SoundGear Earns Two Hearing Technology Innovator Awards for Phantom and SoundCheck Live

SoundGear Phantom. EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN — SoundGear, a Starkey brand dedicated to hearing protection and hearing wellness, has received two Hearing Technology Innovator Awards recognizing SoundGear Phantom and SoundCheck Live for advancing the future of hearing protection and hearing health....

Continue reading at Hearing Tracker

✦ The floor

Discussion

Signed responses from readers of the wire.

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

No actionable clinical change — this is an industry award announcement with no clinical evidence presented.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

Industry recognition for hearing protection devices signals growing market attention to hearing wellness and noise-induced hearing loss prevention beyond traditional hearing aids.

✦ Key Points ✦

01SoundGear, a Starkey brand, received two Hearing Technology Innovator Awards in 2026.
02Winning products are the Phantom (hearing protection) and SoundCheck Live (hearing wellness).
03Awards recognize innovation in hearing protection and wellness technology categories.
04No clinical efficacy data accompanies this announcement.

✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

ClaimEvidenceSupport

SoundGear's Phantom advances hearing protection technology.

press releasepromotional

SoundGear's SoundCheck Live advances hearing wellness technology.

press releasepromotional

✦ Related stories ✦

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·4mo ago

Effectiveness of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Versus Professionally Fitted Devices: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Audiologists should be prepared to discuss OTC hearing aid effectiveness with patients — this meta-analysis provides the strongest comparative evidence to date and may inform counseling on when professional fitting adds measurable benefit.

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·3d ago

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids in Ageing Populations With Hearing Loss

Audiologists should be aware of the emerging evidence base on OTC hearing aid effectiveness in older adults with mild-to-moderately-severe hearing loss, as findings may inform counseling on device options and appropriate candidacy boundaries.

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·3mo ago

Does the Apple airpods pro 2 hearing aid feature meet prescribed targets for standardized audiograms?

Audiologists counselling patients using AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids should be aware of deviations from NAL-NL2 prescriptive targets, particularly for specific audiogram configurations, as fitting accuracy may be insufficient for some degrees of hearing loss.

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·3w ago

Extremely High Fitting Range and Dangerous Levels Permitted by the Current FDA Guidelines for OTC Hearing Aids and the Need to Consider RECDs

Audiologists fitting or advising patients on OTC devices should be aware that current FDA output limits may be unsafe for small ear canals (e.g., children or adults with smaller canals); advocating for RECD-based verification remains best practice.

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·4mo ago

An Evaluation of Preset Collection Size in Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

Clinicians counseling patients on OTC hearing aids should be aware that the number of preset options can meaningfully affect usability for older or less tech-savvy users, but specific prescriptive guidance awaits broader replication.

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·8w ago

Preferences for Over-the-Counter and Prescription Hearing Aid Processing Across Listening Environments

Audiologists counseling patients on OTC versus prescription hearing aids should monitor this research; if OTC devices show comparable or situation-specific listener preference for environmental sounds, it may inform fitting recommendations and patient education, but clinical...

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·3mo ago

Perceptions of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids: A Qualitative Study Informed by the Technology Acceptance Model

Understanding patient-perceived barriers and facilitators to OTC hearing aid uptake can help audiologists better counsel hesitant patients and position professional services as complementary to — not competing with — OTC options.

PubMed·Journal article·OTC / consumer·2mo ago

Understanding Hearing Health Care Choices and Customer Archetypes in an Era of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

Audiologists should recognise that patients now self-select into provider-led or OTC pathways based on identifiable attitudes and circumstances; understanding these consumer archetypes can improve counselling and retention strategies.