How Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus earphones help us hear better

Sennheiser announced the Conversation Clear Plus earphones on Thursday. These are not hearing aids, but wearable devices that help people understand the conversations around them. The Conversation Clear Plus look and feel like true wireless earbuds, with advanced voice enhancement technology that Sennheiser says sets a “new standard for voice-enhanced consumer wearables” in a busy restaurant or on a busy street. Although not technically present at CES, Sennheiser is launching products in conjunction with the consumer electronics trade show, the most recent of which is a true wireless headset that helps improve the clarity of one’s conversations.

Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus price

One of the big promises of over-the-counter hearing aids was a significant cost reduction. Typically, an audiologist fitting kit costs several thousand dollars. The Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus costs $849.99 (about Rs. 70,100) and pre-orders start on January 5th, with the device going on public sale on January 20th.

Specifications and features of Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus

The Conversation Clear Plus earbuds enhance dialogue and calls with the Sennheiser Automatic Scene Recognition feature that analyzes the noise level of the environment and “adjusts the speech enhancement level to your environment”.

Active noise cancellation is also available on the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus earphones, helping to block out noise and improve clarity and intelligibility of conversations. The Ambient Awareness mode also allows the user to set how much background noise they want to hear.

Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus earphones
Photo credit: Sennheiser

It comes with a companion app called Conversation Clear Plus, which allows users to adjust the portable device’s audio performance to suit their priorities. For the highest audio streaming efficiency, there are three dedicated listening scenarios, namely Relax (to personalize how much background noise to block), Communication and Streaming options.

Since August 2022 the FDA has created a framework for a new category of hearing aids that do not require a medical examination, prescription or fitting by a hearing care professional. A Sonova chip is at the heart of the Conversation Clear Plus device. Sonova is the parent company of some of the industry’s best-known brands, including Phonak and Unitron, and recently acquired Sennheiser’s consumer audio division.

Making no claims to being a hearing aid, the Conversation Clear Plus earbuds appear to be a regular pair of true wireless earbuds, removing any stigma or association with traditional hearing aids. Bluetooth version 4.2 is supported, and to emphasize that these aren’t hearing aids, there’s no support for the Auracast streaming technology, which is being announced as part of the latest Bluetooth standard.

The battery life of the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus earbuds is said to be nine hours, with the charging case adding another 27 hours. To ensure the best fit, the earbuds come with a variety of ear adapters (or ear tips) and ear fins.