Blog > The new Siemens Aquaris fully waterproof hearing aid

The new Siemens Aquaris fully waterproof hearing aid

Posted on 20/05/2011 07:44:00

When we first heard that Siemens were bringing a new waterproof hearing aid, the Siemens Aquaris, to market we were a little sceptical until we heard it had an Ingression Protection rating IP57

An IP rating is an international classification for the sealing effectiveness of the case.

In this instance in order to achieve the IP57 rating the instruments had to withstand immersion in water up to 1 metre in depth for 30 minutes. They were also subject to 8 hours in a dust chamber without degradation in the performance of the instrument.

It's not often we praise Siemens over Phonak but there were plans in the pipeline at one point, to make the Phonak Lyric waterproof but trials/tests were unsuccesful.

So what are the features of the Siemens Aquaris which have made it a success?

Siemens hearing have designed a one piece main housing whereas most other on-the-ear instruments are made of two halves screwed together.

The battery door has a watertight silicone seal but also a breathable membrane to allow air to the battery which is a requirement for zinc air batteries.

The microphone is protected by an ultra thin membrane which for all intents and purposes is acoustically transparent.

The receiver housing incorporates a nano coated grill to protect the receiver from moisture ingression and a purpose designed earmould is available for swimming.

For high impact activities such as mountain biking or other off-road adventures the instruments have an optional sports lock and soft touch laquering for stable retention behind the ear.

They are also sweat and shock resistant which is also a boon for people who work in physically demanding occupations.

The Aquaris also includes features such as SpeechFocus, SoundLearning 2.0 and FeedbackStopper .

We're going to ask Siemens a little bit more about the protective silicone seal and soft touch laquering to see if it's resistant to chlorine oxidation and heat.

Until then folks don't try one in the hot tub!