SAN DIEGO, C.A. – September 2, 2014 – Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR), a leading innovator of audio products and solutions, today announced the hiring and appointment of Rodney Schutt as SVP and General Manager of HyperSound. Mr. Schutt joins the company as it prepares to launch a new directed audio solution for the hearing health market in 2015. He brings significant relevant leadership experience in hearing health and medical device companies, including roles as CEO of Unitron Hearing and Luminetx, President of Widex, Inc., and 18 years in senior positions in General Electric’s medical and healthcare businesses.
“I’m extremely pleased that we’ve been able to find, attract and hire such an outstanding executive to lead our HyperSound business.” said Juergen Stark, chief executive officer of Turtle Beach Corporation. “His experience is a perfect fit as we prepare to launch an innovative new product into the hearing health market next year.”
HyperSound is a fundamentally new approach to sound delivery that uses thin panels to generate an ultrasound beam that carries audio through the air. The panels direct sound in a narrow, controlled beam much the way a flashlight directs a beam of light. When an individual enters the beam’s radius, they hear immersive 3D audio, similar to wearing a surround sound headset. The characteristics of the HyperSound audio beam have been shown to improve the clarity of audio and speech comprehension in individuals with certain types of hearing loss.
In February the company received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the marketing of the HyperSound® Audio System as a hearing improvement device. Researchers estimate that one in five Americans, and one in three people over age 65, suffer from hearing loss. Impacting over 48 million Americans, hearing loss is the third most common physical condition in the United States after arthritis and heart disease. An estimated 360 million people worldwide suffer from some form of hearing loss.