361 - Inside Signia MaX Hearing Aids: Four DNNs and a New Approach to Sound Processing

What changes when a hearing aid uses four specialized deep neural networks at the same time?

Andrew Bellavia travels to Munich for an early look at Signia MaX, the company’s new hearing aid platform built around what Signia calls Acoustic Intelligence. Andrew sits down with Barinder Samra, MSc, Global Senior Commercial Audiology Manager at Signia, to explore how the new architecture differs from Signia IX and why the company is moving beyond using AI for individual processing features.At the center of MaX are four task-specific DNNs dedicated to speech, the wearer’s own voice, environmental scene analysis, and noise. Rather than operating as isolated features, the networks share information to create a broader picture of the listening environment and coordinate how the hearing aids respond in real time.

The discussion looks closely at RealTime Conversation Enhancement AI, which builds on the multi-speaker conversation technology introduced with Signia IX. MaX replaces the previous machine-learning approach to speech detection with a dedicated DNN trained to analyze, detect, and isolate speech, while Own Voice Processing AI eliminates the need for the in-clinic own-voice training procedure used with earlier Signia devices.

Topics discussed include:

• How Signia MaX and Acoustic Intelligence use four specialized DNNs
• RealTime Conversation Enhancement AI and group conversations in noise
• How MaX differs from the previous Signia IX platform
• Own Voice Processing AI and the removal of in-clinic voice calibration
• Ambient Scene Adaptation AI and Dynamic Noise Control AI
• How the hearing aids distinguish between listening to the environment and actively participating in conversation
• The new MaX chip and increased processing power
• OneConnect Technology and support for Bluetooth Classic, LE Audio, telecoil, and Auracast
• Battery life and charging
• Signia Assistant and user-driven hearing aid adjustments
• Where Signia sees the MaX platform going next

Andrew also shares his impressions after wearing the MaX hearing aids around Munich and directly comparing them with his own Signia IX devices.

Be sure to subscribe to our channel for the latest episodes each week and follow This Week in Hearing on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.

• - https://x.com/WeekinHearing
• - https://www.instagram.com/thisweekinhearing/
• - https://www.linkedin.com/company/this-week-in-hearing

Visit us at: https://hearinghealthmatters.org/thisweek/