Sony's OTC Hearing Aids Hear life unfold.

Didn’t want to write this review too soon as I wanted to make sure that I really do love these hearing aids. Put them in immediately upon receiving them and downloaded app, read instruction book, etc. Only tricky part was learning how to insert them in ear so that they didn’t fall out. My left one fell out during the first couple of days but after changing the sleeve and playing with the fit I got the knack of it. Am enjoying the sound quality and they are so much nicer than the one’s i got at the audiologists three years ago. Very pleased with this purchase! Thank you.

I replaced expensive behind-the-ear hearting aids with these, and I find that the sound quality is at least as good, maybe better! I like the in-ear aspect, and am able to hear sounds in front of me better than with the behind-ear models. My only complaints are that the aids are black, and quite visible - I wish they were available in more of a flesh color, and that you have to carefully place them in the charger so they make contact. Overall, however, I'm very happy with this purchase.

So I have been wearing these for just short of 24 hours. The small sized vent pre installed seem to work for me. Setup was simple and intuitive. The hearing test took a few minutes but the fine tuning that the aids did as a result is definitely worth it. Sound quality excellent; nothing too tinny or harsh, some occlusion effects but not as bad as other choices (in my experience) and even after a short time I seem to be adjusting. Overall I am thrilled with these aids and think they are going to be a great help. I’ve worn behind the ear in the past but with glasses they were painful. This is a much better option!! Thank you Sony!!

We acquired these specific hearing aids first and foremost because they are SONY brand which in our opinion has a reputation for top of the line quality in audio (and video) merchandise. They do not disappoint. The ear pieces are very small and fit quite comfortably in the ear canal even over extended wearing times. They are hardly noticeable once inserted. The battery charge (USB charging - YAY, no mini batteries!) lasts beyond a full day's use and is supremely convenient to charge overnight and then back in again for a another day. The set up requires a bit of dedication although SONY has done well in making the process user friendlier. There are preset settings and the hearing aid app allows a good range of personalizations of the sound attributes and frequency. SONY says it takes about 10 minutes for set up and fine tuning but I'd recommend you set aside the better of a an hour to "fiddle" with the adjustments, listen to the sequence of pings again and generally fit the performance to your specific needs. The processing technology, created by Signia parent WS Audiology for SONY, is very good for a sub-$1000 hearing aid set. There are some shortcomings for example no Bluetooth (no streaming) and no way to know the share of battery life remaining. Further, everything is done through the app without even simple volume controls on the device itself. Curiously the hearing aid does not offer a tuning program to account for some the usual bugaboos of these devices, for example, a wind buffer or crowd noise setting but perhaps that is asking too much for a very small unit at an affordable price point. Overall this was a very satisfactory acquisition for us and we are pleased with the product and recommend. SONY is a reliable maker and offers excellent follow up support for purchases. As noted at the start, the brand name is key here - with SONY you really have a top of the line experience in terms of quality of product and value for money.

*Purchased from Amazon

These are a nice size and profile, very hard to see from a distance and fully in ear. The app and volume adjustment was pretty clear - one thing to note, in the setup, there are supposed to be some beeps that you hear. Depending upon when you start up the hearing aids, you may or may not get into the setup correctly.
We had to speak with customer support, who did a very good job, and after shutting down all the way and restarting from scracth with the app already installed on the phone, we had no issues.
From experience, it took a few days to get used to the sound difference and find the right level to set the volume at. Around loud machinery or in an area where there may be some mechanical loud noise, it is wise to turn the volume down ahead of time or pull the hearing aids.
These are just as comfortable as a pair of standard earbuds, and made a big difference as far as TV and radio volume etc. Lip reading isn't a thing any more either.
The charging peiod and battery life are good, pulling these out at night, cleaning and putting in the charger is simple and a charge lasts all day. If you or somebody you know needs a little help hearing, these may be the answer.

*Purchased from Best Buy

These are excellent hearing aids. You need to take a hearing test which is orchestrated by the app you install on yur phone. It is worth repeating the test and taking your time doing the test. You can repeat any tone in the test while it is in progress and it is best not to hurry the test. When completed you can adjust volume and what is called sound balance on your phone. The latter a bit of buzzing sound and in my case the voices sounded best with a setting of minus 4. The hearing aid itself is quite tiny and much of it goes inside your ear canal. It takes a bit of practice to get it properly in place. I found that if you cup your hand over your ear and there is no ringing the hearing aid is properly in place. The hearing aids help me a great deal and I am essentially a first time user. I bought a less expensive set of hearing aids but they didn't help me much so I didn't use them. Incidentally other peoples voices will sound natural and normal but in my case my own voce sounded different and that took some getting used to. For private conversations they are excellent. In restaurants and quieter large meetings the hearing aids help a great deal. They are useful in very noisy environments but don't completely solve the problem there. One very nice feature of the hearing aids is they can be left in place for phone calls on any phone and if the cupped hand test was OK then there is no ringing and they make the phone call clearer and easier. Battery life is longer than my typical day and the hearing aids will recharge in the case at least twice. You need a USB 5V1A chargier to charge these not a 2A charger. The hearing aids and the case recharge at the same time.

*Purchased from Amazon

These Sony CRE-C20 hearing aids are hard to beat, compared to cheaper ones and expensive prescription ones. They are very easy to insert, take out, charge, clean, etc. They are very small so don't let them drop or you will probably lose them.
Even though they are rated at a waterproof level of ip68, yes, that would allow swimming but not deep diving, they DO NOT FLOAT.

Pros:
-high quality sound, especially music.
-phone app that will allow adjustment to the sound quality of each ear individually.
-intuitive setup procedure using the phone app.
-very easy to charge and to care for them.
-expensive, but not even close to the price of prescription hearing aids.
-rated at ip68 which makes them waterproof enough to swim with.
-leaves cheaper hearing aids in the dust!
-decent battery storage capacity.

Cons:
-small makes them easy to lose.
-direct connection to electronic devices such as TV or phone is not possible.

All in all, I highly recommend these hearing aids for the performance and the price.

*Purchased from Amazon

Was confident that Sony would make an exceptional OTC hearing aid & the CREE 10 are exactly that - exceptional. The set-up process was easy on the App & I really appreciate the fine tuning capability with the App. Hearing sounds that I didn’t know that I was missing was surprising & I never have to ask anyone to repeat themselves. The battery life is incredible & the app shows they are at 85% charged when I put them in the recharging case at night. I highly recommend these hearing aids. The one & only suggestion I have for the engineers is to make the recharging case easier to insert the hearing aids. It requires a little fidgeting to get the charging light to come on, insuring that they are correctly aligned.

Bought these when they first came out. I have mild to moderate hearing loss. I returned a pair of brand name expensive RIC hearing aids as they weren't being adjusted to my satisfaction. The Sony's are better for me in nearly every respect. They are easy to install and easy to self adjust. The sound and speech perception is very good but the bluTooth steaming is mediocre like all other hearing aids I’ve tried. The only issue I’ve had is with the fiddly charging case. It takes a bit of fiddling to get the charging started, but once started they work fine. I’m very pleased with this purchase.

The CRE-E10 give me everything I want. I wanted a rechargeable model. I was worried about whether they would stay in my ears and the package came with the small click sleeves installed and they worked well, although there are three other sizes included. The aids are set up and controlled through the Sony Hearing Control app on my iPhone. I am not a techie but I had no problem with the setup. The setup tests the ears and matches the aids to the hearing problem. After setup the options for the aids—volume, directional hearing control—and battery are accessed through the app. Also music from the iPhone and cell phone calls will come through the aids via Bluetooth. These aids make my hearing so much better. I can hear high pitched things like birds chirping and high music. And my wife likes them too because I hear her conversations so much better.

There have been above my expectations. A little challenging to set-up the app at first but once done, it has excellent control and adjusments. Sound quality is excellent and the versitily of the various size click sleeves allow you to find a good fit. The sound quality is as good if not better than prescription hearing aids at 2-3x the price of the CRE-E10. I just wih they would offer a more natural color selection as the only option is black. They are still pretty discreet in the ear as they look just like the Sony earbuds. Overall, very happy with the product.

Purchased this product to help with minor hearing loss. Product works as advertised, easy to insert, change batteries and change soft tips. Would and have recommended these to family and friends. Good value, easy to use, makes life a fair bit better.

Bought this after doing extensive searching and reviewing. I wear glasses, use a hairband and wear a mask. I did not want hearing aids that go over my ears. A lot of the OTC hearing aids are big. Tried one pair and could not get used to them, made my ears sore and they also did not have any means of adjustment. Though they advertised them as hearing aids, they seemed just to be sound amplifier. These hearing aids from Sony have the capability for me to adjust sound per occasion which I like very much. They are also small and fit into my ear nicely. It did take some time to get used to them, but after while my ears got used to them and were no longer sore. I feel they were worth the price and saved me from going to an audiologist. The only negative that I have is that they say in description that battery should last 70 hours. I wear mine 8 hours a day and have to change the battery after about 7 days which gives me 56 hours.

I had custom-fitted hearing aids that cost a lot, but failed frequently. Once the warranty expired, I was faced with paying for the constant repairs myself or finding a new solution. The Sony self-fitting hearing aids came on the market at the perfect time! While slightly more visible than my old custom set, there is nothing obvious about them. The set up was relatively easy. More than that, it was much more customized to the specifics of my hearing loss than I had expected. In fact, it's more sophisticated than the adjustments I could make with my very expensive custom ones. But the best part is the quality of the sound! Putting them in my ears is like breaking the surface of water; suddenly all the sounds are crisp and clear and detailed, especially voices. These hearing aids are actually better at this than my old ones (which an audiologist had to adjust every time I took them back). I can't recommend them highly enough. Thank you, Sony, for this remarkable technology! (Yes, I'm a real person and this is my real experience. I just love them that much.) One piece of advice: Make sure you dehumidify them (every night). An investment in a power hearing aid dehumidifier will protect your investment (something the audiologists never told me until it was too late.)

I'm not a big fan of hearing aids. Got one 5 years ago and was disappointed in it despite being professionally fit by an audiologist. very expensive and did not seem to correct hearing well. Bought the CREC10, had difficulty synching it with my phone. your customer service person worked with me a while and determined that the hearing aid was not working and sent a replacement. Got the replacement and it works. I'm very pleased. Still getting used to it but find I am able to hear higher pitched conversation. This was a very good OTC purchase,

The Sony CRE-C20s have become a Godsend. My family has been saying that I’m playing the TV too loud; playing music too loud. I’ve had my ears checked professionally and I do have moderate hearing loss. I’ve looked in to hearing aids of all sorts, but I’ve been reluctant to shell out thousands of dollars.

I like the CRE-C20 aids because you and, maybe more importantly, others don’t know that they’re there. I looked in to aids that were rechargeable, but most seemed to be the size of regular bluetooth earbuds and were obvious to everyone. The C20s are not. They discreetly fit snuggly in the ear canal and you can’t really see them unless you’re looking for them.

The battery power seems decent — plenty of power to last the day. Sony says that the case will recharge from it’s own battery source and give you cable-free charging for 2 days, but I haven’t found that to be so. I have only gotten enough reserve power to charge for one more day. Still, the fact that you don’t have to change batteries constantly — ever — is awesome. To top it off, the charging case is Qi and USB-C ready. Perfect.

Sony’s Hearing Control app helps you set up the aids based upon your individual needs. It’s all pretty intuitive and easy to navigate. (Note: I have an android phone and the setup went just fine. The packaging says the app works with both android and iOS.) Give yourself some time to go through the guided setup which tailors both your left and right hearing needs — and you’ll want to make sure you’re in a quiet place with no interruptions for 20 minutes or so.

Sony also includes 4 different sizes of silicone sleeves so that you can customize the fit for your own ear canals, which may be of differing size. Trying different sizes was probably the most difficult part of the whole setup. These things are small and it’s a challenge to remove the “click sleeves” from each aid…and then get the next size installed. But, once you’ve done so, you know that it’s secure.

When you first try something like this, you have to realize that you’re going to possibly hear things that you haven’t heard on a regular basis for a long, long time. It can be strange — but be patient with yourself. For me, the CRE-C20s were extremely helpful in a group/meeting setting. So much easier to hear everyone now…and no more asking for folks to repeat themselves. Live, amplified music is a bit different. You might not want to even wear these at such events. My son and I recently attended a jazz concert and I experienced a lot of feedback. Not pleasant. However, it was nice to have my phone to cut way back on the volume (almost zero) and sharpness. If I’d had the case in my pocket, I would have just taken the aids out and packed them away for later. Lesson learned.

I have already found the need to adjust (using my phone) things like volume and sharpness for certain situations. The more you use the app, the easier it becomes in such instances. My advice is to tinker with it for a few days. Don’t worry — if you think you’ve messed things up, you can always do a factory reset and start over again. Have fun; get used to them!

*Purchased from Best Buy

I tried hearing aids from a popular online supplier. I was not happy. The over-the-ear design does not work well if you wear glasses as you get constant noise. The sound quality was like listening through a paper towel tube. And yes, they were quite expensive- I sent them back before the trial period was over. Then I saw an ad for the Sony's. I've been a Sony customer for over 50 years and know they take quality audio seriously. Likes? Delivery was quick, setup was easy and you can fine tune the audio parameters any time with the cellphone app. I'm used to wearing ear plugs for work, so there was not a lot of discomfort. You get a choice of different sized inserts, so try them out for the best fit. They recharge overnight in a clamshell case. Dislikes? No Bluetooth Android connectivity so I can't use them as earbuds for my phone or TV. You have to get the hearing aids in just the right position to charge, not so easy in the dark. We won't talk costs, but let's just say they were much more reasonable.

The Sony CRE-C10 hearing aids were just what I needed - very small, nearly invisible and corrected my hearing deficiencies. The control application on my smartphone works well, I just wish I could save a couple different sound profiles and switch between them for different sound environments...

So I have been looking for a "cheaper" option to the multiple thousands of dollars for professional hearing devices to assist with my minor to moderate hearing issues. The chance to try out these Sony CRE-C20 OTC Hearing devices was right up my alley. The box arrived announcing the "rechargeable, self-fitting" hearing aids. Small box but well designed and protected. Inside is the 2 actual devices, replaceable, sized sleeves for the devices, a short USB cable and wax guards and cleaning brush (Care Tools they are called). The User Guide has a quick start guide with the QR code to link to the Sony Hearing Control app, which both controls the hearing aids as well as having several setup videos and guides. The devices themselves are tiny as well as the case. The case is smaller than most earphone cases, recharges with USB Type C and recharges the devices. The sleeves come in the standard extra small, small, medium and large. I went with the large so as to get a good seal and seating. Once the app was up and running, it puts you through the hearing aid setup which puts you through a pretty thorough hearing test. Once completed, then you can fine tune the hearing aids through the app. You can also fine tune through the app to closely tune the devices to your needs. The devices themselves work quite well and do a good job at assisting my hearing. The shortfall is definitely the app as it just doesn't allow for much tailoring to your surroundings. As they sit pretty far into your ear canal, I'm not sure how much directionality you could attain anyway. The app allows you to also balance the sound making it smoother or sharper, depending on your needs. Also annoying is the fact that battery status is done with a series of beeps through the app or by looking at the case when charging. No voice control here... Overall, when comparing to other OTC devices on the market, the Sony CRE-C20s themselves seem like a solid buy, but the app is not responsive enough to tailor for your needs and needs to be restarted often to find the devices. So, good devices but just okay supporting app.

*Purchased from Best Buy

I have tried several other brands and returned them all. These are very flexible as they act as Bluetooth earbuds as well as hearing aids. For $1200 I thought they’d have been better at each. Sony support has been ‘ok’, not great

Got them last night, found as did another review. They do not work with Android. Tried to connect with Samsung phone and tablet. Just clocked and clocked, reason for 3 star review. I carry a S21, so this is an issue.
Opened my IPAD, the hearing aids linked in and were up and working. No issues at all. I am a first time hearing aid user. I know I have had a issue for some time. I do not hear high pitch sounds correctly. After going through the app to setup. All I can say. They work and are comfortable to wear. Now time will tell, but I can hear people speaking much better and can turn the tv much lower.

*Purchased from Best Buy

These Sony hearing aides are technical great, have all the features of the best ones, in ear is comfortable and work! They are controlled by an app on your phone and use higher than audio frequencies, not Bluetooth. The charging case is nice and can charge the hearing aides when not plugged-in.

Unfortunaly I am probably going to return these because the control app on my phone is terrible. It seems like an app maybe the design engineers wrote just to test the functionality of the hearing aides, not for use by customers. It's confusing, locks up and has to be reloaded, etc.

*Purchased from Amazon

These did not work well for our needs. It didn’t pair well, the sound through them wasn’t clear.

*Purchased from Amazon

The quality was okay. It was so tiny my mom lost one immediately and we couldn’t find it. Really sad since they are so expensive

*Purchased from Best Buy