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.

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.

[bberns]

For me there's a massive improvement over the C10's (have been wearing for 8 months). Once properly set up the C20's clarity, volume and speech intelligibility are far better than Lexie B2's or Sennheiser Everyday Clear by a country mile!! The non-vented domes or sleeves that come with the C20 are not optimal as they can cause your own voice and bass sounds to be exaggerated (occlusion effect). Order the vented sleeves or use a pair of cuticle scissors cut two small openings to vent. Hearing things that I have been missing out on for years, so happy!!

[knottreel]

My concern of the rechargeable as opposed to a small battery is how long does the device last. My experience with rechargeable electronics is that eventually they lose their ability to hold a charge. Is there a lifespan to these cre-20 where eventually you will have to replace them?

[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?

[lrc]

Thanks for the reviews. Just purchased Sony cre-e10 from your website

[alanbalura]

Hi, I love the sound of this product, no pun intended, my question is, I live in the UK and finding a supplier here is proving somewhat difficult ! also I have read a few revues on the C20 suggesting that talking or eating can cause some discomfort ?
I thing it would be a really good idea if Sony made a plastic replica so you could try it out for comfort before purchasing it.

[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.

[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

[roadrunnerproperty]

Ok - which is better Sony CRE10 or the Eargo SE? I'm leaning toward the Eargo SE. What say you????

[michaelbrewster]

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.

[krellman]

Overall I’ve been pretty happy with the CRE-C10’s and have been wearing them for over a year now. Putting aside that the CRE-C20’s are rechargeable, would it be worth upgrading to them or are we splitting hairs when it comes to performance?

[amyrose]

Just bought these a week ago….. can’t get them adjusted to be comfortable for my ears. My voice is too loud or other voices aren’t loud enough….. so I’ll be going to an audiologist. they maybe great for some people but surely not for me I have hearing issues where loud noises physically hurt and yet be I have significant hearing loss.

[dacrow]

i have a slight loss of hearing on my right ear only, is the sony one has a feature where it can be used on my right ear only (left one is interchangable)

[richdiorio]

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

[ChallengerB]

I'm on my 4th or 5th set of the Sony CRE-E10 (through warranty replacements in 2 years), which I really like because they're re-chargeable (and not over the ear), but each set has the right ear bud get to a point where it won't charge in the case. Left one charges fine. These CRE-C20 seem to have a similar charging case and I wonder if they will have the same issue. Otherwise, I'm extremely interested in these and will probably be the next ones I try. I'm an Android user so have not had access to BT streaming anyway.

[mchance]

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.

[SteveBernardez]

Very helpful review. I've tried (and returned) a 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?

[richdiorio]

You mentioned they re the same as the Signia ones. Signia makes 3 levels of these, do you know which ones they are comparable to?

[drpat]

Does it need a "deep cleaning" as the Eargo 7 does? I am not terribly pleased with Eargo.

[pcv]

I had the Eargo 7s but had to return them. I have small ear canals and found I had to keep pushing them back in. Do the C20s fit differently or would I have the same issue?

[TazZ]

How would you compare this to Eargo 7?