Results
Component Metrics
This procedure has produced complete metrics for the 109 hearing devices currently listed on hearadvisor.com, each scored on our 5-point scales. The speech metrics below reflect the blended Speech Perception Benefit score introduced in August 2026 (average of the HASPIv2 and listener-rated components, each bounded below at 1.0).
Table 4. Average Component Scores Across 109 Devices. All metrics are on a scale from 0--5 points where higher is better. Music streaming scores are reported only for devices with streaming capability (n=68).
| Speech Benefit (Quiet/Mod) | Speech Benefit (Noisy) | Own Voice Not Boomy | Does Not Squeal | Streaming Music Quality | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Fits Avg (s.d.) | 2.9 (1.1) | 1.6 (0.7) | 2.6 (1.0) | 4.6 (0.7) | 3.4 (0.8) |
| Tuned Fits Avg (s.d.) | 3.3 (1.1) | 1.8 (0.8) | 2.4 (1.0) | 4.3 (0.9) | 3.4 (0.7) |
SoundScore Results
As of August 2026, across the 109 listed devices:
- Average SoundScore: 3.8 (s.d. 0.6)
- Expert Choice threshold: 4.0 (see Expert Choice Award)
- Devices meeting threshold: 48 (44% of tested products)
Table 5. SoundGrade. Mapping of SoundScore to SoundGrade. Data as of August 2026, following the Speech Perception Benefit recompute.
| SoundScore | SoundGrade | N Devices |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0--5.0 (inclusive) | A | 48 (44%) |
| 3.0--<4.0 | B | 52 (48%) |
| 2.0--<3.0 | C | 9 (8%) |
| 1.0--<2.0 | D | 0 (0%) |
| 0.0--<1.0 | F | 0 (0%) |
SoundGrades are assigned from SoundScores rounded to one decimal using half-up rounding. The 1.0 floor on both speech components means no tested device now scores below 2.0 overall.
Detailed per-device results, recordings, and comparisons are available at hearadvisor.com. This methodology documentation describes how the scores are generated; the website presents the scores themselves.
Acknowledgements
We'd like to thank Jim Kates Ph.D. for use of the HASPIv2 and HAAQI metrics. Bill Rabinowitz Ph.D. and Dianne Van Tasell Ph.D. provided helpful conversations. We'd also like to thank the creators of the ARTE database for publishing their data.
Conflict of Interest Disclosures
- Andrew Sabin Ph.D. is a scientific advisor to HearAdvisor LLC and is also employed by a company that participates in the hearing device market. He does not directly evaluate products associated with Bose Corporation.