Resound Nexia Hero

Resound Nexia Expert Review

Premium Rx
Released 
2023

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Summary

The Resound Nexia is a premium behind-the-ear prescription hearing aid released in 2023, priced at $4,764. In HearAdvisor's lab testing, it earned a SoundScore of 3.87 out of 5, resulting in a B grade. This places it in the middle of the pack among prescription hearing aids, ranking 21st out of 34 devices tested in its category.

The Nexia demonstrates clear strengths in specific areas. Speech understanding in quiet environments measured notably above average, and own-voice comfort scored well above the category mean—suggesting users may experience less of the hollow or boomy sensation that can occur with hearing aids. Feedback handling was excellent, achieving a perfect 5.0 score in both fit conditions.

However, the Nexia showed significant weakness in noisy environments, scoring 1.12 points below the category average for speech in noise—a critical metric for real-world hearing situations like restaurants or social gatherings. Music streaming quality also fell below average, which may disappoint users who frequently stream audio from their smartphones.

At this premium price point, the competitive landscape presents challenges for the Nexia. Several devices in the same price range—including the Oticon Intent (4.70) and Phonak Sphere Infinio (4.64)—delivered substantially higher overall scores in our testing. For budget-conscious consumers, options like the Lucid Tala offer comparable or better sound performance at significantly lower cost. The Nexia may suit users who prioritize quiet-environment listening and own-voice comfort over noisy-situation performance, but those facing challenging acoustic environments regularly should consider alternatives.

In the initial fit condition using a tulip dome with medium-power receiver, the Resound Nexia delivered above-average performance for speech in quiet (3.70) and excellent feedback control (5.00). Own-voice comfort was notably good at 3.60, suggesting the open tulip dome coupling minimized occlusion effects. However, speech in noise performance was substantially below average at 0.40, and music streaming measured 2.20. The open coupling likely contributes to the noise performance limitation, as less environmental isolation allows competing sounds to interfere with speech understanding.

The tuned fit condition retained the same tulip dome coupling, resulting in modest improvements. Speech in quiet improved slightly to 3.80, and music streaming saw a meaningful bump to 2.80. Feedback handling remained perfect at 5.00, and own-voice comfort held steady. Unfortunately, the speech in noise score remained unchanged at 0.40—the tuning process was unable to address this fundamental weakness. The fit score improved by only 0.09 points, suggesting limited headroom for professional optimization with this configuration.

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Lab Review Scores

B
SoundGrade
Initial Score
3.8
Tuned Score
3.9
Speech in quiet
best
3.7
5.0
Own voice
best
3.6
5.0
Speech in noise
best
0.4
5.0
Feedback handling
best
5.0
5.0
Music streaming
best
2.2
5.0

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Lab recordings

Adjust volume to make "No hearing aids" as loud as it would be in the real world, without hearing aids. Remove hearing aids while auditioning. High-quality headphones will improve results!
Resound Nexia Lab

Lab notes

Initial Fitting
Tuned Fitting
Ear Coupling
Initial Fitting
Tulip Dome
Tuned Fitting
Tulip Dome
Receiver
Initial Fitting
Medium-power
Tuned Fitting
Medium-power
Fitting Formula
Initial Fitting
Audiogram+ (Manufacturer proprietary targets)
Tuned Fitting
Audiogram+ (Manufacturer proprietary targets)
Listening Program
Initial Fitting
All-Around (Automatic)
Tuned Fitting
All-Around (Automatic)
Volume Setting
Initial Fitting
Manufacturer defaults
Tuned Fitting
Adjusted to match NAL-NL2 targets at 55, 65, and 75 dB SPL
Software Version
Initial Fitting
Software v1.17
Tuned Fitting
Software v1.17
Tuning Adjustments
Initial Fitting
Programmed to N3 audiogram, Feedback calibrated, Experience Level set at "Experienced Non-Linear", Gain Level (%) set at "100%", Other settings at manufacturer defaults
Tuned Fitting
Programmed to N3 audiogram, Feedback calibrated, Experience Level set at "Experienced Non-Linear", Gain Level (%) set at "100%", Other settings at manufacturer defaults
Notes
Initial Fitting
n/a
Tuned Fitting
n/a

Specs

Behind Ear
Behind Ear
Rechargeable Batteries
Rechargeable Batteries
iPhone Streaming
iPhone Streaming
Android Streaming
Android Streaming
Hands-Free
Hands-Free