Whether listening to your favorite song, enjoying the sounds of nature on a nice day, or having a conversation with a loved one, hearing plays a pivotal role in our daily lives. Those of us with healthy hearing may unintentionally take it for granted, but for those with some level hearing loss, the ability to enjoy those simple moments is crucial to overall quality of life. Olive Union, a hearing technology brand dedicated to provided affordable, attractive, and accessible hearing solutions, has made it their mission to ensure those suffering from hearing loss have the support they need to enjoy the world, and people, around them.

An estimated 48 million Americans suffer from some level of hearing loss. Typically, those with hearing loss wait an average of 7 years before seeking help. Why is that? To start, oftentimes accessing hearing solutions can be daunting and expensive. According to the American Hospital Association, nearly 30 million Americans lacked access to basic healthcare in 2021. Most hearing solutions require a visit to the audiologist, in addition to costly fees for traditional hearing aid devices. With many American's lacking the basic coverage to support this type of visit, and adding the overall cost of the assistive devices themselves, it's no wonder so many go so long without support. While many hearing advocates are working to push policymakers into allowing over-the-counter hearing aids to increase accessibility for hearing support, we still aren't quite there yet. That's where hearing technology brands, like Olive Union, come in.

At Olive Union, we design our hearing devices with direct feedback from those with hearing loss. This is important to us as a brand and has been since our inception. I know firsthand the difficulties those seeking hearing assistive devices face. In 2013, I assisted my own uncle in getting his first hearing aid. Due to the discomfort he felt wearing them, the overall lack of attractiveness of the device which he found embarrassing, and the fact that they were doing very little to actually help him hear better in his daily life, he gave up on them completely. His experience, I realized, was a very common one. This is why we developed Olive Union's products with direct feedback from those seeking hearing support. Our latest product, Olive Max, mimics that of a traditional hearing aid while adapting to a variety of environments to offer enhanced sound and clear voices no matter where the user goes.

Every inch of the Olive Max was designed with users in mind. Rather than simply making sounds louder, Olive Max features adaptive hearing which utilizes artificial intelligence to continuously learn and improve hearing experience based on the users environment. Advanced machine learning ensures the technology is customized to users' specific sound settings and hearing needs. This technology also allows the device to enhance the sounds that really matter, like voices, while reducing background noise without distorting the user's own voice. With six omni-directional dynamic range microphones embedded, voices and background noises are easily identified and filtered in and out with great precision.

While we worked hard to ensure the sound quality provides a personalized and quality experience for the users with a wide variety hearing needs, we paid just as much detail to the overall design. Stigma is a huge barrier for entry to hearing aid support for those with hearing loss. Traditional hearing aids are often clunky, unattractive, and extremely noticeable. This is why Olive Max features a sleek wrap around design that more closely resembles that of a modern wireless earbud. The hook design provides users with a more stable listening experience, while appearing and fucnctioning like a true wireless earbud. This way users decide for themselves when or whether to disclose their hearing status.

In addition to looking like a true wireless earbud, Olive Max includes additional features that any user would appreciate. Including hands-free listening, Bluetooth pairing, and a portable charging case providing up to 10 hours of usage on a single charge. To add to that, set up is a lot less daunting than the process of purchasing traditional aids. Users need only download the free companion app for iOS or Android, take a 5 minute hearing test to receive their personalized hearing settings, and they are ready for use.

The need for a simple, affordable, yet effective hearing solution is apparent as we've already received thousands of pre-orders. We're incredibly excited to continue to begin shipping this Winter and get this device in the hands of those who truly need it. Having access to affordable, attractive, quality hearing solutions remains the primary driving force behind the development and design of products like Olive Max, and as hearing technology continues to advance, we cannot wait to continue to provide even better hearing solutions for those who need it the most. If you or a loved one suffers from some level of hearing loss and could benefit from a product like Olive Max, visit max.oliveunion.com/ to learn more and/or pre-order today.