Hearing Aid Technology
What we can tell you is what an independent laboratory measured, because Vivia is one of the few platforms that has been measured at all. The results are not flattering, and they are also the reason this page is worth your time. The most useful number on it has nothing to do with which ReSound you buy.
We fit ReSound across our San Mateo and San Carlos offices and we service Vivia wherever it was bought. Here is the state of the evidence.
At a glance
- HearAdvisor graded ReSound Vivia B and ranked it twentieth of the thirty-six prescription hearing aids it has tested, with a tuned speech-in-noise score of 1.3 out of 5 against a category average of 1.96.
- The same test scored Vivia at 0.6 on ReSound's own initial-fit settings and 1.3 after tuning. Same hardware, same bench. That difference is the fitting, and it is why we verify every one.
- A neural chip does not predict measured performance. Widex Allure has none in its sound path and ranks seventh; Vivia has a dedicated one and ranks twentieth.
- ReSound Sensia reached US clinics on 20 August 2026 with the widest style range on our list, including CROS and bimodal. No independent laboratory has tested it. Its automatic neural processing is on level 9 only.
- ReSound has not said Vivia is discontinued, and sources disagree on whether Sensia replaces it. If you wear Vivia, have it verified before you consider replacing it.
What independent testing found
HearAdvisor, the laboratory whose standardised measurements come closest to a neutral referee in this industry, tested ReSound Vivia and gave it a grade of B, placing it twentieth among the thirty-six prescription hearing aids it has tested. Its speech-in-noise score after tuning was 1.3 out of 5, against a category average of 1.96. Below average, on a device whose headline feature was a neural chip. One caution about numbers you may find elsewhere: a retailer blog circulating a speech-in-noise figure of 3.5 for Vivia is wrong. HearAdvisor's own product page is the source to check, and we will pull it up on screen at your appointment if you would like to see it.
The number that argues for how we fit
There is a second finding in that same test that we think matters more than the ranking. Vivia's speech-in-noise score at ReSound's own initial-fit settings was 0.6 out of 5. After the device was properly tuned, it was 1.3. More than double, on identical hardware, on the same bench. That gap is not the technology. It is the fitting. It is the single clearest illustration we have of why we verify every fitting with real-ear measurement rather than accepting a manufacturer default, and it applies to every brand we sell, not only this one.
A neural chip does not predict measured performance
This is the most useful thing we can tell a patient shopping in 2026, because every manufacturer is now marketing on neural-network count. Vivia has a dedicated deep-neural-network chip and ranks twentieth of thirty-six. Widex Allure has no neural network in its sound path at all and ranks seventh, with a tuned speech-in-noise score of 2.5. Signia MaX has four neural networks and has never been measured by anyone. Read specification sheets accordingly. What a chip can do and what a device measures are separate questions, and only one of them has been answered.
| ReSound Vivia | |
|---|---|
| Released | February 2025 |
| Independent measurement | Grade B, #20 of 36 |
| Speech in noise, tunedA laboratory score at a tuned fitting, not a forecast of any particular restaurant. | 1.3 / 5 (0.6 at the manufacturer's initial fit) |
| AuracastHardware that supports Auracast and Auracast that works are not the same thing. | Yes |
| Rechargeable / batteryQuoted hours are manufacturer maxima measured under different feature sets, so two headline numbers rarely compare directly. | Rechargeable |
Where Sensia leaves Vivia
Sensia is the newer ReSound platform and no independent laboratory has tested it. It may well change the picture above; there is no data either way and we will not pretend otherwise. Two practical points if you are being quoted for it. Sensia comes in the widest style range on our price list, including CROS for single-sided hearing and bimodal versions that work alongside a cochlear implant processor. And its automatic neural processing is on level 9 only. On Sensia 7 the same processing has to be reached through a manual program rather than switching on by itself. If a quote says "Sensia" without a number, ask which level it is, because that changes what the device does on its own.
What Vivia actually is
Vivia is a rechargeable receiver-in-ear platform with a dedicated deep neural network trained on a large library of spoken sentences, which ReSound uses to separate speech from background noise. Its Intelligent Focus feature adapts to where your attention is directed rather than fixing forward, and adjusts as you move between environments. It streams from Apple and Android devices, supports Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast broadcast audio for venues such as theatres and lecture halls, and is controlled through the ReSound Smart 3D app. Those are the design intentions. The measured results are in the sections above, and both are worth knowing.
If you already wear Vivia
Do not read the score above as a reason to replace working hearing aids. Read it as a reason to have them verified. The device that measured 0.6 and the device that measured 1.3 were the same hearing aid. If yours has never been checked with real-ear measurement, bring it in and we will measure what it is delivering at your eardrum against your prescription and adjust from there. That appointment costs you far less than a new pair, and on this platform in particular it is where the improvement is. Cleaning, receiver checks and repairs happen in-house at both offices.
Come and hear them
We can demonstrate Vivia alongside Sensia and the other current platforms in one appointment, in a noisy room rather than a quiet booth. It takes about thirty minutes and costs nothing. Bring a recent audiogram if you have one, or we will test first. Call 650-342-9449 or request an appointment at San Mateo or San Carlos. If you have been quoted for either ReSound platform elsewhere, our free second opinion on a hearing aid quote will tell you what is on it.
Frequently asked questions
Your questions, answered
Has ReSound Vivia been discontinued now that Sensia has launched?
ReSound has not said so, and the sources we checked disagree about whether Sensia replaces Vivia or sits alongside it. What we can tell you is that we continue to service, clean, repair and re-verify Vivia at both offices, and that nothing you own is stranded.
How did ReSound Vivia score in independent testing?
HearAdvisor gave it a grade of B and ranked it twentieth of the thirty-six prescription hearing aids it has tested, with a speech-in-noise score of 1.3 out of 5 after tuning. The category average is 1.96. If you have seen a figure of 3.5 quoted on a retailer blog, that number is wrong; check HearAdvisor's product page.
Vivia has a neural chip. Why did it not score better?
That is the honest question, and it is the reason we bring the result up at all. A neural network in the specification does not predict what a device measures on a bench. Widex Allure has no neural network in its sound path and ranks seventh of thirty-six; Vivia has a dedicated one and ranks twentieth. Buy the measurement and the fitting, not the chip count.
Should I buy Vivia or Sensia?
Sensia comes in far more styles, including CROS and bimodal for cochlear implant users, and if you need one of those the decision is already made. Otherwise, note that nobody outside ReSound has measured Sensia, so anyone telling you it performs better in noise is guessing. If you are quoted for Sensia, ask which level: the automatic neural processing is on level 9 only, and Sensia 7 needs a manual program to reach it.
I already wear Vivia. Do I need to replace it?
Not on the strength of that score. The same hearing aid measured 0.6 at the manufacturer's initial fit and 1.3 once tuned, so the first thing to establish is whether yours was ever verified. Bring it in, and we will measure what it is delivering at your eardrum against your prescription and adjust. That is a far cheaper appointment than a new pair.
Does Vivia connect to my phone and to public broadcast audio?
Yes. Vivia streams from Apple and Android devices and supports Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast, with control through the ReSound Smart 3D app. We set up pairing during your fitting. If broadcast audio at a particular venue is why you are asking, tell us which venue and we will find out what it actually broadcasts.