Assistive Listening Devices Market

Market Outlook

People have varying degree of hearing in both the ears. People who are hard of hearing require an increase of volume to achieve the same level of hearing as normal. Assistive listening devices aid such people. Assistive listening devices are amplifying systems that are designed to help people who have hearing difficulty. Most of these devices can be used along with personal hearing aids that help remove background noise, minimize the negative impact and sound distortion. The main function of the assistive listing device is to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

Each device has three components that includes a microphone, transmission technology and a receiving device, which receives the surrounding sound and transmits an amplified sound to the microphone in the ear. A number of products have been launched recently, some of them include the Set 880 and Set 860 by Sennheiser and custom hearing device by Widex in 2017. The launch of new devices every year indicates that the market is flourishing.

Factors Driving and Hindering the Assistive Listening Devices Market

Age-related hearing impairment is a common problem across the globe. With the growing aging population across the world there is a rise in the need to address the hearing impairment problem, which is a driving factor for the growth of the assistive listening devices market and hearing aid dehumidifier market.

Technological advancements such as Bluetooth connectivity and digital signal processing along with noise reduction are also factors driving the growth of the market. The disadvantages such as in the case of FM-assistive listening devices there is privacy issue if the signal is received by another FM receiver. Furthermore, rechargeable devices need to be charged every day along with the added time taken to use the hearing aid dehumidifier.

Amplifier the Most Common Assistive Listening Device Type

An amplifier is a personal listening device attached with a mic and a listening cord. It is the most common type of assistive listening device. The amplifier has number of advantages such as low cost and portability. These devices work best for on-to-one communication and to provide temporary amplification.

Some of the amplifiers come with directional microphones, which direct the device towards the sound source. Since these devices are small, handy and affordable, they are the most preferred type of assistive listening devices. However, since the hearing device is wired it may not be suitable of a person who has to move around or listing from a distance, e.g., in the case of concerts or theaters. In such cases advancements such as the Bluetooth technology could help to use the device in theaters and classrooms or even while watching TV.

Assistive Listening Devices Market Assessment by Technology

Adult Assistive Listening Devices Segment

The adult assistive listening devices segment is the leading contributor to the assistive listening devices market, due to the aging population across the globe. Furthermore, hearing impairment is a major problem in elderly people. Other factors such as noise emission in heavy duty industries is likely to damage the hearing capacity. However, pediatric assistive listening devices segment is also an interesting area of development for many manufacturers.

Regional Market Outlook

Europe is one of the large markets for both the assistive listening devices. This is due to the large number of manufacturers in the region. North America is also a dominant market due to the significant government support, for instance, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that there are assistive hearing devices in all public places such as movie theaters, live theaters, and other such places. Europe and America have shown significant technological development in the past few years, while Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region due to the high rate of aging population and other such factors.

Competition Outlook

Small-Scale Manufacturers/Providers

• Geemarc
• iHear Medical Inc
• Audina Hearing Instruments Inc.
• audifon GmbH
• Audifon GmbH

Medium-Scale Manufacturers/Providers

• Earlens Corporation
• General Hearing Instruments Inc.

Large-Scale Manufacturers/Providers

• Siemens
• Sonova (AG)
• Starkey
• Widex Co. Ltd.
• William Demant Holdings A/S
• MED-EL Corporation
• Cochlear Limited

Key Data Points Covered in the Report

The report covers exhaustive analysis on:

• Assistive Listening Devices Market by method type, end user and region
• Regional level market analysis of North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa by method type, end user segments and country
• Assistive Listening Devices Market Dynamics & Opportunity Assessment
• Historical Actual Market Size, 2013 - 2017
• Assistive Listening Devices Market Size & Forecast 2018 - 2028
• Assistive Listening Devices Market Trends/Issues/Challenges
• Competition & Companies involved

Research Methodology

FMI utilizes a triangulation methodology primarily based on the experimental techniques such as patient-level data, number of procedures and capital equipment install base to obtain precise market estimations and insights on various medical devices and technologies. Bottom-up approach is always used to obtain insightful data for the specific country/region. The country-specific data is again analysed to derive data at a global level. This methodology ensures high quality and accuracy of information.

Secondary research is used at the initial phase to identify the feasibility of the target products/technology categories and its respective segments, product offerings, usage pattern as per disease indications, product installed base in target healthcare facilities, life span of a device, reimbursement scenario, adoption rate and future impact of new technologies.

Each piece of information is eventually analyzed during the entire research project, which helps build a strong base for the primary research information.

The research participants include demand-side users such as key opinion leaders, physicians, surgeons, and supply-side providers of medical devices who provide valuable insights on trends, key treatment patterns, adoption rate, and purchasing pattern, technological development of medical devices, patient education, effectiveness of manufacturers and important strategies, pricing and competitive dynamics.

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of basic factors driving demand, economic factors/cycles and growth rates and strategies utilized by key players in the market are analyzed in detail while forecasting, in order to project Year-on-Year growth rates. These Y-o-Y growth projections are checked and aligned as per industry/product lifecycle and further utilized to develop market numbers at a holistic level.

On the other hand, we also analyze various annual reports, investor presentations, SEC filings, 10k reports and press release operating in this market segment to fetch substantial information about the market size, trends, opportunity, drivers, and restraints and to analyze key players and their market shares. Key companies are segmented at Tier level based on their revenue, product portfolio and presence.

Please note that these are the partial steps that are being followed while developing the market size. Besides this, forecasting will be done based on our internal proprietary model which also uses different macro-economic factors such as per capita healthcare expenditure, disposable income, industry-based demand driving factors impacting the market and its forecast trends apart from disease-related factors.

Market Segmentation

By Technology

• Amplifiers
• FM Systems
• Infrared System
• Looping Systems

By End user

• Adults
• Pediatric

By Region

• North America
• Western Europe
• Eastern Europe
• Latin America
• Asia Pacific
• Japan
• Middle East & Africa