We tried the nuances, the glasses to « feel » of Essilorluxottica: how do they work (and are they really useful?)

A pair of glasses and an acoustic appliance. One device that tries to solve two different health problems. THE Audio nuance Have arrived officially on the Italian market at the end of March. Created by Essilorluxottica, I am a rather unique product of its kindwhose goal is to respond to the need for that portion of the population – about a billion people in the world – that suffers from mild or moderate hearing problems. The potential is enormous, both for the number of users who could be interested and for economic savings. In fact they cost 1,100 eurosa quarter compared to the average cost of a traditional acoustic device. Then there is another reason: let’s talk about a pair of glasses, an accessory that we are now more used to. While wearing medical devices to feel better can still arouse a psychological distress: «We want to eliminate the stigma linked to hearing aids, as well as Essilorluxottica has already done 50 years ago with glasses – Stefano Genco, Global Head of Super Audio and Audio Nuance of Essilorluxottica had told us – because this device also becomes something to wear without fear of being judged, that it is comfortable and aesthetically pleasant. In this way we put together two functions: from the fifty years of age on probably you already have eye problems, already bring glasses, so you have no problems using them, especially if the same identical object also solves another problem. That maybe you know you have, but that you have always denied yourself, because The only existing solution is an acoustic device that makes you feel old». Sales, the company tells, are going well for now. There is a lot of curiosity and those who buy do it even for this second function, the one to hear. 30% of those who buy shades have no vision problems, are declared. We tried them together with the journalist Paolo Rastelli, who is part of the category of people for whom these glasses are designed. In fact, he suffers from a moderate hearing disorder.

The nuances are available in Two modelsSquare and Panthos, who recall the most iconic frames of the Ray-Ban (Wayfarer and Clubmaster) brand. I am very light And they are sold with the transitions lenses, which are obscuring on the basis of natural light, with the custody and the charging base. Which is wireless: To power the battery, just place them on top. In order to use the nuances, first of all you have to connect the glasses to your smartphone, via Bluetooth. There is A dedicated app – It is called Nuerceaudio – through which it is possible to set the device. This operation is to be done in a very silent environment. We wear them and we are asked to listen to a trace of white noise for a few seconds. And then to pronounce the numbers 1 to 20: in this way Algorithms « learn » to recognize the voice of those who are wearing them. The second step is Set the audiometric profile better for our needs. There are four available and in each software intervene on sound waves in a different way. The C, the best one for the audiometric profile that we had as a reference – that of Paolo Rastelli, which has a moderate hearing disorder, with an average loss of hearing of 50 dB HL in the left ear and 41 dB hl in the right ear – amplifies above all High frequency waves. To those who feel good, they report a sound that is very metallite, but can help those who have these ailments to feel better sounds that often get lost, like the final part of the words. On the app it is then possible to set the filtering of the background noise, the volume and finally the mode. There are two: 360 degree modes amplifies all the items around us while frontal mode Only amplifies the voice of the person we are looking at.

We are not talking about a product that immediately revolutionizes life who wears them. In fact, they are not designed for those who are deaf or get very close to deafness. The nuances are designed for those who feel they have a hearing problem, perhaps even confirmed by a test, which can create discomfort especially in some situations. Like a dinner with many people sitting at the same table chatting simultaneously or a business meeting, where it is difficult to hear who is sitting away from us. Still, another typical situation is to watch television: hear little means to raise the volume a lot, disturbing other people in the house and not feeling if someone is calling us from another room. Our tester, Paolo Rastelli, had already tried the nuances in the shop. With the demo he had not noticed great differences Compared to when he wore them and when not. With us he was able to keep them up for about three quarters of an hour. Initially, he told us, the sound amplified by the speakers hidden in the auctions was a little artificialwith an unnatural vibration. Certainly the voices were clearer, especially using the frontal mode, when the algorithms of the nuances allow the glasses to identify the sound of the voice of the person we are looking at and to amplify only that. In a chaotic situation like that of lunchtime in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, in the center of Milan, We managed to speak – even at a distance – without major problems. We also tried to exchange phrases with and without glasses: slowly, getting used to the sound emitted by the nuances, the voice of its interlocutor was clearer. The « extreme » test was the one in which we asked him to repeat ourselves what we were saying turning lightly, so as not to allow him to read the lip. In fact, often those who feel little relies on the sight to help the other sense in difficulty. In this case without glasses for Paolo it was impossible to understand what we were saying. With the nuances, he managed perfectly.

A limit of nuances is the drums. The declared autonomy is 8 hours, but it depends on how intense the use we make is: the volume, the background noise filter, the chosen mode. Taking advantage of all features to the maximum, it can last less, even 5 hours. In any case, it is not enough for those who choose this arrangement for help in the eyes and ears. Those who need glasses to see, have to keep them all day, even more than 8 hours. And therefore they can only be combined with another pair of glasses. Also because The « moving » recharge is not practical: The nuances recharge with a wireless base, very comfortable to keep on the bedside table but less to carry around in a bag. The fit is good. They are traditional, very light glasses: The weight of the hardware components inserted in the glasses does not feel. To check them you can use the app, or of the controls on the right rod: a button – which is the same to be used to turn them on – allows you to raise or lower the volume. A touchpad on the side, with double touch, allows you to change the mode. Alternatively, a remote control is also sold.

The nuances obtained the certification as hearing aids in Europe and the United States. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Food and Drug Administration has already given the green light to Appleto use his own for medical purposes AirPods Pro 2. The Hearing Aids function here is not yet active, while You can use the device to take an hearing test. An examination that can be done, usually, if the problem is already marked. Having an app available that in a few minutes gives us a response returns to that prospect of prevention – the real revolution of modern medicine – which allows, with self -diagnosis also made « at home » to note a possible alarm bell and contact a specialist in time. The Wireless True earphonesas well as the eyeglassesare objects that we are used to wearing. The price – both for nuances and for AirPods Pro 2 – it is not low if looked at in the reference category. But it becomes instead very convenient if compared with those of traditional hearing aids. And the fact of solve several problemsor to satisfy different needs – be they health or not – with a single accessory not only is it allowing an entire sector to evolve and update. But also, perhaps, of go beyond that « stigma » which still causes discomfort to those suffering from an acoustic defect. Defects – and inconvenience – that remain a lot subjective. And therefore it is difficult to give a universal opinion to the utility of the nuances. However, we can certainly say that I am a product that – Paolo Rastelli confirmed us – is of Great help to improve communications. Ourselves, that we feel good and we have no auditory defects, after keeping them up for a good half hour in a chaotic situation, We felt the difference when we removed them. It is very important, however, specify that PEr who has serious hearing problems is not a definitive solution. A reader also confirmed it, with an important hearing disorder, who has been using nuances for a couple of months and has decided to tell us about his experience. The real difference has noticed in some situationslike a lunch where he could hear the person he was looking at and with whom he wanted to converse much better. But for him it is necessary to use, together with the glasses, also an acoustic appliance.