by Michaela Coon

Listen now: Baha® Start with Dr. Vaughan

June 24, 2021

In our new Cochlear Conversations series, Lisa Vaughan, AuD and Audiology Program Manager at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, discusses her experience with bone conduction devices, highlighting Baha® Start considerations.

Listen now to hear more!

How does your clinic decide when to use Baha Start? How do you decide between bone conduction and other solutions for SSD?

Do you have any tips & tricks on counseling parents of pediatric patients and increasing use over time?

For more information on bone conduction solutions, subscribe to Cochlear ProNews or check out these AudiologyOnline resources.

Cochlear Baha® bone conduction implants are covered by many insurance plans including Medicare and typically Medicaid. Coverage for adult Medicaid recipients varies according to state specific guidelines. Contact your insurance provider or hearing implant specialist to determine your eligibility for coverage.

In the United States and Canada, the placement of a bone-anchored implant is contraindicated in children below the age of 5

Cochlear receives FDA clearance of Baha 6 Max

March 8, 2021

Cochlear receives FDA clearance of Baha 6 Max, industry’s smallest 55 dB sound processor now with direct Android streaming

Lone Tree, Colo. (March 8, 2021) — Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), the global leader in implantable hearing solutions, announces today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of the new Cochlear™ Baha® 6 Max Sound Processor, designed to improve hearing outcomes for people with SSD (single-sided deafness), conductive or mixed hearing loss.

With a fitting range of up to 55 dB SNHL (sensorineural hearing level) in the same small size as current 45 dB devices¹, the Baha 6 Max is the first of its kind: a premium-power bone conduction sound processor designed for powerful hearing performance. The Baha 6 Max is also the first bone conduction sound processor to offer direct streaming from Apple® and Android^TM devices.² Direct streaming from Apple devices has been available in the Baha 5 Sound Processor since 2015. The new processor provides additional power in the smallest form^1,3and is designed to provide the most clear, rich and natural sound possible–reducing the need to choose between hearing performance and size.

Learn more about the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor: www.Cochlear.us/Baha6Max.

Additional improvements of the Baha 6 Max over the previous generation Baha 5 Sound Processor include:

New noise and feedback reduction features
Frequency range up to 9.7 kHz
Streamlined profile by up to 2 mm¹
IP68-rating dust and water protection*
50 percent longer battery life⁴
Baha Smart App compatibility with Apple Watch®⁵
Child-friendly features, including LED indicator
New mint color option for sound processor front

“We at Cochlear continue to be inspired by all our recipients who get to experience fulfilling, active lives full of connection, and we innovate new products to help enable their success,” said Tony Manna, President, Cochlear Americas. “As such with the Baha 6 Max, we have delivered a leap forward in bone conduction hearing technology, providing more power in the industry’s smallest bone conduction sound processor with greater connectivity and hearing features. Our goal with this new device is to continue bringing a hearing experience full of clear, rich and natural sound, while introducing new elements that aim to make great hearing an even more seamless part of everyday life.”

Further feature highlights

Improved hearing in noise: Cochlear has more than 40 years of experience in bone conduction hearing solutions, and its market research shows most recipients want to improve their ability to hear in noisy environments.⁶

Research suggests extended bandwidth can improve recognition of high-frequency consonants in quiet and in noise⁷, so the new, high-powered Xidium™ platform in the Baha 6 Max features a frequency range of up to 9.7 kHz. In a study, participants using the Baha 6 Max showed a significant improvement in understanding speech in both quiet and noisy environments compared to the Baha 5 Sound Processor.⁸

Cochlear’s SmartSound™ iQ signal processing suite boasts new impulse noise reduction and improved feedback management. Along with other features such as the scene classifier and active gain adjustment, this advanced signal processing technology aims to deliver a clear signal, helping the user fully take in their surroundings. The Baha 6 Max showed a significant difference in terms of sound clarity (more than 35 percent improvement) and sound quality (more than 25 percent improvement) when compared with the Baha 5 Sound Processor.⁸

More power: Usage data from market research suggests many users of bone conduction devices may be underfit, and therefore may benefit from additional dynamic hearing range⁶, which provides capacity should a person’s hearing loss worsen over time. The new BC Drive™ II transducer, which powers the Baha 6 Max, is twice as efficient than the BC Drive on the Baha 5 Sound Processor, delivering 7 dB more average maximum power.⁹

Greater connectivity: In addition to being the first bone conduction sound processor with direct audio streaming from Android and Apple devices, the Baha 6 Max is compatible with the Baha Smart App and allows users to connect to an Apple Watch, so they can discreetly fine-tune their sound processor settings. The Smart App also offers additional options to personalize hearing, including the expanded three-band equalizer and settings to customize noise reduction.

System readiness: The Baha 6 Max Sound Processor introduces system readiness for our expanding connected care portfolio.

Designed with children in mind**: An LED indicator allows parents, clinicians and carers to be sure the processor is turned on and connected. The small size of the Baha 6 Max makes it a discreet solution for children and adults, and the new LowPro™ snap coupling even brings the device 2 mm closer to the head¹, so it sits closer to the head than other bone conduction devices. The Baha 6 Max is also designed to keep up with active children, with its IP68 dust- and water-protection rating. For clinicians, the new Baha Fitting Software 6.0 introduces new workflows to guide fittings, as well as options to customize settings to the child’s specific needs.

“The Baha 6 Max was designed as a direct response to the needs of patients who are looking for improved hearing performance in their hearing device but want the smallest device possible,” said Anna Anderström, Group Lead Bone Conduction Solutions, Cochlear Americas. “With an all-new transducer, we were able to increase the power output while keeping the size down. This is also a benefit to our pediatric population where early access to hearing is so important for language development.”

The Baha 6 Max Sound Processor, Baha Fitting Software 6.0 and Baha Smart App are already approved in Canada. The Baha 6 Max Sound Processor will be commercially available across the United States and Canada in the first half of 2021.

About Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. The company has a global workforce of more than 4,000 people and invests more than AUD$180 million each year in research and development. Products include cochlear implants, bone conduction implants and acoustic implants, which healthcare professionals use to treat a range of moderate to profound types of hearing loss.

Since 1981, Cochlear has provided more than 600,000 implantable devices, helping people of all ages, in more than 180 countries, to hear. www.cochlear.com/us

References

Land J. Comparison tech data Baha 6 Max, legacy and competition. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2020; D1762475.
The Cochlear Baha 6 Max Sound Processor is compatible with Apple and Android devices. For compatibility information, visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility.
Hoffman J. Subjective evaluation of clear rich and natural sound. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2020; D1788013.
In an average use case at similar prescriptions. Davidsson B. Technical Report: Battery autonomy in Baha 6 Max vs Baha 5. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2020; D1770958.
The Cochlear Baha Smart App is available on App Store and Google Play.
Leung B. Technical Report: Baha 6 Max data analysis and correlation report. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2020; D1772435.
Van Eeckhoutte M, Folkeard P, Glista D, Scollie S. Speech recognition, loudness, and preference with extended bandwidth hearing aids for adult hearing aid users. Int J Audiol. 2020;1-12.
Hua H. Baha 6 Max Home test CIR CBAS5779. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2021; D1801512.
Bergs T. Technical Report: Performance comparison A1 vs A2 actuators. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2020; D1770991.

* The Cochlear Baha 6 Max Sound Processor, with battery compartment excluded, is dust and water resistant to level IP68 of the International Standard IEC60529. Refer to the relevant user guide for more information. Tested by the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB.

** In the United States and Canada, the Baha Implant System is contraindicated in children below the age of 5.

Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

Apple, the Apple logo, Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and iPod are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Maximum Power Output: Providing Premium-Power for Patients with the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor

August 8, 2018

Updated 2/23/22

By Melissa Thompson, Baha Product Manager at Cochlear Americas

Before developing the Baha® 6 Max Sound Processor, we asked bone conduction recipients what is most important in their sound processor – and better hearing in noise was identified as most critical to patients.¹

We used this information to design the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor to meet or exceed the expectations of patients, by developing a small, premium-power sound processor that would help them hear better in noisy environments.^2,3 Premium-power means providing patients with a device that delivers up to a 55 dB fitting range and a higher MPO, in the same small size as current 45 dB devices on the market.

Why MPO matters

MPO, or Maximum Power Output, is a critical component to achieving these patients’ goals to hear better in noise with a bone conduction solution. MPO is the maximum output that an amplifier can produce and is related to the microphones, power supply and sound producing components of that amplifier.

Research suggests that bone conduction hearing devices with higher maximum power output have the potential to improve speech recognition in both quiet and noisy listening environments.⁴ Why is this? An improved MPO enables a greater dynamic range, which helps recipients separate sounds more clearly and hear better in noise. An increased MPO also provides more head room should one’s hearing loss progress in the future.

With a fitting range of up to 55 dB SNHL, the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor is able to deliver 7 dB more output compared with the previous generation Baha 5 Sound Processor^5,6 (Fig. 1), and provides similar MPO compared with the Baha 5 Power Sound Processor^5,7 (Fig. 2).

With this higher MPO, clinical evidence has shown a statistically significant improvement for patients in mean word recognition score in quiet (10.5%) and in mean speech reception threshold in noise (0.9 dB SNR) compared to a 45 dB device.^2,3 This higher MPO translates into better real-life experiences for patients.^2,3

Transducer technology

How are we able to achieve this higher power output while still maintaining the same small size as current 45 dB devices currently on the market? The answer lies in the optimized design of our BCDrive™ II transducer technology.

The vibrating transducer is the ‘engine’ of the a bone conduction device. Its performance sets, to a large extent, the sound quality, the size, the battery life and the MPO of a bone conduction device.

Cochlear’s electromagnetic transducers are of a symmetrical design with less distortion⁸, higher reliability⁹ and better efficiency¹⁰ compared to a conventional asymmetrical transducer design (Fig. 3). Optimizing our existing symmetrical electromagnetic transducer design through our BCDrive™ II technology results in more power output in the same small size^5,6.

With the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor, Cochlear is able to help deliver on the most critical need for patients: Delivering a 55 dB SNHL solution that provides premium-power to enable patients to hear better in noise^2,3, in the same small size as current 45 dB devices on the market.

Want to learn more?

Take our Foundations of Bone Conduction courses on AudiologyOnline to learn more about how Cochlear’s Bone Conduction Solutions and the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor fits into your treatment practice through counseling, demonstration, fitting and support.

References

Source: Online survey 2018, Cochlear conversations, n=145 adult recipients (Baha 5, Baha 5 Power and Baha 5 SP), US & UK
Hua H. Baha 6 Max Home test CIR CBAS5779. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2021; D1801512.
Hua, H., Goossens, T. and Lewis, A., 2021. Increased maximum power output may improve speech recognition with bone conduction hearing devices. International Journal of Audiology, pp.1-8. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2021.1959953
Gawliczek T, Wimmer W, Caversaccio M, Kompis M. Influence of maximum power output on speech understanding with bone anchored hearing systems. Acta Otolaryngol. 2020 Mar;140(3):225-229.
Leung B. Baha 6 Max Connect Datasheet. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB. Sweden 2021, D1760797.
Land J. Baha 5 Sound Processor Connect System Datasheet. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB. Sweden 2019, 630908.
Land J. Baha 5 Power Connect Datasheet. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2019; D801286.
Gustafsson J. BCDrive performance vs. conv. bone conduction transducer. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2015; 629908
Bergs T. BCDrive reliability vs. conv. bone conduction transducer. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2016; D844105.
Flynn MC. Smart and Small – innovative technologies behind the Cochlear Baha 5 Sound Processor. Cochlear Bone Anchored Solutions AB, Sweden. 2015; 629761.