Widex Evoke 440 | RIC 10 / RIC 312 D / BTE / ITE Hearing Aids

Widex Evoke 440 Hearing Aids

Widex Evoke 440 Hearing Aids Including - RIC 10 / RIC 312 D

2020 Update:  This hearing aid range has now been superseded by the Widex Moment range.

Introduction to Widex Evoke 440 hearing aids

The Widex Evoke 440 hearing aid is the top model in the 2018 line of hearing aids from Danish manufacturer Widex.

The Evoke features an all-new chipset, which we are quite excited about as this moves away from the hardware that was in their “Beyond” and “Unique” platforms, neither of which were terribly well received.  Widex Evoke 440 hearing aids is available in every physical style.

The more popular models are likely to be the “Passion” which is very small behind the ear instrument and the “Fusion2” which is larger but has better connectivity. We are also pleased that the full range of custom in-ear options are available right from launch.

Styles available in the Widex Evoke 440 hearing aids:

• RIC 10, RIC 312 D, Passion, Fusion, Fusion 2
• BTE 13 D, BTE Fashion, BTE Fashion Mini, BTE Fashion Power
• ITE, ITE XP, CIC, CIC-M

Main features of the Widex Evoke 440 hearing aids

Machine learning

If you’ve been recently recommended an Evoke by another company then you are likely a bit confused. There is a new feature called “machine learning” and we are receiving daily calls from people who are unsure as to what this actually is as it seems that some hearing aid dispensers are having a bit of trouble explaining it.

We contacted Widex for help unravelling it and their head technical person kindly took the time to type up an explanation for us in simple terms (see below) and frankly, it’s a far more beneficial feature than we had first imagined, as long as you don’t mind being quite hands on with the hearing aid phone app in order to help get the very best out of your hearing aids. 

The Widex Evoke is the first hearing aid to feature machine learning technology. As with all things new, machine learning requires a bit of explaining to fully comprehend how it works and what it can mean for you.

How can machine learning improve hearing aid performance?

Essentially, the Evoke uses real time machine learning technology to allow users to tell it what they like in any given auditory situation, remember their preferences and automatically adapt, to provide a truly personalised hearing experience for each individual user.

We are not talking about standard ‘automatic’ technology here. Most modern hearing aids can detect your auditory environment and automatically approximate the ideal setting, based on an assumption about what a user might want to hear in a given listening situation. However, the Evoke learns from information provided by the user, and uses this data to find the perfect settings for each individual’s own auditory intention in every listening situation.

Widex Evoke 440 hearing aids also automatically gather anonymous data from every Evoke user around the world so that the system can continually learn about widespread preferences, so that over time, further improvements can be made to sound quality through firmware updates.  Because it works in real time,

Evoke users can accurately adjust their device to their perfect settings for each environment as soon as a difficult listening situation arises, rather than having to try to recall the details to their audiologist days or weeks later.

These preferences are saved in a specific program (favourite program), so the next time you are in the same environment, you can re-use it and optimise again.  All of this means that a user wearing EVOKE, who doesn’t have to think so much about choosing the right program and setting in any given listening situation, can spend more of their cognitive resources on the actual task of listening.

How does Machine learning work in the Evoke?

The machine learning element of the Evoke is powered through the smartphone app – using the computational power of the phones to run the complicated algorithms required. The app also provides the convenience of simple and smart controls which can discreetly go wherever the user goes.

Machine learning may be complicated, but the EVOKE is wonderfully simple to use. The app asks users to listen to two sound settings – A and B – and then chose which they prefer. Based on the user’s input, Evoke predicts the users preferences and suggests a new setting, which is perceived to be the optimal setting for that user.

When this is done over and again, the systems begin to learn what the user’s individual preferences are, and then uses this knowledge to predict user’s preferences in similar environments. After the completion of 15-20 comparisons, the Evoke machine learning algorithm has performed something equivalent to more than 2 million manual comparisons, which would be impossible for any user. This allows the Evoke to find the absolute perfect setting, for every individual, in every auditory situation.

Fluid Sound Controller

It’s not only it’s machine learning capabilities that make the Evoke stand out though. The fluid sound controller, which controls the automatic processing, is faster and more accurate than ever before. It features new, more specific sound classes, new programs and improved sound rationales.

There are now also more options to tailor the sound via the Fluid Sound Controller – if you don’t want to amplify noise in noisy situations you can make the fast compression system work in favour of this – now you can reduce or completely turn off the fast compression in ‘noisy classes’, except when it might be useful to leave it on to have access to these sounds for safety reasons. 

The improved sound rationales of the Evoke deliver a listening experience so superior that both new and previous Widex Hearing aid users will notice the difference. Hearing becomes more effortless and natural.

Fluid Sound Analyser

The Evoke intuitively analyses your sound environment and prioritises the most important sound sources using its unique fluid sound analyser. This has had TWICE as much training as the previous Widex classifier, so the Evoke is able to map out the environment more accurately than ever to select the correct sound class.

Other features of the Widex Evoke 440 hearing aids

• Rechargeable

The Evoke is compatible with the popular Z-power rechargeable system. Again, only for the Fusion 2 models.

• Sound classes

These are the various scenario’s that the “automatic” setting will move between, depending on what environment you are in. The better the model of Evoke, the more sound classes it has. The Evoke 440 has 11.  There are two new classes this time around, a second music setting which is welcome and a “social” setting, which we can’t see as being much different to “Party with Speech”.

Other performance levels in the Widex Evoke hearing aid range:

Widex Evoke 330 hearing aids

Widex Evoke 220 hearing aids

Widex Evoke 110 hearing aids

Want more support with Widex Evoke 440 hearing aids?

If you would like more support with this hearing aid range or have any other queries regarding hearing aids and hearing healthcare - call us free on 0800 567 7621

**Please note, there will be an additional surcharge of £125 if we are pairing a single hearing aid with an existing aid bought from another company where we are taking over the aftercare responsibilities and looking after both hearing aids.

Widex has two different smartphone apps. The “Evoke” app is needed for machine learning, not the “Tonelink” app. The “Evoke” app only works with the “Fusion2” shape of the Evoke, which means that the machine learning aspect is not available in the “Passion”, “Fashion”. “Power” or the custom in-ear models.