Scott Jung ordered the new Max Virtual Cynaps Enhance hearing system in the mail. Scott was born with a condition called an microtia, which means his outer left ear was underdeveloped. The cynapse Enhances hearing system was especially appealing to Scott because it uses a bone-conducting device to enhance hearing.
Cynaps Enhance Insides
The device can come as a stereo headband or as a baseball cap with the components built in. Each device has the same parts: a small pack with a battery, and on-off switch, a volume knob, USB charging port, two transducers, a sound processor, and two small microphones. Scott wasn’t entirely impressed with the quality of the product, but he kept in mind that this device was marketed by Indiegogo and was part of an experimental, hacker-friendly device. Therefore aesthetics aren’t very important just yet for this new product.
The hat and headband need to be very tight to the skull to be at maximum conduciveness, so people with long hair around their ears would have a very hard time getting the device to work very effectively.
Once the cap was adjusted to maximum comfort, the product proved to be amazingly powerful. Scott was able to hear papers shuffling, light tapping noises from across the room. Even his “bad” ear was able to discern sounds. However, it did sound like listening to something through a wall, also there was a lot of background noise.
The headband system was a deconstructed version of the baseball cap. The battery pack was in a separate pouch that was able to be clipped to your belt. Unlike the baseball cap, the transducers in the headband are “Super Transducers.” This added power allows the headband to put out 102 dB instead of the 80 dB the baseball cap puts out.
Although the two systems are great for increasing the volume of your surroundings, there is still a lot of work to be done in the field of clarity. However, Max Virtual seems to be on the right path to improve sound quality for the hearing impaired. It could prove to be a worthy competitor in the hearing restoration market.
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