Signia Pure Charge & Go AI MaX - product review
- Koorosh Nejad
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
If AI and DNN can help process sound better for the wearer of the hearing aids, why don't we process all sounds around and see what happens? This is what Signia did in their research centre in Germany and eventually released the Signia Pure Charge & Go MaX hearing aids, their first AI-driven hearing aid. Signia believes that the use of AI in sound processing is one-dimensional, meaning they target only speech and bring it out of the background sound, but what about the other sounds that we also want to hear, for example, the piano that is playing in a restaurant, or kids laughing out in the garden?
I am reflecting on this hearing aid and promise to update this article as soon as I get a chance to try Signia Pure MaX myself to see how it stands against Oticon Reveal and Phonak EON Sphere. Stay tuned.
Note:
You may need an overall overview of AI- and DNN (deep neural network) driven hearing aids to get up to speed with advanced sound processing in digital hearing aids.
Signia MaX (Max for Multi-Adaptive Xperience)
What are Signia MaX highlights?
Four dedicated DNN processing systems
Built for multi-speaker, noisy environments
A completely new hardware upgrade (compared to X and IX platforms)
The most complete connectivity: Auracast, telecoil, LE Audio and Classic Bluetooth
28-30 hours of run time with 8 hours streaming
How does the use of AI and DNN differ in Signia Pure MaX from other hearing aids?
Signia has introduced wider and deeper use of AI and DNN sound processing in the newly released Signia Pure Charge & Go MaX hearing aids (let's call it Signia MaX).
The Signia MaX platform uses a deep neural network in four layers of sound that together make up our soundscape: speech, noise, own voice and scene. Signia call this new system Acoustic Intelligence. The Signia Acoustic Intelligence, unlike other hearing aids, does not wait for the noise level to reach a certain level to start the AI processing. Imagine the Signia Acoustic Intelligence as similar to a sound engineer who has full control over the above four components of the sound around you and, in real time, is adjusting one versus the other to reshape, refine and make the overall balance that hits your eardrum optimised.
The four DNNs in Signia MaX are trained with 40 million samples, 11 different languages, and 6 music genres, and thousands of different voices and listening environments. This is a record in the hearing aid industry at this point. Signia MaX is able to choose from 800 million optimisations every second!
The AI chip in Signia MaX has 54 times more processing power than the other premium hearing aids, twice the memory and is 50% more efficient. All that has enabled Signia to keep the size of Signia MaX small and offer 28 hours of run time on a fully charged hearing aid.
Speech and conversation are the centre of all AI processing in Signia MaX. Real-time conversation enhancement AI keep tracks of multiple speakers in front of the wearer, even if they move around. Noise is dynamically controlled, meaning the ones that are not favourable, such as the noise of a car passing by or cutlery in a restaurant, are managed, and the ones deemed complementary to the sound scene, such as a music band, are considered.
I have to say the above are massive claims, and I cannot wait for a chance to try the new Signia MaX myself to experience and report back on this post.
How does the own voice processing (OVP) work in Signia MaX?
I found Signia OVP quite useful, especially for first-time hearing aid users who notice their sound is boomy or like they're talking in a box. The Signia fitting software allows the wearer to count numbers, and by listening to the voice, it adjusts the gains to compensate for the gain spectrum so the wearer's voice is not noticed as much. In my experience, it works about 95% of the time.
The Signia OVP AI in Signia MaX is automatic and is on by default. The Own Voice AI is trained with 1.5 million voice samples to recognise the wearer's voice and right away compensate the gain spectrum for the voice of the wearer.
What connectivity options come with Signia MaX?
I am impressed by how Signia pushed the envelope to include all the connectivity options, backwards and forward, including:
Classic Bluetooth
LE Audio
Telecoil
Auracast (activated in 2027)
What technology levels is the Signia MaX available in?
The Signia MaX is available in 3 technology levels: Signia Pure MaX7, MaX5 and MaX3. Signia has yet to release more details about the features of each tech level. I will update this section as the information becomes available.
Does Signia MaX come in different form factors?
At the time of this post, the Signia MaX is only available in the RIC (receiver in Canal) form factor.
Does Signia Max come in a battery-powered model?
At the time of this post, the Signia MaX only comes in a rechargeable model with a boasting 28 hours of running time when fully charged despite its small size and all-on AI processing. The trend in the industry is towards rechargeable models for better reliability, and I do not see a change in that direction, so I doubt that in future a battery-powered model of Signia MaX will be introduced.
Does Signia Max offer a CROS or biCROS system?
Unfortunately, Signia has not indicated a release of a CROS and biCROS system for the Signia MaX platform in the September 2026 release. Please stay tuned and register for our mailing list to be informed of such product releases.
What colours is Signia MaX available in?
Signia MaX hearing aids are available in 8 colours: Beige, Black, Chestnut Brown, Dark Champagne, Honey Blonde, Rose Gold, Silver, Titanium Grey
Is Signia MaX the best hearing aid for hearing speech in a noisy environment?
I have a mild to moderate hearing loss myself, and I am excited to try the Signia MaX in a test drive to see how it stands against Phonak EON Sphere and Oticon Reveal.
I would imagine that Signia MaX's philosophy is closer to the one from Oticon Reveal, allowing the user to hear all the sound around with a priority given to speech. To what extent this satisfies the wearer's auditory cortex, where speech understanding happens, is a case-by-case and personal experience, in my opinion. I have reflected more on the sound processing philosophy between Phonak EON Sphere and Oticon Reveal in this article.
The other point to emphasise is the importance of the acoustics of the ear canal, proper fitting and the REM adjustment. No AI or DNN processing can compensate for a poorly set hearing aid.
What is the best price for Signia MaX in the UK?
The price of hearing aids has two components: one is the price of the product, and the other part is the support and services you receive. Product attributes are usually limited to the technology level of the hearing aid. The services component includes free or paid aftercare, warranty terms, etc. So it is very important to be aware of what you receive in the services and aftercare bundle when you compare the price of a specific model of hearing aid from one supplier to another.
You can find Signia Max in the UK market ranging from £2,500 a pair up to north of £5,000 a pair. Please see the price range of Signia MaX in the HearingNow catalogue here. Please see our warranty and aftercare terms here.
Conclusion
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Questions?
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