▼ Summary
– The Oticon Zeal hearing aids provided surprisingly good streaming audio quality with a separate media equalizer, but they lack any meaningful noise cancellation.
– The companion app is highly intuitive and includes useful features like device finding and fast pairing with Apple and Google devices.
– The tiny devices have no physical buttons, offering only optional tap controls that many users disable due to accidental activation.
– Despite their size, the hearing aids were very comfortable for long periods, largely due to their small form and correctly fitted ear tips.
– Inserting and removing the aids is difficult due to their small size and unique twisting mechanism, posing a significant challenge for users with dexterity issues.
The Oticon Zeal hearing aids deliver impressive audio streaming quality from their remarkably compact design, featuring a dedicated three-band equalizer for media that operates separately from the device’s primary sound profile. It’s important to note they lack active noise cancellation, making them less ideal for noisy environments like airplanes or gyms, even with the closed ear tips recommended by an audiologist. These sealed tips were crucial for my experience, effectively minimizing occlusion, that unpleasant, booming feeling when the ear canal is blocked, without causing significant discomfort during extended wear.
Oticon’s companion app earns high marks for its intuitive and straightforward interface, which includes a practical “find my hearing aids” function. Pairing with an iPhone was seamless, and while untested, Oticon claims these are the pioneering hearing aids compatible with Google’s Fast Pair for Android and ChromeOS. Support for the emerging Auracast broadcast standard is also included.
Given their miniature size, the Zeal devices naturally forgo physical buttons. Instead, they offer customizable tap controls that an audiologist can enable or disable. These gestures can adjust volume, switch listening programs, or handle phone calls, though many users reportedly deactivate this feature to prevent accidental triggers when handling the aids. I found myself rarely using the tap controls during my evaluation.
Regarding long-term wear, the Oticon Zeal proved exceptionally comfortable for prolonged periods, a benefit largely attributable to its tiny form factor and the critical step of selecting correctly sized ear tips. However, their insertion and removal present a notable challenge. The unique shape requires a precise twisting motion to secure the retention lock within the ear’s concha, and their extremely small size complicates handling. Users with dexterity concerns may find this process particularly difficult, as achieving the correct placement is a tactile task nearly impossible to visually guide, even with a mirror.
(Source: Wired)
