NEW Sony OTC Hearing Aid Reviewed - CRE-C20 🔈

Sony first introduced OTC hearing aids in 2022, following the FDA's groundbreaking OTC regulation. Now, they're back with an updated, nearly invisible product featuring remarkably long-lasting rechargeable batteries (up to 28 hours), an enhanced chip for better background noise management, and an improved, though occasionally clunky, smartphone app.
In this video, we dive deep into the product, covering everything from its design and features to insights from weeks of real-world use in various environments.
Stay tuned until the end of the video for a demo of Sony's Hearing Control App, which lets you customize the devices to your specific hearing needs.
Purchase the Sony CRE-C20 with Soundly's guided setup here 👉 www.soundly.co...
Take our online hearing test to measure your hearing loss here 👉 www.soundly.co...
Soundly conducts in-depth research to guide those with hearing loss. Sony is a supporter of Soundly's work and provided samples for this review.

[@jofacio]

Thanks for sharing this information. Will this be your only hearing aid you use for the rest of your life or for a long period of time like a year or more ? Do you like this sound better than the other HA you have used and reviewed?

[@mchance65]

Thanks for the update. I tried the old C10 but the deal breaker was insufficient volume - unlike the CRE E10 which has more than sufficient volume for me. So the question is: does the new C20 have more amplification than the c10? Please comment.

[@fbczar]

Can you post examples of the stock audiograms Sony uses for the CRE-C20? I am concerned the available corrections will not match my hearing loss well.

[@Ed___1234]

I’m from the UK and fed up of what is available over here. If I was to buy these from you could you deliver to the UK and also help set them up with me? Thanks

[@jamesjennings8574]

I have the CRE-C10's. Is it worth the upgrade? I literally just purchased them in May, but hearing in background noise is my biggest complaint-- even with the C10's, there's still a bit of an issue.

[@richdiorio3650]

Which iic prescription hearing aide would you recommend? I heard Sharkey makes the best one performance wise. Thanks

[@HearSoundly]

That would likely be my choice as well! They do great customs

[@richdiorio3650]

I tried the cre 10 and found when I raised the volume I got a lot of feedback. Is that the case with these?

[@HearSoundly]

Interesting! I didn’t have that experience with C20 but also didn’t max out the volume. We haven’t gotten that feedback from customers as of yet. Perhaps they fixed it with the new chip. Lots of all around improvements on that front.

[@yairt516]

The ONLY reason to make them rechargeable is so they fail in 2 years!! The size 10 batteries last almost a week!! A full card of them can be carried in your wallet with the thickness of two credit cards! Why Why Why Why Why force us to carry around a charger and recharge the god damn things over night every night? OOPS i forgot to charge my hearing aids guess i'll be deaf for the day? The size 10 batteries are a no brainer, this is an awful trend and ruins the promise of these OTC devices for those of us that wear real hearing aids.

[@MoriJacobi]

It would be very good if hearing aid manufacturing companies start making hearing aids that have a second microphone on the charging case to amplify the sound. Something similar to Apple's AirPods and the phone's microphone

[@yayankee1]

No bluetooth....no sale

[@michaelbrewster3553]

Thank you for the review. I’m wondering if it is worth upgrading from the C10 based on sound quality improvements alone? Better performance in noisy environments would be great but my guess is it’s an incremental improvements not a game changer.

[@stevesawczynonyoutube2039]

I am wondering the same thing. I've been testing out the CRE C-10 and while I love them, I was hoping for a little more where speech processing is concerned. I know everyones hearing loss is different and such things are hard to 'describe, but it'd be great to know how the C-10 and C-20 differ specifically when it comes to processing speech.

[@keitha.9788]

Is there an up-grade program where I can trade-in my old CRE-C10 hearing aids for the new model?

[@marcusgrande3875]

I just purchased the C10s a few days ago :( That explains the $200 discount and $799 price point. As I plan to use these as secondary to my Phonak Paradise RIC HAs when I want a break from the receiver wire under the glasses or for outdoors in the sun, I'm ok with the battery. But the improved sound quality is enticing. Now I'm on the fence on paying the $200 to upgrade. In your subjective opinion, if one is in the 45 day return window, is the sound quality improvement enough to seriously consider switching for the new model? Going to live with these for quite awhile so now would be the time to switch.

[@HearSoundly]

I think it might be worth it. We notice a difference and as you say, you will likely have these for a long time. It’s not radical but there are definite improvements in noise. Not sure where you bought but maybe they will meet you in the middle on price for the upgrade. We have a promo code for C20 that I can send you if you text us. 213 460 1310. Both are good products but C20 is definitely a step up that we are excited about.

[@dank4522]

How are these vs eargo ses? I bet constant chirping feedback with the eargos. Do u get that with these?

[@HearSoundly]

Interesting! No I don’t detect feedback with this product although to be fair I don’t remember that being a big part of my Eargo experience either. In general Sony does a great job managing any feedback.

[@SteveBernardez]

Very helpful review. I've tried (and returned) a completely-inside-the-ear-canal prescription hearing aid that made my voice sound "boomy" and unnatural. It also made it hard to hear when I was eating as chewing was amplified, negating its value in loud restaurants. Does the Sony CRE-C20 have the same dynamic? Did it take you a long time to adjust to how your own voice sounds?

[@HearSoundly]

Good question. Which brand did you initially try? There's definitely an adjustment period with any pair of hearing aids but we haven't found occlusion to be too much trouble with this particular device. In general a RIC device has a bit less occlusion if that's something you are particularly trying to avoid.

[@user-ms6vm9ku2u]

nice review. how would you say it compares to the sennheiser all day clear, in terms of understanding speech with background noise?

[@HearSoundly]

They are close! The in-ear style lets in a little bit less outside sound which some people perceive as less natural. By contrast Sennheiser has a smaller piece in the ear so you get some outside world sound along with amplified sound. C20 and Sennheiser are our top OTC choices in their respective styles so it might come down to which style you prefer. Feel free to text us if you want to have a more in-depth discussion! [phone]

[@vingdesign]

Why is the hearing aid black? Wouldn’t flesh-color (perhaps several tints) be less visible?

[@HearSoundly]

Fair question. I’m not sure of the exact thinking here but a lot of people find that black blends in more naturally with the shadow inside your ear - since it sits deep inside

[@keitha.9788]

Been wearing the CRE-C10 for over a year. Nobody seems to notice that I'm wearing hearing aids...