Bernafon has been developing hearing systems in the Bern region of Switzerland for 60 years and can trace its roots as far back as 1924. They envisage a world in which people with restricted hearing can communicate again without limitation thanks to advanced technology. Long-term collaboration with customers, partners and employees from all over the world has created a strong company with sustained growth and business success. Bernafon was and remains a pioneer of hearing aid technology, and its innovations have a distinguishing influence on the hearing instrument industry. The Bernafon Group operates with a worldwide network of 14 sales companies and independent distributors in over 40 countries.

GN ReSound is part of a group called Great Nordic that was established in 1895 and has its headquarters in Denmark. ReSound, is today represented in almost every country in the world. The company draws on a vast pool of resources at many technology centres where their researchers work to apply technology to real human situations. Key to the ReSound philosophy is the recognition that technological innovations make sense only if they deliver actual user benefit. This company has been responsible for a number of hearing industry firsts: WDRC (Wide Dynamic Range Compression) broke new ground for sound processing. DFS (Digital Feedback Suppression) was the first system to effectively eliminate the whistling associated with hearing aids and the introduction of “Air” open-fitting hearing aids in 2003 avoided plugging the ear canal and sound became more natural than ever.

Oticon began life in 1904, when Hans Demant began importing hearing aids to Denmark. When Hans died in 1910, his son William took over the business. In the 1920s William continued to develop the business and managed to secure the sole agency for Acousticon hearing aids for the entire Nordic Region. In the 1940s, World War II made supplies difficult so William began producing his own instruments. The Oticon TA was the first Danish hearing aid to be produced, and it was released in 1946. By the 1970s Oticon was located in a large production facility at Thisted, Copenhagen. Sister companies were established in Holland, USA, Norway, Switzerland and Germany. Later that decade Oticon opened its own independent research centre at this facility. Technological advancements in the last 15 years have enabled Oticon to introduce a number of groundbreaking products. In 1991, MultiFocus was the world’s first fully automatic hearing aid. Adapto launched in 2002 incorporated Artificial Intelligence and was awarded the European Information Society Technology 1st Grand Prize. In 2006 Delta made its debut with revolutionary lines that completely changed the face of hearing aid design and in 2010 Agil Pro, Oticon’s most sophisticated product ever was introduced. Agil Pro’s Spatial Sound 2.0 helps users organise sounds, know where they come from and make sense of surroundings effortlessly and intuitively.

Phonak's basic business principle is to creatively challenge the limits of hearing aid technology. With continuous efforts to find new solutions, Phonak achieves one of the highest innovation rates in the hearing instrument industry. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland and represented in more than 100 countries Phonak has developed, produced and distributed technologically leading hearing systems for more than 50 years. Phonak has a profound knowledge of hearing technology and acoustics and cooperates intensely with hearing care experts. Their latest product portfolio is arguably the best and most complete range of digital hearing aids currently available. “Sound Recover” (frequency compression) is proving to be one of the most important new features available on digital hearing aids to restore maximum speech clarity to those users with a high frequency hearing loss.

For over a hundred years (since 1878 and the Phonophor developed by Werner von Siemens), the company has been a leading organisation in the development and production of high quality hearing systems. The use of innovative techniques, attention to user convenience and style consciousness has established Siemens as the largest manufacturer of hearing aids worldwide. Today, Siemens holds numerous patents for improving the quality and sound of hearing systems. The Pure, Motion and Life range of hearing aids combined with the Bluetooth enabled TEK wireless transmitter provide versatile hearing system solutions for all types of hearing loss.

In 1967 Starkey Founder William Austin established a hearing instrument repair service in Minnesota. Four years later, he acquired a small ear-mould company called Starkey Laboratories, and merged the companies under the Starkey name. Austin's experience in hearing aid distribution and repair led him to create the concept of comprehensive hearing solutions. Austin's focus on customer satisfaction helped set new standards for innovation and service. Starkey is now the largest manufacturer of hearing aids in the United States and is proving itself within the European market. The new Starkey S Series hearing aids with Drive Architecture™ are some of the most advanced hearing aids available. The feedback cancellation system is claimed to be the most effective in the industry.

Since 1964 Unitron has emerged as one of the fastest growing, most successful hearing instrument manufacturers in the world. An independent, core brand of Switzerland’s Sonova Group, Unitron serves hearing healthcare professionals and their customers through 16 national offices and third-party distributors in a further 53 countries. Unitron is headquartered in Kitchener, Canada, a geographic centre of scientific and academic excellence. Their state of the art research centre has developed the new Passport™ series hearing aids. With the aid of Bluetooth and remote controls Passport™ empowers the hearing aid user with the confidence to communicate, even in challenging listening environments. Passport can automatically match your hearing instrument settings to your surroundings using an array of advanced, adaptive features.

Widex is one of the world's leading hearing instrument companies with products distributed in more than 90 markets around the world. Its market share is approximately 10% making it the world's sixth largest manufacturer of hearing aids. Widex was founded in 1956 by the Tøpholm and Westermann families, who still own and run the company. The Head Office is located in Denmark and manages all research and development, administration and most production. Approximately 900 staff are employed at this location. The new Passion 440 and Mind 440/330 hearing aids are proving to be among the best premium digital hearing aids currently available. Telephone us now to obtain our latest prices on all Widex hearing aids.