Nachrichten
Sales of Sony Hearing Aids Discontinued; WSA Eyes Next Steps for OTC Market
The exit ends one of hearing care’s highest-profile partnerships and highlights the challenges facing OTC hearing aids.)
Veröffentlicht am Apr 17, 2026
:format(webp))
After HearingTracker noticed that all three Sony over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid models—the CRE-E10, CRE-C10, and CRE-C20—have been listed as “Item no longer available” on Sony’s U.S. website for several months, a WS Audiology (WSA) spokesperson has finally confirmed that the companies have mutually agreed not to renew their 2022 agreement. This closes one of the most prominent partnerships, which was formed after the FDA established the OTC category some three-and-a-half years ago.
Sony OTC hearing aids will remain available for a few more months through some of WSA’s channels. Existing customers will continue to receive warranty and service support, said the spokesperson.
WSA expects the financial impact of the end of the partnership to be minimal. The company plans to remain active in the OTC market in the future, just not under the Sony brand.
The Sony-WSA alliance was one of the headline partnerships of the early OTC era. When the companies announced the deal in September 2022, they said they would combine Sony’s prominent branding and retail reach with WSA’s exceptional hearing aid technology to help shape the new OTC market. The FDA’s OTC hearing aid rule took effect on October 17, 2022, making the partnership an early test of whether a major consumer-electronics brand could help bring hearing aids into the mainstream.
What makes the exit especially notable is that the Sony devices performed and tested well, while WSA also provided good virtual support for purchasers. HearAdvisor ranks the CRE-E10 first among 60 OTC devices it has evaluated, and the CRE-C10 also earned an A SoundGrade. In other words, these are not products with poor sound quality or weak product engineering—facets that have plagued other OTC entrants.
Instead, the decision may say more about the economics and positioning within the OTC category. Sony’s website offered the three OTC hearing aid models for $700 to $1000 (CRE-C10 for $700; CRE-E10 for $900; CRE-C20 for $1000), and all were pre-set instant-fit devices with 4-6 programs controlled by the Hearing Control App. The E10 was Sony’s flagship earbud-like OTC aid that featured audio streaming for iOS devices, while the C10 and rechargeable C20 were completely-in-canal (CIC) non-wireless aids.
Their price tags made them more expensive than many competing OTC options in what is an increasingly price-competitive market. Apple, for example, now includes an FDA-authorized self-fitting hearing aid feature in its $249 AirPods Pro 2 and 3. Unfortunately, Sony’s exit adds another name to the list of higher-quality OTC hearing products that have been discontinued in recent years, including Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus, Jabra Enhance Plus, and Nuheara’s IQbuds2.
A recent HearingTracker survey by Abram Bailey, AuD, noted that the average price for OTC hearing aids is $502 per pair—a difficult price point to achieve if offering sophisticated tech combined with important online support services that have been available from companies like Sony/WSA, Jabra Enhance, and Lexie/Eargo.
The broader takeaway is not necessarily that OTC hearing aids have failed; it is that the market remains especially challenging for devices priced near the upper end of the OTC spectrum, which cater largely to consumers who may still want more guidance, more follow-up and long-term support, plus a clearer reason to choose an OTC over a prescription hearing aid. WSA, for its part, still describes OTC as part of its broader hearing care strategy, even as its most recent quarterly update highlighted U.S. market softness and a continued emphasis on profitability and new launches across its Widex and Signia brands.
Karl Strom ist der Chefredakteur von HearingTracker. Er war Gründungsredakteur von The Hearing Review und berichtet seit über 30 Jahren über die Hörhilfenindustrie.
