them.

GN is bringing some of its most advanced features, including Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio and Auracast, a broadcast audio, to a new essentials range with the launch of ReSound Savi.

Direction-oriented AI provides an interesting differential factor

The Danish manufacturer is underlining that new ReSound Vivia hearing aids keep to the group’s tradition as a champion of sound quality. In Vivia, the central technology is now a “unique human approach to AI”. GN’s Intelligent Focus feature, says the group, is distinctive in its ability to respond to the direction a person is looking, ensuring the AI enhances sounds based on the user’s natural response to their environment. and GN stresses the benefit of this in challenging situations like noisy restaurants or crowded venues.

Vivia has a DNN-powered solution “up to 17 times more efficient than other leading hearing solutions with directionality and DNN noise reduction”, resulting in a significant improvement to speech understanding. Trained on 13.5 million spoken sentences in various languages and with varied vocal effort, across 3.9 million tuned sound parameters, the DNN can perform 4.9 trillion operations per day to spotlight speech and reduce background noise, says GN.

In its own trials, ReSound Vivia performed well, with 64% of users experiencing improved hearing in noisy environments compared to other AI hearing solutions, so they can enjoy conversations with greater ease and understanding.¹

Tiny – Vivia is tiny!

The claim is that Vivia offers the world’s smallest AI hearing aid, the ReSound Vivia microRIE model: 30 hours wear on one battery charge and 20 hours of use for a typical day using a combination of Intelligent Focus and streaming, says GN on the back of its own data.

“We’ve fundamentally reimagined how AI can enhance the hearing experience. Our unique Intelligent Focus feature mimics natural human behaviour, allowing the AI to prioritize sounds based on where the user is looking, not just how loud they are. This creates a far more intuitive and natural listening experience, seamlessly integrating with the user’s own perception of their environment. It’s not just about amplifying sound; it’s about intelligently enhancing the sounds that matter most,” explains Brian Dam Pedersen, Chief Technology Officer, Head of Research and Technology at GN.

Connectivity in a brand new esssentials package: Savi

Recognizing the importance of accessibility, GN is launching ReSound Savi, so both ReSound Vivia and ReSound Savi support Bluetooth LE Audio, including Auracast broadcast audio, making sure the new product is ready for streaming and communication opportunities in public places such as theatres, airports, restaurants, and arenas.

As part of these launches, GN also introduces the world’s first app which integrates an Auracast Assistant for hearing aids. Connecting to Auracast is now as simple as a single tap in the ReSound Smart 3DTM app. This streamlined process simplifies selecting Auracast streams, even with smartphones and devices that don’t yet have an Auracast assistant built in.

GN is also introducing improvements to fitting software, alignment of domes and receivers for optimal comfort and acoustic performance across the portfolio, and exchangeable mic filters for easy care that improves hygiene and device longevity.

Vivia models and colours

The new ReSound Vivia hearing aids are available in a microRIE rechargeable and two non- rechargeable RIE models, including a CROS model in the microRIE style – all in a wide variety of colours – including the new and elegant Navy Blue and Red. ReSound Savi is available in a new miniRIE rechargeable and two non-rechargeable RIE models in five modern colours.

ReSound Vivia and ReSound Savi hearing aids will be rolled out in the US and Germany on February 20, 2025, with more markets following, along with the equivalent Beltone Envision and Beltone Commence line-ups.

Peter Karlstromer, CEO of GN Group, says: “Utilising AI to make it easier to hear in noisy environments and utilizing our unique video competencies to ensure even the smallest meeting spaces have optimal conference conditions, are significant achievements in each their field. I am proud of how our research and development teams have come together in a unified organization to utilise scale, talent, and processes to accelerate innovation in products and services that our customers benefit from. And we are not stopping here – all the knowledge, capabilities, and research we have acquired will be applied across other GN products and projects, furthering innovation across the Group.”

¹Jespersen, Dieu & Rubachandran (2024)

Source: GN Group