Name: Cochlear Nucleus® 8
Brand: Cochlear
Rating: 4.4 (10 reviews)

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ForwardFocus and Beam for directional hearing

N8 also introduces an improved ForwardFocus feature. With the N7 product, your implant audiologist could decide to allow you access to a dedicated directional microphone program. This was accessible via the push button on the sound processor or the Cochlear smartphone app, the Nucleus Smart App. ForwardFocus is designed to help recipients hear better in noisy situations, ideally when the speech of interest is in front of the listener. It works by attenuating noise from the side and to the rear of the wearer. ForwardFocus is only intended for recipients 12 years and older who can easily understand when and how the feature should be used.

With the N7 product, ForwardFocus was not automatic; the recipient had to choose the program or feature to activate it and remember to turn it off in quieter environments. However, with N8, your implant audiologist can program the device to allow for automatic ForwardFocus, although it can still also be configured to be accessed manually.

In addition, Cochlear notes that they have improved on the adaptive feature of the directional microphones via their Beam^® technology. This means the sound processor can attenuate (reduce) noise from varying directions in near real-time.

For example, if you are speaking to someone at a gathering and the noise is primarily behind you, the directional microphone will attenuate noise from directly behind you. However, if you shift and pivot to your right, for example, the directional microphones will adjust and now try to diminish the noise to your right side. This allows for better hearing in dynamic noisy situations. Adaptive directional technology has been available for quite some time in hearing aids and is now considered standard for most digital hearing aids on the market.

Some recipients may find the automated ForwardFocus annoying, as they may hear it changing more often than they may be accustomed to (e.g., for those that have upgraded from the N7 to the N8). However, keep in mind that your audiologist can program ForwardFocus to be manual or automatic.

One resource useful for comparing devices is the Cochlear Implant Help website which offers a comparison chart across the 3 different companies available in the United States. It also provides helpful learning resources. However, at the time of this writing, the chart has not been updated with the new Nucleus 8 speech processor.

Probably the closest competitor to the N8 is the Advanced Bionics sound processors, the Naida CI M and the Sky CI M. Advanced Bionics offers two processors depending on whether the recipient is an adult (Naida CI M) or a child (Sky CI M). Advanced Bionics is owned by the Sonova Holding Group which also produces Phonak and Unitron hearing aids, among others.

In more recent years, Sonova has been generally considered the leader in wireless functionality for hearing aids, and this carries over to their CI speech processors. For example, while Cochlear does offer direct streaming from compatible devices, it does not allow for hands-free calling or synchronized control across devices; Advanced Bionics products do. This also means that steering of internal controls like noise reduction and directional microphones are synchronized across ears, whether in the case of two sound processors or a sound processor and a compatible Phonak hearing aid.

Another feature unique to Advanced Bionics is that their latest products allow for microphone placement not just in the sound processor but also at the canal's entrance via their T-mic™ and/or on the coil worn on the head. The optional T-mic is intended to take advantage of the natural sound-gathering effects of the ear and shield the microphone from wind noise. It can also act as a telecoil when needed.

An optional microphone on the headpiece allows for off-the-ear wearing of the device. However, this is a needed option as Advanced Bionics does not offer another off-the-ear (OTE) option as Cochlear does with its Kanso 2 product.

Med-El, the third cochlear implant company FDA-approved, also offers an OTE sound processor with their Rondo 3 product.