Miracle-Ear, Inc. is a
hearing aid
A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers su ...
company consisting of a network of franchised and corporately-owned retail outlets. The company is a subsidiary of
Amplifon, the worldwide distributor of hearing aids based in Italy. Miracle-Ear's U.S. headquarters are located in
Minneapolis, Minnesota.
[Franchises – Miracle-Ear Inc.]
2014 Franchise 500. ''Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...
''. As of 2014 it has more than 1,200 locations in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
,
and it is the best-known hearing aid brand in the U.S.
In 2014, the company added several locations in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
, with plans to open more Canadian outlets.
["North America's Most Recognized Hearing Aid Brand, Miracle-Ear, Is Now in Canada"]
''Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States.
Th ...
''. March 21, 2014. According to the company, Miracle-Ear outlets offer free
hearing tests
A hearing test provides an evaluation of the sensitivity of a person's sense of hearing and is most often performed by an audiologist using an audiometer. An audiometer is used to determine a person's hearing sensitivity at different frequencies. ...
and consultations, and the hearing aids include a risk-free 30-day trial period plus service, warranty, and lifetime after-care.
Product history
Origins
"Miracle-Ear" began as a hearing aid manufactured by Dahlberg Electronics, an electronics company founded in 1948. Kenneth Dahlberg started Dahlberg Electronics after he left a position as assistant to the president of Telex Communications
Telex Communications, originally Telex Corporation, was a Burnsville, Minnesota-based manufacturer of hearing aids and audio equipment. Founded in 1936 as a maker of hearing aids, it entered the computer peripherals businesses in the 1960s. Tel ...
, another manufacturer of hearing aids.[Stavig, Vicky]
"Kenneth Dahlberg: Still Airborne"
. ''Twin Cities Business''. July 1, 2003. Prior to manufacturing hearing aids, Dahlberg's company produced pillow radios for hospitals and motels.
In the early 1950s, Dahlberg Electronics began producing hearing aids that utilized the newly invented transistor
upright=1.4, gate (G), body (B), source (S) and drain (D) terminals. The gate is separated from the body by an insulating layer (pink).
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch ...
technology – beginning with "hybrid" hearing aids that used transistors and vacuum tubes
A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric potential difference has been applied.
The type known as a ...
, and then releasing an all-transistor model in 1953. In 1955, they introduced the first so-called "in-the-ear" hearing aid, the D-10 Magic Ear – which concealed all electronic components in a shell snapped onto an earmold, and weighed 1/2 ounce, including battery, three-transistor amplifier, microphone, and receiver. Other innovations included the D-14 "Solar Ear" eyeglasses hearing aid, which used a solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.[Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...]
(FDA) approved claims on Miracle-Ear's Sharp Plus circuitry that the Miracle-Ear devices improved hearing in the presence of background noise.
In 1998 the Miracle-Ear Messenger was introduced, which featured proprietary technology that enabled the aid to be customized by the wearer.[Miracle-Ear – About]
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...
. In 2003 the company's entire line of hearing aids went digital, and in 2005 Miracle-Ear brought out the innovative Open Fit design.["New Aquavi Hearing Aid From Miracle-Ear Supports Active Lifestyle for the Hearing Impaired"]
''Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was est ...
''. August 15, 2011. It can be completely submerged in water up to three feet deep for up to 30 minutes without damage to the instrument,IP rating
The IP code or ingress protection code indicates how well a device is protected against water and dust. It defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) under the international standard IEC 60529 which classifies and pr ...
of 68.[Advanced Waterproof Hearing Aid: Miracle-Ear Aquavi]
''Miracle-Ear.com''. In 2013, Miracle-Ear launched a new technology platform called ClearVation, which learns the wearer's individual preferences and delivers appropriate amplification levels, while preserving natural acoustics. The technology aims to provide a natural hearing experience with a self-customized balance of comfort and clarity, and is available across the Miracle-Ear product line.
Additional features
Miracle-Ear's MEBluConnect and mini MEBluConnect have a Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limit ...
radio to receive sound from Bluetooth audio sources, such as cell phones and televisions. Its MEComConnect transmitter also enables electronic devices without Bluetooth capability to transmit Bluetooth audio. Miracle-Ear also offers a smartphone
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
application for Android
Android may refer to:
Science and technology
* Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human
* Android (operating system), Google's mobile operating system
** Bugdroid, a Google mascot sometimes referred to ...
mobile devices, which allows hearing aid adjustments to be made from the smartphone.
Current styles
Miracle-Ear hearing aid styles include behind-the-ear (BTE), receiver-in-canal (RIC), in-the-ear
A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers su ...
(ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) devices. The Mirage, an invisible CIC (completely-in-the-canal) hearing aid, uses microtechnology
Microtechnology deals with technology whose features have dimensions of the order of one micrometre (one millionth of a metre, or 10−6 metre, or 1μm). It focuses on physical and chemical processes as well as the production or manipulation of str ...
and includes feedback cancellation, digital noise reduction
Noise reduction is the process of removing noise from a signal. Noise reduction techniques exist for audio and images. Noise reduction algorithms may distort the signal to some degree. Noise rejection is the ability of a circuit to isolate an ...
, programmable settings, peak smoothing, and SoundBoost volume control. Miracle-Ear's Aquavi model is waterproof, dustproof, and virtually shockproof.["New Miracle-Ear GENIUS™ Technology Provides Better than Normal Hearing"]
''PR Web
Cision Ltd. is a public relations and earned media software company and services provider. The company is incorporated in the Cayman Islands and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois; with clients worldwide. The company went public via reverse merg ...
''. February 18, 2015. The new line of hearing aids offer directional focus, removal of wind noise, zeroing-in on voices and conversations, and high-definition digital sound.
Corporate history and activities
Kenneth Dahlberg sold his company Dahlberg, Inc., and its subsidiary Miracle-Ear, to Motorola
Motorola, Inc. () was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, United States. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, the company split into two independent public companies, Motorola ...
in 1959, and subsequently reacquired the company in 1964.franchising
Franchising is based on a marketing concept which can be adopted by an organization as a strategy for business expansion. Where implemented, a franchisor licenses some or all of its know-how, procedures, intellectual property, use of its busine ...
in 1984.[Miracle-Ear]
''Business World Magazine''. October 24, 2012. Dahlberg sold the company to Bausch & Lomb
Bausch + Lomb is an eye health products company based in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the world's largest suppliers of contact lenses, lens care products, pharmaceuticals, intraocular lenses, and other eye surgery products. The compan ...
in 1993. In 1999 Amplifon acquired Dahlberg, Inc. from Bausch & Lomb, and that year Dahlberg, Inc. and its subsidiary Miracle-Ear, Inc. merged into Miracle-Ear, Inc. In 2014, the company added several locations in Canada, with plans to open more Canadian outlets.["Minneapolis Based Miracle-Ear Transforms 23 Year Old Non-Profit"]
''PR Web''. June 28, 2013. In 2014, the Miracle-Ear Foundation initiated and co-sponsored "One Day Without Sound", which encourages hearing persons to remove sound from their lives for one day in order to empathize with hearing loss.
Miracle-Ear was a sponsor of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,[Dillard, Tricia]
"Wayne Minshew: from the big leagues to the local coffee shop"
''Northwest Georgia News''. March 27, 2012.
''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. December 29, 1996.
References
{{reflist, 2
External links
Official website
Hearing aid manufacturers
American companies established in 1948
Health care companies established in 1948
Retail companies established in 1948
Health care companies based in Minnesota
Medical technology companies of the United States