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Signia has unveiled its Pure Charge&Go BCT IX receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aid, which features more practical solutions and greater choices for both consumers and hearing care providers. By emphasizing universal connectivity with Bluetooth Classic and retaining the company’s binaural beamforming and advanced processing, Pure BCT IX aims to remove the common frustrations and compromises inherent in modern hearing aid technology.
The BCT IX joins the Pure Charge&Go IX and IX T models, giving professionals and consumers a full range of connectivity options, including Bluetooth® Classic, MFi, LE Audio, and ASHA. This means that regardless of what kind of smartphone you use, there's a solution for you in the Pure Charge&Go IX product family.
Additionally, Signia also introduced its new TV Sound Streamer (see details below).
Signia Pure Charge&Go BCT IX is reported to provide the longest battery life of any Bluetooth® Classic hearing aid—36 hours of battery life, including up to 5 hours of streaming—while being the smallest Bluetooth Classic hearing aid on the market.1 With Real-Time Conversation Enhancement (RTCE) technology, the company says it offers more than twice the speech enhancement in noisy group conversations compared to other leading hearing aids.2
The new hearing aid relies on Signia’s successful Integrated Xperience (IX) platform, which is designed to enhance speech clarity in group conversations by splitting sound into discrete audio streams in real time. With advanced beamforming and AI-supported RTCE processing technology, it allows users to hear and track speech from various directions and sources, even as they move.
In independent HearAdvisor testing, hearing aids powered by Signia IX and previous-generation AX (Augmented Xperience) technology currently constitute 5 of the top-12 ranked prescription hearing aid models tested relative to speech-in-noise performance.
A key feature of the Pure Charge&Go BCT IX is its Bluetooth Classic connectivity, which allows the hearing aid to pair quickly with virtually all Bluetooth-enabled smartphones, tablets, and computers. Unlike recent hearing aid launches (including Pure C&G IX) that feature the newer Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) Audio standard, Signia’s BCT IX ensures all users can have a consistent and predictable pairing experience across iOS, Android, and other platforms.
Signia VP of Product Management and Clinical Education Leanne Powers, AuD, emphasized the importance of offering a more practical wireless hearing aid option. She told HearingTracker, "One of the biggest pain points in our industry right now is troubleshooting Bluetooth connectivity. With BCT IX, we’ve designed a solution that works effortlessly right out of the box—so providers can focus on patient care, not tech support."
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Connectivity problems are a source of frustration for both hearing aid users and providers, often because phone manufacturers routinely update their phones without accounting for wireless hearing aid use. Dr. Powers explained that almost all hearing aid manufacturers now staff a dedicated hotline for patients who need help with connectivity issues, and the call volume on these hotlines can sometimes exceed that of helplines reserved for hearing care providers.
“Frankly, we would rather put the decision power in the hands of the patient and the provider by having hearing aids that work well for everyone,” said WSA US Wholesale President and Chief Commercial Officer Søren Hvidberg Nielsen. “We don't develop high tech just for the sake of high tech; we develop solutions that make the hearing experience better for patients. That's true for our audiological features, and it's true for our connectivity solutions.”
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Nielsen pointed out that while Auracast broadcast technology may become a relevant feature in a number of years, it is currently available in very few venues across the United States. With this in mind, the new Signia BCT IX has an integrated telecoil that ensures accessibility in public places with hearing loop systems, such as theaters, lecture halls, and airports. This maintains Signia’s commitment to practical, real-world usability.
The new BCT IX hearing aid also offers hands-free calling that extends to both iOS and Android devices, an important improvement over previous systems that often required additional accessories or were limited to Apple products.
“This is truly universal connectivity,” Dr. Powers explained. “Users can now connect their hearing aids just as easily as they would a set of wireless headphones—no more complicated pairing processes or compatibility concerns.”
Jens Moeller, Head of Brand at Signia (from a press statement)Connectivity matters to clients, but it has long been a maze for hearing care professionals. For example, choosing a hearing aid with Bluetooth Classic often meant compromising on design, battery life, or essential features. The addition of Pure Charge&Go BCT IX to the Integrated Xperience platform is exactly what HCPs and wearers have been waiting for. Finally, a hearing aid with universal device compatibility and no compromises. It’s a solution they can trust to keep them connected, streaming, and enjoying best-in-class hearing assistance all day long.
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The BCT IX's rechargeable battery boasts a 36-hour runtime (with 5 hours of streaming), and it is designed to support users throughout their day. In standby mode with minimal streaming, Signia says the hearing aid’s battery life can extend to 54 hours, giving the device a reliable power reserve even as the lithium-ion battery’s efficiency naturally degrades over time.
Other practical features that come with the Signia BCT IX include:
Not to be lost in the new BCT IX, the core of Signia’s audiological advancements is its multi-beam speech tracking system. Unlike traditional hearing aids that rely on a single directional beam, the BCT IX and other IX hearing aids can process multiple sound streams simultaneously, actively tracking speakers in real-time without requiring the user to turn their head.
According to Signia's internal research, this approach, supported by 4th-generation ultra-fast ear-to-ear (E2E) binaural synchronization, improves speech understanding in noisy environments by 22% compared to leading competitors. Powers said their testing on KEMAR found that IX and RTCE technology provides a 3.2 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement over their best competitor.
Signia and parent company WS Audiology have recently published several papers on the performance of these hearing aids.3-5
Along with the introduction of the Pure Charge&Go BCT IX, Signia announced the company's new TV Sound Streamer. This device connects to the user’s TV and automatically pairs with Pure Charge&Go BCT IX hearing aids.
According to Signia, the new TV Sound Streamer delivers Dolby-quality stereo sound via Bluetooth Classic for an immersive audio experience. It is also backward compatible with all connectivity-enabled Signia devices, enabling simple and reliable streaming and TV listening.
For more details, please visit the Signia website.
Karl Strom ist der Chefredakteur von HearingTracker. Er war Gründungsredakteur von The Hearing Review und berichtet seit über 30 Jahren über die Hörhilfenindustrie.