Sony releases $1,000 hearing aids that anyone can buy

Sony has launched two new over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids designed for those with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The $1,000 CRE-C10 and $1,300 CRE-E10 were designed in partnership with WS Audiology and will be released before the end of the year.

This release follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision earlier this summer to finally allow OTC hearing aids to be sold.

That decision significantly reduced the process, which previously required multiple visits to specialist doctors and thousands of dollars.

Sony is one of the biggest names in audio, so it’s no surprise to see their name on new OTC hearing aids. Let’s go over the two new models.

Sony has two new OTC hearing aid models

Sony’s CRE-E10 (above) looks like slimmed-down earbuds and has a 26-hour battery life between charges. They can also stream audio or music from an iOS device.

The CRE-C10 (below and featured imaged) is one of the smallest OTC hearing aids on the market, “virtually invisible” when inserted. They feature 70 hours of continuous use from traditional Size 10 hearing aid batteries.

Both models use Sony’s Hearing control app to personalize their sound, enabling the user to “self-fit” to the hearing aids.

This process uses pre-defined hearing profiles created from “thousands of actual, real-life audiogram results,” according to Sony.

The app also allows for tweaks to volume level and other settings to further personalize the sound. Both OTC hearing aids self-adjust to your surroundings and have noise-reduction features.

Sony’s $999.99 CRE-C10 OTC hearing aid is available to pre-order from Sony.com and will be available later this month from other outlets, including Amazon, Best Buy, and select hearing-aid professionals.

Sony’s $1,299.99 CRE-E10 OTC hearing aids will be available later this winter from Sony.com.

Have any thoughts on this? Carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Amazon Fire TV Cube can now stream directly to hearing aids
• Sony raises PS5 prices in most markets over inflation fears
• Whisper’s AI-powered hearing aid system is making its way to Android
• New Soundcore Liberty 4 earbuds can monitor your heart rate