Liverpool Hearing Centre has classified two ranges of hearing aids. We have a "core" and a "premium" range of hearing aids. You can find Starkey Genesis Ai Prices here.

Before we begin, we'd like you to understand that no matter how great a hearing aid is, it will not work to its maximum potential unless it has been fitted and programmed by a hearing care professional who has been trained directly by the manufacturer. You want to ensure that you get the most out of your hearing aids and Liverpool Hearing Centre works closely with all the main manufacturers. You deserve to experience the difference that exceptional hearing care can make.

Starkey Genesis Ai hearing aids are without a doubt the best hearing aids that Starkey has ever released. It seems like only yesterday we were at the launch of the Starkey Evolv Ai line of hearing aids, which was released in January 2022. That makes the new Starkey Genesis Ai line of hearing aids only 14 months older than the Evolv Ai line-up. Starkey has clearly become the hearing aid manufacturer that releases new hearing aid technology faster than all other manufacturers. But, as the name implies, is the Starkey Genesis Ai the start of something new for Starkey?

The Starkey Genesis Ai is an entirely new Starkey platform, which means it has been completely redesigned with new hardware and a new chip called the Starkey Neuro Processor. With this hearing aid, Starkey is jumping on the deep neural network bandwagon. Deep Neural Networks are essentially designed to perform deep learning so that the hearing aid can process sound better. Battery life and the phone app have also been significantly altered.

With this launch, the Genesis Ai line-up includes two receiver in canal devices: the larger rechargeable RT device with a telecoil and a double push button and the smaller rechargeable MicroRIC with a single push button. They also have a full shell and half shell rechargeable in-ear hearing aid, a non-wireless completely in canal hearing aid, and an invisible in the canal hearing aid that uses a size 10 disposable battery. They also have a full shell and half shell rechargeable in-ear hearing aid, a non-wireless completely in canal hearing aid, and an invisible in the canal hearing aid that uses a size 10 disposable battery.

We had hoped that Starkey would be the first prescription hearing aid manufacturer to develop an invisible in-canal device that used a rechargeable battery, but we haven't gotten there yet.

We also don't see Starkey's wireless completely in-canal hearing aid, which used an extraction cord antenna to provide Bluetooth capability with a device that goes completely inside your ear canal. That particular product was available on the previous generation Evolv Ai line of hearing aids, and we expect them to launch it within this line-up at some point in the future.

The  amount of battery life that these things provide is insane. The larger RIC RT hearing aids have a battery life of up to 51 hours on a single charge, while the microRICs have a battery life of up to 40 hours on a single charge. In the unlikely event that 40 to 51 hours of battery life is still insufficient, plugging them back in for seven minutes will give you an extra three hours.

The charger itself, in our opinion, is also superior to previous generations. I like how the hearing aids fit in here. They go sideways, but this makes them very easy to insert and remove. They sort of magnetise into place, preventing them from falling out. There’s also plenty of room inside the well for custom ear moulds, which we love because many of our patients wear custom ear moulds for the performance benefit. And since some hearing aid manufacturers don't allow for custom ear moulds, it's great that Starkey thought of it.

Let's return to the battery life for a moment. Starkey Neuro Processor Chip was able to achieve a higher level of battery life because their new processor chip is so much more efficient. Not only is it more efficient, but it is also much faster and has more processing power than their previous chip. And it is because of this that the hearing aids perform so much better than previous generations.

One feature we particularly like is that they now have a much higher input dynamic range of up to 118 decibels at saturation. This is critical if you enjoy listening to live music because unless you have a high input dynamic range, it's difficult for the hearing aid to collect all of the nuances of the music you're listening to, and if this input saturation limit is too low, music may sound like garbage. This number, up to 118 decibels sound pressure level, is, to my knowledge, the highest in the industry.

Let's get into something you might be a little more excited about, which is the Starkey Genesis Ai's Bluetooth connectivity. They are “designed for iPhone” hearing aids, but they can also be used with an Android phone because they use the ASHA Bluetooth protocol. However, Bluetooth connectivity and streaming are significantly better with an iPhone, but there are a lot of Android users here in the UK, and getting these devices to work with an Android phone is a complete nightmare. Even after we got them connected, the sound quality and stability were not great. Basically, if connectivity and streaming are critical to you as a hearing aid user, you should get an Apple phone to go with these devices.

If you do not want to purchase an iPhone and prefer to continue using your Android phone, we recommend that you purchase a different set of hearing aids that works better with Android. Furthermore, Starkey have also discontinued their Stream Boost programme, which your hearing care professional could specifically customise to control the quality of your audio streaming. Instead, the streaming is based on the settings of whatever programme you're in when you use your hearing aids, which isn't always a good thing. It is possible to programme a mute programme and customise the audio settings inside the hearing aids for better streaming, but that becomes a bit of a pain when you have to keep switching between different programmes based on whether or not you’re streaming. If you ask me, I believe Starkey should take at least a few of those engineers and dedicate them solely to streaming.

You can connect these hearing aids to multiple devices but you can only have one active connection at any given time. To switch from your smartphone to your tablet, you must turn off Bluetooth on your smartphone and turn it back on on your tablet. Not great. Furthermore, you cannot connect to all Bluetooth devices such as a laptop or a desktop. To be fair, this is a limitation that applies to all hearing aids that are considered made for iPhone and use the ASHA Bluetooth protocol.

This replaces the Starkey Thrive app and as of now, the My Starkey app is not compatible with the Apple Watch and we have not been informed if they will make it compatible with it in the future.

Starkey hearing aids are fantastic hearing aids when it comes to all of the different types of features that you can access through their app, and the new My Starkey app makes this a lot easier to navigate Previous generation apps could be described as challenging. The new My Starkey app still has a lot going on, but it looks better and, as previously stated, it’s much easier to navigate.

Let’s discuss some of the highlights. The first is Edge Mode+. It improves speech intelligibility in noise. The new Edge Mode+ is now directly accessible from the My Starkey app's home screen, and now employs the Deep Neural Network to focus on the best sound, enhance speech, or reduce noise.

The app continues to track physical activity, hearing, and wellness. You can also set up fall alerts to notify someone you designate as a contact if you fall so that they can contact help on your behalf. You can also add a carer to Hear Share to share your health and hearing data with so they can ensure you're staying active and engaged.

Starkey's translation feature now supports 71 languages, up from 20 previously. So, if you need to communicate with people who speak a different language than you, they can read the translation on your phone and you can read and hear the translation through your Genesis Ai devices when you speak.

The app also still includes a self-check mode that can help you determine whether your hearing aids are working properly or if they have a mechanical issue that requires cleaning or professional maintenance, as well as telehealth, which allows you to have a live remote session with your hearing care professional from the comfort of your own home.

The app has additional features such as Accessories. The accessories that Starkey has can dramatically improve your hearing performance with these devices. These include a Mini Remote microphone, a Remote Mic+, a table microphone, the remote, and a TV streamer with a range that has been increased from 32 feet to 40 feet.

What are our overall thoughts on the new Starkey Genesis Ai? We really like the improvements that Starkey has made to these hearing aids, and we stand by our opening statement that these are without a doubt the best hearing aids that Starkey has ever released. We would have liked to have seen improved Bluetooth connectivity and stability, particularly with Android devices. If Bluetooth streaming is important to you, the Genesis Ai hearing aids are definitely good enough to convince us to recommend that you to switch to an Apple device.

We’re still getting used to the appearance of the RICs and we love the new receiver wires much better physical fit. We also love that they increased the input dynamic range for music lovers and we like the new Edge Mode+ enhancements to Edge Mode, as well as the super-long battery life. We’re happy they’ve upgraded the app to the new My Starkey app, which has simplified a lot of things for a lot of people. So, if you're looking to treat your hearing loss for the first time or upgrade your hearing aid technology, you'd be crazy not to consider the Starkey Genesis Ai.