5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Sound Wonderful Product!

B. · May 18, 2023

I've had the CRE-E10s for one week and I'm still learning their capabilities...previously and for about two years I had worn Kirkland Phonak 9.0s which I'd purchased from CostCo...they were fine, but I eventually started looking for an OTC pair of hearing aids to help me with my moderate-to-slightly severe hearing loss.I researched OTC hearing aids for a few months and began focusing on the Sony CRE-E10s...I have been a long time Sony customer, having enjoyed everything from their high-end minidisc recorders to TVs to Sony's component stereo systems and headphones....so I was familiar with Sony's high audio standardsThese CRE-E10s may seem slightly high-priced for OTC ($1300) but my Kirkland 9.0s were $1400, so I knew these Sony OTCs were in fact reasonable in price...on arrival and unboxing I examined the CRE-E10s and they are substantial in weight, but not too heavy and with a nice, luxurious feel and surface...With the CLICK SLEEVES on each hearing aid, the long, audio "output" part of the hearing aids fit right in the ear canal...(so far I'm using the medium-size click sleeves)...with a slight twist forward and a little wiggling, they sit safely and securely at the base of the ear, resting in front of the ear lobe area...they do not feel like they will fall out...BTW: I was in the exam chair on my back at the dentist yesterday and the hearing aids felt very secure in my earsAfter reading the little manual (there really aren't a lot of instructions) operation of these hearing aids was easy and intuitive to me, plus some trial and error. I found a quiet spot in my house and proceeded with the Sony hearing test to determine the state of my hearingThe test was essentially listening for 0-3 beeps and indicating how many beeps I heard...I passed my left ear test then completed the test for my right ear...everything was good to go...the next step was to set a proper volume level manually for both ears...I set my overall volume at about 75...loud, but not harsh or overloaded. I would say this step is the most important...make sure you carefully adjust this "post-hearing test" volume level to your liking, because this level is the actual overall operating level of the devicesBy the way, I took the hearing test once, but the hearing aid sound seemed very unbalanced with feedback...I decided to take the hearing test again and the sound I heard was beautiful and near-perfect. I would suggest taking the hearing test honestly, don't try and cheat the test...if you hear or don't hear beeps just be honest and indicate which beeps you really hear. The hearing test seems to be the process with which the devices are calibrated for one's ears (it's not really a "pass/fail" test...but I could be wrong)My hearing aids were set up, but I waited until the next morning to explore their functions and to try them while watching TV, driving my car, walking outside ...the HEARING CONTROL app (for iOS only) is very simple...VOLUME on one screen and TREBLE/BASS on the next screen...the third screen shows a DIRECTIONAL HEARING control and a AUTO buttonI have my hearing aids set quite loud, and have been experimenting between AUTO setting and DIRECTIONAL setting...as mentioned above, yesterday I had a dentist visit (root canal!) and used the directional setting for "forward" - I could hear everyone in the office fine - I like to listen to music in my car and have been experimenting with the settings...AUTO can often be too loud with too much audio coming into my ears...BUT in general, music listening via hearing aids with my car speakers playing is amazing...high-end treble is clear, with good mid-range and solid bass. These hearing aids pick up even tiny sounds in my car, so I keep them set at about "5" - I love music and haven't heard music like this in years...the hearing aids are clear-sounding, and bring out audio details in albums and songs I forgot existedStreaming SPOTIFY directly through these CRE-E10s is easy and satisfying...there's a little icon near any Spotify app music stream that says "AIRPLAY OR BLUETOOTH"...click on that icon and the music flows into the Sony hearing aids...simple! The streaming sound is very high end, clear stereo and rich, good treble and bass...the hearing aids act like real super high-end ear buds...the music streaming alone is worth the cost of these hearing aids...streaming YouTube and Internet or podcasts audio work well, too...I have a slightly older iPhone and the connection between them and these hearing aids is greatOVERALL I give these Sony hearing aids a "9" or a "10" - I would like to see a couple of new functions on the HEARING CONTROL APP (maybe there's some way to open up the clarity of one's speaking voice while wearing the hearing aids, as my own voice seems muffled in my own head when I speak...though this is a minor quibble)I knew Sony would come through with these hearing aids and I'm very, very happy with them...my research payed off!...they've already made me a little more confident and willing to interact with people without saying "WHAT?" or "HUH?"In short, Sony did a great thing by developing and putting these CRE-E10 hearing aids on the market...very much recommended!

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor sound quality.

T.P. · February 5, 2024

I really wanted these hearing aids to work. I did a lot of research and read many wonderful reviews of these. The reality has been very disappointing! They charged effortlessly, they connected with my cell phone instantly and the software app worked well. However, the sound quality is extremely poor. I tried endless tweeks with the software and even purchased alternate sleeves for the ear pieces. Nothing improved the weird robotic tone of voices and the over emphasis of very high frequencies. I found the unnatural sound quality a deal breaker. They are promoted as having sound quality comparable to prescription hearing aids. If this is as good as it gets, then all who have some level of hearing loss are out of luck.

4.0 out of 5 stars More Pros Than Cons

L. · January 10, 2024

I'm a long-time hearing aid user. When my Widex aids failed after five-years, I purchased top-of-the-line OTC Eargo hearing aids which, despite great features, have proven to be unreliable. When my Eargo 6 devices failed for the third time, I decided to try these Sony hearing aids. So far so good.I've owned my Sony devices for three monthsProsVery good audio quality, as would be expected from SonyIn-the-ear earbud form factor is reasonably confortable to wearProgramed to match individual hearing lossSmartphone app works well to adjust for different environmentsFront and rear facing microphones can be adjusted to supress rear background noise.Good for carrying on a conversation with someone in a noisy environmentRechargable batteries with long battery life on a single chargeShort recharge timeGood value for the moneyReliable (so far)ConsNon-hear-thru design blocks off most natural hearingIn-the-ear earbud form factor is very visibleAudio/Call streaming only available with iPhoneOne year warrantyOne final thought. I play classical guitar. Many hearing impaired guitarists, myself included, find their hearing aids distort the sound of their instruments. Removing our hearing aids while playing seems to be the most common solution. By turning the volume down with the smartphone app, my Sonys introduce the least impact on the sound of my instruments of any hearing device I've owned.14-Month UpdateE10 Hearing aids are still going strong. Battery life is still excellent.However, one small problem I've noticed is with the charging system. If you fail to carefully position the hearing aids squarely and securely on the gold charging contacts in the case, they fail to charge.