Starkey Introduces Enhancements and New Style to Wi Series Family

Updates to Wi Series Include Voice iQ2 and Spectral iQ

Minneapolis, Aug. 5, 2011 – Starkey Laboratories, Inc., a global leader in hearing technology, is excited to introduce a new style and new features for Wi Series™. Starkey has expanded the Wi Series line with the addition of a flexible, high-performance receiver-in-canal (RIC) featuring a 13 battery. In addition, Wi Series has also been enhanced with Voice iQ2, an update to Starkey’s leading noise reduction and speech preservation system, and Spectral iQ, a frequency audibility technology designed to help patients who truly need this intelligent option.

It all starts with IRIS™ Technology, Starkey’s proprietary platform responsible for the wireless performance, power and versatility of the Wi Series lineup. Constantly monitoring and scanning the wearer’s environment, IRIS Technology enables benefits that no other wireless product can match, including Binaural Spatial Mapping, a unique ear-to-ear communication protocol that queries, analyzes and maps the acoustic space surrounding a patient and applies the appropriate processing strategy for directionality and noise management.

Building off of the award-winning design language that has earned several industry honors, the RIC 13 is the newest member to Starkey’s comprehensive RIC lineup to let hearing professionals fit all types of hearing loss with receivers ranging from 40dB to the 70dB gain Absolute Power. It delivers the battery life of a standard 13 product in a case smaller than Starkey’s RIC 312 and features a configurable user control for either volume or memory. Additionally, the RIC 13 includes a telecoil, locking battery door, is DAI capable and features HydraShield®2 adding advanced oleophobic properties to the HydraShield nanocoating to better protect the RIC 13 hearing aids from earwax and other oily substances.

Wi Series offers an array of new and enhanced features including:

• Voice iQ2, Starkey’s leading noise reduction and speech preservation system, now with nearly double the noise reduction capability, is designed to help patients focus on the sounds they want to hear by reducing the sounds they don’t.
• Spectral iQ, a smart solution for patients who have steeply sloping, high-frequency hearing loss. It is designed to enhance real-time audibility by intelligently identifying high-frequency speech cues – then replicating them in lower frequencies. 
• Updated signal processing architecture to improve overall sound quality and efficiency, including new vent modeling, automatic vent detection, improved compression and updated eSTAT targets.
• Activated via SurfLink™ Remote, iQ Boost allows patients to enable aggressive noise reduction while optimizing sound quality in extremely noisy situations.
• Self Learning, which gradually and automatically learns patient volume control preference in each active memory and is designed to ease patient transition to a new technology.
• Swap Fit, a fitting function that allows hearing care professionals to transfer patient settings from their current Starkey product to a new Starkey product.

Wi Series also offers a number of features hearing care professionals have come to expect from Starkey including PureWave Feedback Eliminator with up to 28dB of added stable gain* and Live Real Ear Measurement, which is integrated into every hearing aid, helping hearing care professionals verify the audibility and provide a prescriptively appropriate fitting. Finally, Wi Series provides On Demand options: T2 On Demand, which helps thousands of practices deliver care more efficiently; Audiology On Demand™, a feature in the Inspire® software that gives hearing care professionals immediate access to a Starkey audiologist who can help with difficult fittings; and Starkey’s innovative suite of iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® Touch apps.

SurfLink Accessories

Wi Series connects with the innovative SurfLink accessories – including the SurfLink Programmer and SurfLink Media. The SurfLink Programmer, combined with IRIS Technology and the Inspire® fitting software, provides ultimate speed and flexibility in direct-to-hearing aid wireless programming. It connects easily to a fitting computer via standard USB connection and automatically detects Wi Series hearing aids in seconds, enabling a hearing professional to program the selected hearing aids. It has a range of at least 20 feet, and with Adaptive Frequency Agility, several programmers can be used in the same office, and it is up to four times faster than HiPro and twice as fast as NOAHlink and nEARcom.

For patients, SurfLink Media provides the first set-and-forget media streaming solution. Simply plug a TV, radio or MP3 player into SurfLink Media and rich, stereo sound is streamed directly to any Wi Series hearing aids in range without pairing or body-worn relay device. As people move through their homes, Intelligent Media Mobility seamlessly transitions them to different devices. SurfLink Media eliminates audio delay and lip-sync issues and allows for adjustable range and volume control.** Additionally, multiple users can be connected to the same media source. Finally, SurfLink remotes are available for patients in three different configurations.

About Starkey®

Starkey Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held, global hearing technology company headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. The company is recognized for its innovative design, development and distribution of comprehensive digital hearing systems. Founded in 1967, Starkey currently employs more than 3,500 people, operates 22 facilities and conducts business in more than 100 markets worldwide. For more information, visit Starkey.com.

*Hearing Review, October 2010
**Latency is unnoticeable according to International Telecommunications Union standards.