The New Harmony System is the only cochlear implant with HiResolution Sound and HiRes Fidelity 120™*
Because more information provides
the most complete sound picture
Because a broad range of sound offers
richness and fullness to your hearing life
3. Detailing sound with 10 to 20
times greater resolution
Because details are needed for music
and better hearing in noisy environments
4. Delivering processed sound at the
fastest speeds
Because high speed stimulation preserves the
information to meet unique hearing need
Click here for enlarged image of their sound capturing window>>
Click here for enlarged image of our sound capturing window>>
*In the United States, approved for adults only.
The first step in sound processing is capturing the sound. With a vastly wider sound window than other cochlear implants, the Harmony HiResolution Bionic Ear System captures the most complete picture of sound. If the sound window is small, the information being captured may be incomplete, causing sounds to be either partially or completely missed. Some cochlear implant systems require that the recipient flip a switch to hear soft sounds, such as a whisper, and then switch back to hear the louder sounds around them. It’s often impossible to know in advance when you may need to hear a loud or soft sound. HiResolution Sound captures a wide sound window (up to 80 dB) and processes the captured sound in full CD quality. Like modern HDTV systems, the system’s digital processor continually monitors the incoming signals and optimizes itself to help maximize performance in any situation. Like normal hearing, the Harmony System automatically adapts to your listening environment, minimizing the need for you to flip switches or make adjustments.
The environment is filled with wonderful and complex sounds that occur over a broad range or spectrum. The sound spectrum is like the color spectrum. Imagine a photograph where you see only half the colors. It would be possible to understand the image, but the richness and fullness of the photograph would be missing. HiResolution Sound composes the sound spectrum to a palette of up to 120 spectral bands designed to more accurately represent the sounds in the environment. Other cochlear implants limit the palette to 22 or fewer bands, selecting only the parts of the spectrum deemed most important and discarding half or more of the spectrum. With the Harmony System, the entire captured spectrum is composed for a richer picture of the sound environment to help you hear in noise and appreciate music.
Sound unfolds over time with fine details enabling us to hear and understand its changing dynamics. HiResolution Sound applies CD-quality sound processing to capture the fine details. Conventional processing is like AM radio, where details may be lost. Compare the picture quality on an analog television to high definition on an LCD or plasma television. When resolution is low, sound information is degraded into a simplistic outline, missing the intricate details. This kind of outline is best suited when the environment and speech are simple. With 10 to 20 times greater resolution, HiResolution Sound allows complex environments like restaurants, a busy house, or music to be created in a digital rendering where the cues, changes, and details are preserved and the nuances can be understood.
The rate at which stimulation is delivered to the nerve is important for preserving the highest fidelity of sound. HiResolution Sound offers the fastest rates available in a cochlear implant—up to 83,000 pulses per second (pps). The Harmony System can not only match the slower rates (30,000 pps) of other cochlear implant systems, but also offers the fastest rates available designed to more closely match the normal hearing nerve. To illustrate using a movie: Other cochlear implant systems must drop frames to keep up with the action, so you get the gist of the scene, but miss the details. With HiResolution Sound, more of these details are kept, thereby making a good movie great. Over 90% of clinical trial participants reported hearing their personal best at rates only offered with the Harmony System. With the most strategies to choose from and the broadest range of rates available to meet your hearing needs, the Harmony System is uniquely designed to help you hear music better, hear better in noise, and to hear more naturally.
Sound processing technology is critical in helping you reach your maximum hearing potential. The Harmony HiResolution Bionic Ear System processes sound with CD quality for the most accurate representation of the natural sound environment. What does this mean for you?
Conventional sound processing can be compared to AM radio, while HiResolution Sound is like listening to CDs. Or compare watching traditional television to a high-definition plasma or LCD screen. The clarity, brightness, and high resolution enhance the picture to provide a more life-like image.
Cochlear implant sound processing is based on sound science and neuroscience. Sound has three primary components: frequency, intensity, and time. Only a small portion of these components is needed to hear words.
To appreciate the richness of sound and to go beyond words, more detail is needed. It’s the details that distinguish not just what a word means, but how it’s said—with enthusiasm, sarcasm, or passion.
And to fully enjoy music, even more detail is needed. It’s these details that can enhance your favorite song or musical composition. HiResolution Sound is designed to enrich your entire listening experience and help you hear beyond words.
Compare the performance of the Harmony System to other cochlear implants below.
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