Understanding Split Processing Technology in Signia IX and AX Hearing Aids
With its latest Integrated Xperience (IX) platform launched in October 2023—just over a year after the launch of its Augmented Xperience (AX) platform (in September 2022)—Signia builds upon tried-and-true speech-in-noise technology. However, to truly understand the new Signia IX platform, it is helpful to first understand the Signia AX platform.
Signia AX offered key improvements in speech processing and wireless streaming. The most significant improvement of Signia AX was to divide the sound into two separate streams: 1) A "focus stream" from the front of the hearing aid wearer, and 2) a "surrounding stream" consisting primarily of sounds from in back. These two streams are processed independently (“split processing”) so noise—primarily presumed to be the sounds received from the back—could be reduced more effectively while those toward the front where speech of interest usually originates could be accentuated.
AX devices are designed for excellent sound quality and improved speech understanding in a wide range of listening environments. Its Augmented Focus technology is available in all three technology tiers (3AX-7AX), allowing you to choose a tier that best fits your listening needs and your budget. The Own Voice Processing (OVP) 2.0 system ensures your own voice sounds natural and helps you engage in more conversations.
The AX line is available in all styles including the slim-bodied Styletto AX Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) device which has proven to be a trendsetter in the industry.
Signia IX elevates split processing in AX to the next level by dividing the front "focus stream" into three separate snapshots of sound. Referred to as Real-Time Conversation Enhancement (RTCE), this feature in Signia IX adds the world's first hearing aid with a multi-stream architecture capable of accurately pinpointing multiple moving speakers in real-time conversations—identifying, enhancing, and tracking the location of multiple conversation partners, even as they move.
By doing this, a total of 4 streams (3 in front and one in back) are processed and analyzed independently. If speech is detected in the focus stream, the hearing aid increases the volume (gain) of that speech signal while reducing noise.
With the ability to analyze (processing 192,000 data points per second), augment, and adapt to the conversation, Signia IX amplifies the speech of a speaker of interest, even if the sound source is moving. Using spectral cues and information from your head movements (via inertial sensors inside the hearing aids), it can lock onto the speaker and increase the volume by steering the beamforming microphones to pick up important speech signals.