The “official” review of these new hearing Aids (HAs) can be found at:
This is my own experience with them, so far:
On August 25, 2023, I had a remote session with a highly competent Au.D. She re-tuned my Orka 2 HAs to be much closer to my audiogram, which I had previously submitted over the net as part of the registration procedure in the app. All aspects of the performance were pretty darn good, except that the incoming streaming of phone calls was too faint to make out. However, my outgoing voice was apparently very well received (a prior trial with my spouse produced similar results). I switched to a mid-size set of double domes, and the incoming music streaming was of almost acceptable volume. But, the phone stream had not improved. On August 29, I received a text from the audi saying that the techies were working on the issue, please stand by. So, at the very least, they have attentive staff with great customer response. Another thing that I cleared up was that indeed these are meant for mildly severe hearing loss. Somewhere in the weeds of their online presence they used the FDA “mild to moderate” qualifier. The audi said that she would get that corrected. The charging case is absolutely first class; in addition to USB-C (wall wart and cable included) it works with a wireless charging pad just like ear buds, and it has a button to initiate pairing. But, once paired with my iPhone and iMac, they stay paired. Bluetooth works well–at least 15 feet, or more, range, and it’s clear as a bell. The “Noise” mode, selected on the app, cuts down very noticeably on ambient noise and focuses listening on the person opposite. Downsides: the unacceptable incoming phone streaming and only 11-hour run time (though the case stores enough energy for two “refills”). If they can fix the former and send out firmware updates, they will have a real contender to offer. It won’t beat my Lumity, nor maybe even the similarly priced brand name HAs at Costco, but it would surely be worth considering.
Today, August 30, I received a text from the audi, to which I agreed:
“If you are willing, can you continue to use our devices for the next 60 days or so? I know our product development team has stated this issue should be resolved on the next over the air update expected to be released early to mid October. I have gotten approval to extend the trial period until after the update for the phone streaming. Is this something you are willing to do? I want to ensure you that your concern is being addressed. Thank you!”
So, stay tuned, to be continued below with recommendation not to purchase Orka Two’s.
