Oticon’s story began in Denmark in 1904 with a mission to bring people closer together through better hearing. Since then, the company has become one of the leading innovators in hearing care, developing technologies that help provide a more natural, detailed, and engaging listening experience.

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Oticon

Our brain is one of the primary ways we connect with the world around us. Hearing should feel as natural and unrestricted as possible — the way nature intended, even when hearing loss makes a hearing aid necessary. In fact, especially then.

Oticon has always developed hearing aids designed to support the brain’s natural way of interpreting sound. Research shows that a full neural code is essential for the brain to function naturally.

What does this mean? The journey of sound begins the moment it enters the ear. Once it reaches the inner ear, the information is transformed into a neural code.

Independent research* has shown that the brain’s hearing center contains two subsystems working together to interpret this neural code. These subsystems analyze the information and transform it into meaningful sounds the brain can understand. The better the neural code, the better the brain performs.

* O’Sullivan et al. 2019; Hausfeld et al. 2018; Puvvada & Simon. 2017; See also Man & Ng. 2020.

A complete sound scene is needed to create a complete neural code

Traditional hearing aid technologies often suppress the natural sound scene through noise reduction, directional microphones, feedback management, and conventional compression. As a result, the brain receives an incomplete neural code. This can not only disconnect people from their surroundings, but may also work against the brain’s natural way of processing sound.

The latest Oticon hearing aids provide access to the full sound scene

Oticon gives access to the full sound scene*, supporting the brain’s natural way of processing sound. This helps create a richer neural code, providing the brain with the best possible conditions to function at its best..

We believe that the brain is the most important part of better hearing. After all, hearing is really all about thinking. Our ears collect sounds, but it is the brain that gives them meaning. In fact, the brain is the world’s most powerful sound processor.

A complete and perfectly balanced sound scene makes it easier for the brain to perform at its best.

We call this brain-first approach to hearing aid design BrainHearing technology. Since 2010, it has been the foundation of everything we do at Oticon — representing a true shift from the way hearing aids have traditionally been developed in the industry.

Learn more about BrainHearing technology

Oticon BrainHearing™

AI-powered Deep Neural Network

The Deep Neural Network is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based system that uses machine learning methods to enhance hearing aid performance. It improves the signal processing used in hearing aids, helping users better understand speech, reduce background noise, and enjoy clearer, more natural sound quality.

Oticon hearing aids use the intelligent capabilities of the Deep Neural Network to mimic the way the brain works. Incoming sounds are processed based on learned sound patterns and real-world listening experiences. The Deep Neural Network is far more than a conventional AI software solution — it is a unique technology specifically developed for hearing aids and designed to operate in real time, throughout everyday life.

Built on Oticon’s extensive expertise in sound processing, the Deep Neural Network has been trained using 12 million real-life sound scenes. This allows Oticon hearing aids to optimize sound amplification and adapt seamlessly across different listening environments. With this built-in intelligence, Oticon hearing aids have learned to recognize a wide variety of sounds, their details, and how they should ideally sound — all to better support the brain.

Oticon Zeal delivers premium sound quality designed to help you follow conversations more easily, even in more complex listening environments. Clearer speech understanding, balanced sound, and a more natural awareness of your surroundings help you stay confidently connected to the moments that matter most.