Sony CRE-E10

The Sony Hearing Control App: A User-Friendly Experience

The Sony Hearing Control app is an integral part of the CRE-E10 experience. After testing several OTC products from various hearing aid manufacturers, the Sony Hearing Control software remains one of the more difficult to use applications.  However, the app does have some good features.

The app guides users to perform a hearing test, which takes about ten minutes to complete, and subsequently programs the hearing aids based on the results. The app allows for manipulation of volume, noise reduction, treble/bass, and microphone directinality. It also features several environment-specific presets that let the devices focus on certain frequencies and speech in noisy environments. Uncommon to most other OTC hearing aids, the Hearing Control app also lets you control the directional pickup of the hearing aid microphones, which offers a noticeable improvement in reducing background noise.

The Strengths of Sony CRE-E10 Hearing Aids

The Sony CRE-E10 offers several key features that make it a top contender in the hearing aid market.

The ability to adjust Treble/Bass & microphone directionality

The CRE-E10 self-fitting hearing aids do offer a fair amount of customization. Treble & Bass fine-tuning options, along with basic volume and directional microphone settings, allow for a more personalized hearing experience.

The devices also come with automatic sound optimization, which monitors your environment and modifies its sound enhancements based on surrounding noise levels.

Rechargeable Batteries Add Value

The Sony CRE-E10 hearing aids utilize rechargeable batteries, providing around 26 hours of continuous use, which is a surprising amount considering the small size of these earbud style devices. The batteries charge wirelessly when connected to the storage case, which doubles as a battery charger.  

The introduction of rechargeable batteries is a significant upgrade that can help users save money on disposable batteries, especially given the financial pressure of the current economy.

Bluetooth Streaming Capabilities

The CRE-E10 OTC devices offer Bluetooth streaming using a Made for iPhone BTLE protocol. The streaming quality is what you would expect from most prescription level devices, and even though it does consume the battery much faster than regular use, having the option to stream phone calls and listen to music or videos from a smart device is a beneficial addition.

Comfort

The Sony CRE-E10s are very comfortable OTC hearing aids compared to others on the market.  The click-sleeves Sony uses are identical to the click sleeves of the Signia Active prescription hearing aids. 

The Limitations of Sony CRE-E10 Hearing Aids

While the Sony CRE-E10 has many strengths, it does have a few shortcomings.

Initial Setup Hiccups

Non-tech savvy users may have difficulty setting up these devices initially. Though the app explains the setup process very well, there are often issues that require un-paring and re-paring of the Sony devices. 

Power-On Issues

Another minor issue is that there were some instances when the fully charged CRE-E10s would not power on properly after being removed from the case. This irregularity could potentially be resolved in a future update.

iOS-Only Bluetooth Streaming

While the use of Bluetooth technology in the E10s is impressive, it's important to note that only those with iOS devices can take advantage of it. This limitation could be disappointing for Android users.

Limited Customizability

While there are numerous options for self-fitting the Sony CRE-E10 OTC healing aids using the Sound Control App, many of the adjustments provide limited measurable improvement in device performance.  Ensuring the use of a proper click-sleeve, vented or closed, will have the biggest impact on the user's overall performance.