The innovative „contact lens for the ear“ Lyric sits invisible for up to four months in the ear canal
Hanover, Germany / Stäfa, Switzerland (13th October 2010)
Phonak introduces a completely new product category that can be worn 24/7
Lyric by Phonak represents a revolutionary new hearing aid category: The „contact lens for the ear“ is placed deep in the ear canal by a hearing care professional, is invisible from the outside and can be worn for up to four months without interruption during all daily activities. The unique placement close to the eardrum allows a natural sound quality, without surrounding noise, feedback or occlusion effect. A comprehensive starter package for hearing care professionals provides ideal support for the introduction phase. The package comprises extensive training, dedicated equipment and a Lyric fitting kit. Wireless and digital programming of Lyric is made with the new fitting software Phonak Target™.
Thanks to its unique position close to the eardrum and the natural function of the pinna, Lyric offers excellent sound quality and enables directional hearing. High frequencies are naturally amplified, while surrounding noise and feedback are efficiently reduced. For up to four months, the Lyric wearer can just forget about the hearing aid.
„Lyric is effortless and nobody sees how well the wearer hears. Lyric overcomes the boundaries that used to prevent people with hearing loss from wearing a hearing aid,“ says Valentin Chapero, CEO of Phonak. „No battery exchange, cleansing or daily insertion is required with Lyric. It can be worn 24 hours a day during all daily activities like showering, sports, telephone conversations, and even during the night while sleeping. Lyric is the first hearing aid that has the potential to create a consumer pull. With Lyric, Phonak once again underlines its position as innovation leader. “
Subscription for Lyric – a client-oriented business model
Based on an innovative battery concept, Lyric can be worn for up to four months without interruption. After this time period, a new Lyric is inserted. The Lyric subscription model offers various benefits for both client and the hearing care professional. The client benefits from comprehensive support service throughout the subscription duration, and the hearing care professional can build up trusting long-term client relationship. The subscriptions are available with various duration options. The administration and logistics can easily be mastered with a dedicated subscription management and stock system.
Addressing a new target group
Lyric has been designed for people with mild to moderately-severe hearing loss. The new product category especially addresses first-time users who due to mainly cosmetic reasons and the maintenance of hearing aids chose not to opt for a hearing aid in the past. Lyric overcomes these entry barriers and allows for broader acceptance of hearing aids.
Lyric will be presented at EUHA congress. The Lyric fitting process requires an extensive training and special equipment, and Phonak will start training hearing care professionals from November on. It is crucial to Phonak to provide profound support to its Lyric partners. Phonak assumes that Lyric will be available at hearing healthcare professionals across Germany as of spring 2011.
For more information, please visit www.phonak.com or contact:
Hear the World
Elena Torresani
+ 41.58.9280101
Elena.Torresani@phonak.com
Phonak AG
Laubisrütistrasse 28
CH - 8712 Stäfa
Tel:+41 (0)58 928 01 01
Fax:+41 (0)58 928 20 11
www.phonak.com
About Phonak
Headquartered near Zurich, Switzerland, Phonak, a member of Sonova Group, has developed, produced and globally distributed state-of-the-art hearing systems and wireless devices for more than 50 years. The combination of expertise in hearing technology, mastery in acoustics and strong cooperation with hearing care professionals allows Phonak to significantly improve people’s hearing ability and speech understanding and therefore their quality of life.
Phonak offers a complete range of digital hearing instruments, along with complementary wireless communication systems. With a worldwide presence, Phonak drives innovation and sets new industry benchmarks regarding miniaturization and performance.
