Nano Hearing Aid Review | Prices, Products, Surprises

My Nano Hearing Aid Purchase

I purchased my Nano hearing aids online. The company is nearly always running sales, and I chose the BOGO Gold Bundle, which includes a pair of in-the-ear and behind-the-ear devices.

The purchase process was simple enough, and once it was complete, I was shown a video that explained Nano's mission and their 60-day challenge (more on that later).

The hearing aids arrived about a week later, and it was time for my unboxing.

Unboxing My New Nano Hearing Aids

My two new sets of Nano hearing aids came in their own boxes, each with a branded carry case. The packaging and case feel less premium than other direct-to-consumer products like Bose or Sony, but they are not bad for the price.

Each box includes various ear tip sizes, and Nano also sent a generous supply of batteries size 10 (used for the in-the-ear style) and size 13 (used for the behind-the-ear style) batteries.  

I started with a review of my new in-the-ear devices.

The in-the-ear style hearing aids are definitely not invisible in my ears, but they are reasonably comfortable and stay out of the way of masks or glasses. In the photo below you’ll see my Sony CRE-C10 devices for comparison.

Nano offers some rechargeable in-the-ear devices, but the version I got with my BOGO deal uses a disposable size 10 battery. Not a big drawback for me.

In-The-Ear Style Sound Quality and Adjustments

Adjustment

Nano in-the-ear hearing aids are straightforward, with only the option to adjust the volume (no programs or customization). To change the volume, you'll need to use a screw-driver-like tool and turn a knob on each device.

Overall clarity

In my experience, these hearing aids are boomy, don't manage background noise well, and don't offer customization to my hearing loss. I couldn't imagine wearing these in high-stakes situations like a meeting or a doctor's office.

Occlusion

‍I have pretty good hearing in low frequencies, which means that I don't typically like the feeling of my ears being plugged up.

The Nano in-the-ear product plugged my ears significantly, which I don't love. Some other in-the-ear brands, like Eargo and Sony CRE-C10, have more open venting and less boomy sound quality when I speak. You can test this out by putting a finger in your ear and talking.

Feedback

This one really got me. The hearing aids squeal EVERY time I put them in my ears. Once they were in my ears, they stopped squealing, but putting them in was uncomfortable.

I figured I was doing something wrong but later saw in the user manual the suggestion to "put the hearing aids in as quickly as possible" to avoid feedback.  

Takeaway

Net net, I would not recommend these devices, and I'm not sure they add a lot of value to the BOGO.

Next, I unboxed my behind-the-ear devices.

I typically wear behind-the-ear style devices for their comfortable fit and open sound quality. Instantly I found Nano's behind-the-ear style hearing aids more comfortable and more useful.

Nano's hearing aids are larger than other budget options like Bose, and they use a thin tube to send sound from the body of the hearing aid into the ear. Most leading hearing aids use a wire and send that sound to a speaker inside the ear.

Nano offers some behind-the-ear style hearing aids that are rechargeable (here), but the devices I chose use disposable size 13 batteries. Again, not a big drawback for me.  

Behind-The-Ear Style Sound Quality and Adjustments

Adjustment

‍Unlike Nano's in-the-ear devices, these products do offer some sound adjustment options using a smartphone app.

The hearing aids quickly and easily connected to the app, and I followed the prompts, which led me through a 10-minute hearing test.

Throughout the test, my hearing aids played a series of beeps at varying frequencies, and I tapped the screen each time the beep was audible.

At the end of the test, I instructed the app to customize my hearing aids, and they took me to the "band" screen where I could review my amplification at each frequency.

My initial results were reasonably accurate for my right ear and pretty far off for my left ear. I've taken enough hearing tests to know the shape of my hearing loss, so I made some manual adjustments.

I do like the fact that the band adjustments are so readily available in the app. Knowledgeable users can easily customize their sound without re-taking the test.

The "mode" section of the app has a series of pre-set configurations for various settings. I played with the modes and found all-around to be the most useful.

Overall clarity

‍After I got my hearing aids set up, I wore them in a few different noise environments to test their ability to manage background noise. Overall, they did ok! They certainly boosted clarity for TV watching, and I didn't have issues with the sound of my own voice.

Takeaway

These are budget hearing aids. They definitely don't compete on form factor or sophistication with more premium OTC devices like Bose or prescription devices like ReSound OMNIA. The app is reasonably easy to use, but the hearing test wasn't accurate for me.

That said, these hearing aids could help someone hear better in simple listening situations, like in front of the TV or quiet conversations. The question is whether they are worth $597.

My experience with Nano customer service.

A quick Google search reveals a significant number of unhappy Nano customers. Some complain about customer service.

Midway through my setup, I called the customer service number to troubleshoot the squealing in-the-ear hearing aids. My wait time was a little over 5 minutes (a little annoying), but when I got someone on the line, they were helpful and knowledgeable.

The customer service agent did need my order number to locate me (vs. my phone number or name). Once I found that number, he walked me through options like changing the ear-tips and batteries.

There wasn't much he could do about the squeal as that appeared to be a hardware limitation.