Otofonix is one of the main hearing amplifier brands that offer a good range of models. In fact, they have a model in three different price ranges. The Otofonix Elite comes in at a mid-level price range. This also makes it their mid-level model, carefully balancing features, price, and quality.
In this review, we’ll investigate just how well this balance is achieved with daily use and where the Otofonix Elite might fall short. As always, we’ve summarized our findings in a quick, 30-second visual review that you can find at the bottom of this post or by clicking here.
Otofonix has a great reputation, and their customer service is lauded even by people who don’t like the Otofonix Elite itself or who experienced trouble with their hearing amplifier. Another example of the manufacturer’s reputation is the 45-day money back guarantee on top of the one-year manufacturer’s warranty. To learn more about the Otofonix company and its different models, click here.
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Key features of the Otofonix Elite
While the Otofonix Elite doesn’t have a single key feature that immediately distinguishes it from other hearing amplifiers, the features that it offers are impressive enough. With four listening programs and ten volume settings, users can easily adjust their hearing amplifier to fit their environment.
The normal listening program will suffice for most situations. The noisy setting is perfect for environments with a lot of background noise, like restaurants, open spaces or when there’s a lot of wind. The power setting amplifies sound even more, which is especially helpful when watching tv. The final setting is a treble setting, which helps eliminate the whistling feedback noise that can sometimes pop up when wearing hearing amplifiers.
The digital sound processing works with four channels and twelve bands. The twelve bands help adjust volume at specific frequencies. This ensures that sounds are not all amplified in the same way, but the hearing amplifier can focus on the frequencies you need to hear. The channels help add ‘depth’ to the frequencies; the more channels a hearing amplifier has, the more focused you will hear the sounds around you.
The Otofonix Elite is featured as:
* One of the best hearing aids under $400
Who is the Otofonix Elite for?
The Otofonix Elite is designed to help people suffering from mild to moderate hearing loss. This type of hearing loss is a common symptom of aging. When you start to have a bit of trouble having conversations, especially in a noisy setting, you’re probably suffering from mild hearing loss.
Other than that, the Elite is designed to pack as much quality into an affordable package as possible. While it’s not a top-of-the-line hearing amplifier, it is an excellent replacement of an ‘official’ hearing aid, which will cost at least a tenfold.
How well does the Otofonix Elite work?
The Otofonix Elite does a great job delivering on its promises. The sound is clear, focused, and the Elite really is easy to use. The noise-cancelling features work great and ensure whistling sounds and other distracting background noises are suppressed. With the different programs, it’s easy to switch between different settings.
A surprising number of Otofonix users have switched to this hearing amplifier after losing the prescribed hearing aids and report only slight differences. The small size and long battery life help make this Otofonix model a nearly seamless listening experience.
The Otofonix Elite is very easy to operate. The battery door serves as the on/off button, while all the listening programs and volume settings are operated with just one button.
The Otofonix Elite also comes with both open domes and closed domes. This means that this model hearing amplifier can both be classified as an open fit model or a standard-issue hearing amplifier.
The Otofonix Elite works with size 312 batteries.
What’s not to like about the Elite?
While the Otofonix Elite offers a lot of features for a sharp price, there are some common problems that users report about the Elite. Some people experience trouble with the hearing tubes, reporting the tubes breaking or falling out on a regular basis. The box comes with two hearing tubes, but extra tubes need to be ordered from the manufacturer’s website.
Another issue that has been reported is that the focus on high frequencies isn’t as good as it is in other hearing amplifiers. Focusing on high frequencies makes sure that only those sounds are amplified that need the most ‘push’, while ignoring sounds you can hear just fine.
Hearing amplifiers that are good alternatives for the Otofonix Elite
While the Otofonix seems to be perfect, its sound quality is rivaled by the ZVOX VoiceBud VB20, a comparable hearing amplifier that uses two microphones instead of the standard one microphone. The full review for the ZVOX VoiceBud hearing aids can be found here.
The Otofonix Elite might be a great deal, it can still be a steep purchase for some, especially if you’re unsure you need all its features and power. If you’re looking to dip your toe into the world of hearing amplifiers, the Neosonic Open Fit is a good alternative. People looking for a cheaper alternative with the benefits of Otofonix should consider the Otofonix Apex, Otofonix’ basic model. On the other side of the spectrum, the Otofonix Encore has a lot more to offer than the Elite.
Should you buy the Otofonix Elite?
If you’re looking for a great balance between price and quality, the Otofonix Elite is hard to beat. The amplified sound is clear and layered, creating a listening experience that comes close to the hearing aids that cost a tenfold. With a small size, long battery-life and great customer support, secondary features are also covered neatly.
This isn’t the best hearing amplifier on the market, and it doesn’t truly rival the professional hearing aids that cost thousands of dollars. But it might very well be the best listening experience per dollar you can buy. People looking for a good all-round hearing amplifier will not regret the Otofonix Elite.
Please keep in mind that if you decide to buy the Otofonix Elite, that the hearing amplifier doesn’t automatically come as a pair.
The Elite costs $395 a pair.
The Elite is Otofonix’ middle-of-the-road model, with the Encore as a higher-end model.
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