How are the Whisper users doing?

Hearing Aids
#1

I started a Whisper trial about a year and a half ago. I had a thread where I compared Whisper to my (at the time) less-than-one-year-old Oticon Mores.

The comparison was close, but I decided not to get the Whispers. But Whisper said I could do another trial this year if I wanted. I can get an insurance benefit this year that should cover the cost of the Whispers entirely. But I don’t want to do another trial unless there’s reason to think that they are better now than before the most recent update.

So I want to ask @billgem @x475aws @happymach @Abarsanti and @cminchik (and any other Whisper wearers) about what is the current state of Whisper?

It looks like the last software update was over a year ago, in March 2022. I had returned my trial Whispers by then so I didn’t experience that update. I see that @billgem said that update made a big difference for him. But I didn’t see any other users comment on whether they noticed a difference. Did anyone else notice a significant improvement in speech comprehension with that update?

Has anyone heard about any new software updates that are imminent? I really had the impression that Whisper planned to have three or four software updates per year. That hasn’t happened. How about the new hardware?

I wonder how Whisper is doing as a company. Their lease price has been cut in half since the original Whisper was released. That has to require some painful adjustments to their revenue projections. I have heard that venture capital has been harder to get as interest rates have gone up. I wonder if they are having trouble competing for AI talent, especially with OpenAI and Google right in the same neighborhood.

I really want Whisper to make it. But I’m a bit concerned. Has anyone heard anything about how the company is doing? I realize that they are unlikely to share such information with customers, but maybe maybe someone has heard something?

#2

I heard - not confirmed - they let a lot of people go.

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#3

The site https://layoffs.fyi/ tracks tech layoffs. You can read about it in https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/05/business/roger-lee-layoffs.html. layoffs.fyi has no entries for Whisper.

The lower price is for support directly from Whisper, not through an audiologist, while some of the revenue from the higher price is/was shared with an audiologist, so it’s not a direct comparison. FWIW, as of May 5th “Pricing” was removed from the top menu.

I’m not confident in giving a detailed comparison of the 5th vs. 4th software update. But I can say that the 5th update immediately sounded different to me, so it might also be different for you.

#4

My sense is that while Whisper may, or may not, be using AI in a pioneering way for hearing aids, they aren’t stretching the bounds of the AI field. So they don’t need the OpenAI type of talent. I think Whisper’s challenge is more in the digital signal processing area.

#5

Yes, Whisper has planned 3-4 updates per year and initially kept to that schedule but have not maintained it in the past year. I was told by my audiologist that they have concentrated their resources on developing a 2nd generation, which is expected some time this spring.

I am thrilled with my Whispers and look forward to what improvements may be in store with the next generation.

#6

Did you hear that from a reliable source?

#7

There’s a video on Youtube that’s about 3 days old. It’s Andrew Song talking about himself and his philosophy on life basically. He doesn’t come across as someone whose company is about to fold. For what it’s worth…

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#8

Thank you everyone for your replies. That video was actually pretty inspiring. I was especially interested when he said, at about 11:25 in the video, something like that the existing hearing improvement technology is far beyond what is actually in existing products today.

THAT’S what I’m hoping to get from Whisper: getting that advanced technology into an actual functioning physical product. When Whisper releases its 2.0 version hardware (and, presumably, new software) I’ll almost certainly give it a try.

The Whispers I tried a year and a half ago were about on par for speech comprehension with the Oticon Mores I was comparing them with. That’s pretty impressive from a very young, small company that built a product from scratch. Maybe their upcoming new product will be superior to the major manufacturers’ existing products. I hope so.

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#9

Is that someone I’d like to see in charge of a company that makes medical devices which improves my life? Sure would. Wait, he is in charge of the company which makes the medical device which I use to improve my life.

This was a fantastic tape. My wife and I listened to it. She was impressed with his sincerity. I was impressed with his commitment to the end user. It gives me a lot of confidence in what they’re doing at Whisper. Thanks for posting it.

#10

You’re welcome and I agree. Even if we acknowledge that it is a promotional video, there’s a lot to like.

#11

they had Don Schum on board, I bet he wouldn’t have not joined the ranks unless
they are on to something. But knowing what I know in the industry they have a Hughe
battle, as it takes very large resources, marketing , regulatory, quality, supply chain etc etc

It they are really on to something, chances are they willl be bought for a very very large premium. While GN is in financial trouble , I can see them making a move.