The 4 environmental modes may be of some assist right here, however the most effective in my expertise was the default Consolation mode, which “reduces the sharpness of high-frequency sounds and general depth, making a extra snug, balanced listening expertise.” The Atom X’s Dialog mode was too sharp for a lot use, whereas the Crowd and TV modes didn’t make a big effect compared to the Consolation mode.
{Photograph}: Chris Null
I instantly observed that there was a a lot decrease stage of hiss on the Atom X than on earlier Audien listening to aids, however the general expertise nonetheless wasn’t all that efficient. By blasting out decrease frequencies I didn’t want amplified, I discovered I usually heard worse with the listening to aids in than with them out—and this was exacerbated the louder I pushed the quantity. At very low ranges of amplification (10 or 20 p.c at most), the listening to aids have been at their best for me. Something past that threatened to get painful.
At $389, the Atom X is a tricky promote in comparison with the $249 Apple AirPods Professional 3, which have a tuning system, app management, excellent noise cancellation, and general better-quality listening to help. Sure, they’re much bigger and extra seen than the Atom X aids, however should you by no means truly put on your listening to aids as a result of they don’t present an excellent expertise, how a lot does discretion even matter?
