Nuance Audio Glasses
Nuance Audio Glasses are stylish, over the counter (OTC) hearing aides seamlessly build into prescription ready eyewear. They feature hidden directional microphones and discreet speakers to help adults with mild to moderate hearing loss without relying on bulky, in-ear devices.
Key Features
Invisible Hearing Tech: Nothing goes directly into the ear canals. Instead, directional microphones capture sounds in front of you, and open-ear speakers beam the audio directly into your ears. This is especially helpful for eyeglass wearers who have hearing loss versus wearing hearing aids that can get in the way of eyeglass temples, creating an uncomfortable fit.
App-Controlled: Using the Nuance Audio mobile app, earners can customize sound profiles, adjust volume, and switch between audio modes (frontal focus or surround hearing). They also offer a multifunctional button on the frame temples for adjusting the volume or turning the glasses on and off, and a tap control on the temple to change the mode. Customization is limited to 4 preset programs and 2 audio modes.
Custom Lenses: The Nuance frames can be fitted with standard prescription lenses, and they are frequently sold with Transitions Gen S lenses that adapt to changing light outdoors.
Rechargeable: The glasses come with a wireless charging pad and typically offer about 8 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Who Are They For?
Nuance Audio Glasses are an ideal, situational hearing solution for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss who want to hear conversations in noisy environments like restaurants or meeting, but do not want to deal with the stigma of traditional hearing aids. Because if their 8-hour battery limit and lack of audio streaming (like music or phone calls) they are not designed to replace traditional all day hearing aids, that can stream calls and music directly into the ears.
What Works Well
Speech Clarity in Quiet to Moderate Environments: They do a respectable job boosting nearby voices, adding crispness to consonants that you may have been missing
Directional Audio: The glasses feature a 6-microphone array that isolates voices that are directly in front of you.
Open-Ear Comfort: Because the speakers direct sound to your ear canal, ears are not physically6 plugged, avoiding the stuffy, occluded feeling of traditional in-ear hearing aids. Only the wearer can hear the audio.
Discreet Look: The glasses look and feel like a normal, lightweight pair of everyday glasses.
Where They Fall Short
Challenging Background Noise: While they isolate sound well in quiet rooms, they struggle in extremely loud or crowded venues like busy restaurants.
Amplified ‘Own Voice’: When you calibrate the app and speak, you will notice a ‘robotic’ or heightened amplification of your own voice, which can require some adjusting to.
Limited Battery Life: Battery life ranges between 5 to 11 hours depending on how much background noise the glasses are filtering.
Muted Adjustments: While the app allows you to adjust presets, users note that the physical fit of the frames cannot be adjusted, and the in-app audio changes can feel subtle.
Nuance Audio Glasses are made to help users see clearly while also improving how they hear in certain listening environments. The glasses are meant to help people who already wear prescription eyewear and who have noticed that hearing conversation in busy settings has become more difficult. We can attest to their capability because our owner, Jim Hawley, wears them successfully, daily.
