While new-school in-the-ear hearing aids are virtually invisible, the RITE design telegraphs “I’m losing my hearing” from across the room, which probably isn’t the aesthetic that most users are looking for. Having hardware external to the ear canal is problematic, foremost because of the way it looks. The body of the hearing aid nestles behind your ear, where it's held in place by a stiff loop of wire leading from the earpiece. While technically known as receiver-in-the-ear (RITE), the design has an appearance much like that of an old-school behind-the-ear unit.

Like the rest of the industry of late, Lexie’s B2s are self-fitting, over-the-counter hearing aids, which means you can buy them anywhere (not just from a licensed hearing aid retailer) and adjust them yourself, without the involvement of a doctor or audiologist.īut unlike the other OTC hearing aids I’ve tried of late, which are designed to fit completely within the ear canal, Lexie’s use a more traditional design, with the electronics fitting behind the ear and a small wire connecting to a receiver which fits in the ear canal.

Recently I took its latest model, the Lexie B2 “Powered by Bose,” out for a spin through my auditory meatus. The latest of these is veteran audio manufacturer Bose, which is “powering” hearing aids from a manufacturer called Lexie. While some consumer electronics companies, like Sony, have jumped directly into the burgeoning over-the-counter hearing aid market, others are getting there through partnerships.

Bose sound control hearing aides