Widex SmartRIC Hands-On Review + Pros and Cons

We put the newly designed Widex SmartRIC through the paces to see if the new angle is worth the hype. In this video we break down the reason for Widex's new hardware overhaul, what doesn't change, and with our thoughts on how the new model stacks up.
Get more details and price estimates for Widex SmartRIC here 👉 www.soundly.com/product/widex...
Read our full guide to the best hearing aids on the market in 2024 here 👉 www.soundly.com/blog/best-hea...

[@alphjack0]

Noisy restaurants are always the worst for people with hearing aids. This said, I tried the front focus with the smart RIC and was totally surprised. the tabel behind me was so loud , that it was almost painful. When I went to front focus it made it so i could barely hear them, but could hear my wife clearly. Love It!

[@HearSoundly]

Wow this is awesome to hear! Thanks for sharing

[@davidmccarthy6061]

Good review, thanks!

[@jonfrank313]

I've had these for about a month, replacing my six year old Oticons. I tried a pair of Starkeys first, they were fine, but once I heard music through the Puresound program in the Smartrics, I was hooked. Yes, they are a little more prone to move than conventionally shaped hearing aids, but I agree that is an acceptable tradeoff for the quality of the sound. One important detail you didn't mention is that the there are no controls on the hearing aids. Any changes to volume or programs must be made using the phone app or the small remote that Widex sells separately. The only way to turn them off and on, including for Bluetooth pairing, is to put them into and remove them from the charger. This bothered me at first, but it's actually not a big deal at all. The little charger is great. I've never worn the prior generation Moments, so I can't comment on how they compare to those.

[@HearSoundly]

Great notes! Thanks for chiming in.

[@karenwickboldt6750]

I cannot thank you enough for your insight. I am in the process of getting my first HA and my audi suggested Widex due to my tinnitus. I immediately fell in love with the Xen program and find it to be a life saver. I started with the moment but the "hair noise" was so bothersome I figured I would end up not wearing them as much as I should. I then saw the Smartric had just come out and have begun my trial with those. It greatly reduces the "hair noise" and will most likely purchase these. I think they sit a little lower behind my ear than they should and will be asking my audi to shorten the wire which I hope will help with the "movement" you mentioned as well as placing them correctly behind the ear! Would you agree that they should higher on the back of ear than the moment?

[@HearSoundly]

Thanks for the note! Glad you are finding some immediate benefits between old and new models

[@basa820]

How is the sound streaming quality from your phone?

[@jj-se5tu]

I'm new (3 days) to hearing aids and this is the model I have. I'm wondering if it has tap capability for answering calls? My audiologist says it should have tap but I can't get it to work and don't see anything mentioned in the paperwork. I appreciate your time 😊

[@ednunpourtahmasbi605]

HI. no those ones do not I'm afraid, nor can you take calls on them. Which is to say, you can listen to the sound of the phone if you're in a call, but you need to hold the phone to your face and speak into the phone mic so the caller can hear your voice. Your voice cannot be picked up via the mics in the hearing aids. For that, you need a seperate ad-on accessory for the hearing aids.

[@djriki0]

Wont it whistle when taking hearing aids off and cant turn it off first?

[@HearSoundly]

I haven’t had that issue. These devices have very mature feedback suppression built in so you would have to work very hard to get a squeal out of them

[@Seether1975]

I had a trial pair and have now subsequently ordered a pair. I found that if you hold them in your hand (I take them off before shower and then carry it to my desk where I keep the charger) it does sometime start whistling if you cup your hand in a certain way, but a quick adjustment makes it stop.