Sennheiser announced the Conversation Clear Plus earbuds on Thursday. These are not hearing aids, but wearable devices that assist people in understanding the conversations around them. The Conversation Clear Plus look and feels like true wireless earbuds, with advanced speech enhancement technology that Sennheiser claims sets a “new standard for speech-enhanced consumer wearables” in a busy restaurant or on a busy street. Though Sennheiser isn’t technically at CES, it is releasing products in conjunction with the consumer electronics trade show, the most recent of which is a true wireless headset that helps improve the clarity of one’s conversations.

Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus price

One of the big promises with over-the-counter hearing aids was a substantial cost reduction. Typically, a set with an audiologist fitting would cost several thousand dollars. The Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus costs $849.99 (roughly Rs. 70,100), and pre-orders begin on January 5, with the device going on public sale on January 20.

Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus specifications, features

The Conversation Clear Plus earbuds enhance dialogues and calls with the Sennheiser Automatic Scene Detection feature, which analyses the noise level of the environment and “matches the speech enhancement level to their surroundings.”

Active Noise Cancellation is also available on the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus earbuds and helps block out noises and enhance the clarity and intelligibility of conversations. With the Ambient Awareness mode, the user can also specify how much background noise they want to hear.

Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus earbuds
Photo Credit: Sennheiser

It comes with a companion app also called Conversation Clear Plus, that allows users to customise the audio performance of the wearable device to their priorities. For the highest efficiency while streaming audio, there are three dedicated listening “scenarios” namely Relax (to personalise how much background noise to block), Communication, and Streaming options.

Since August 2022, the FDA has established a framework for a new category of hearing aids that do not require a medical exam, prescription, or audiologist fitting. A Sonova chip is at the heart of the Conversation Clear Plus device. Sonova is the parent company of some of the industry’s most recognisable brands, including Phonak and Unitron, and it recently acquired Sennheiser’s consumer audio division.

The Conversation Clear Plus earbuds do not claim to be a hearing aid and appear to be a regular pair of true wireless earphones, which does away with any stigma or association with conventional hearing aids. Bluetooth version 4.2 is supported, and to emphasise that these are not hearing aids, there is no support for the Auracast streaming technology presented as part of the latest Bluetooth standard.

The battery life on the Sennheiser Conversation Clear Plus earbuds is claimed to be nine hours, with the charging case adding another 27 hours. To ensure the best fit, the earphones come with a variety of ear adapters (or ear-tips) and ear fins.