San Diego, CA – June 24, 2015 – Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR), the leading-edge audio technology company, today announced a new partnership with AuDConnex, a major hearing healthcare buying group, further strengthening the Company’s channel and distribution strategy for HyperSound ClearTM. Planned to launch later this year, HyperSound Clear is Turtle Beach’s first-of-its-kind hearing healthcare solution for individuals with hearing loss. AuDConnex supports its wide network of members through technology innovations, ongoing training and education and competitive product pricing, and as part this newly formed partnership, AuDConnex members across the United States and Canada will have the opportunity to offer HyperSound Clear to patients once it becomes available.
Leveraging Turtle Beach’s patented directional audio technology, HyperSound Clear offers a fundamentally new approach to sound delivery. Similar to the way a flashlight beams a ray of light, HyperSound Clear beams sound directly to targeted listeners, which has been shown to improve sound clarity and speech intelligibility in individuals with hearing loss. When sitting in the “HyperSound® beam,” people with hearing loss experience immersive, 3D audio; and at the same time, everyone else in the room hears audio at a normal volume level delivered through the TV speakers or home theater system. This means that people with hearing loss, along with family members and friends, can once again return to the family room to enjoy the latest home entertainment together, whether watching their favorite movies and TV shows, enjoying the latest music or playing video games.
“This partnership with AuDConnex is a tremendous step toward bringing hearing loss awareness to a broader market,” said Rodney Schutt, Senior Vice President and General Manager for the HyperSound business at Turtle Beach Corporation. “HyperSound Clear provides AuDConnex members with a truly unique gateway solution that has the potential to lower the current five to seven year gap between a patient’s first visit with a hearing healthcare professional to hearing aid adoption. Together with AuDConnex we can strengthen member portfolios and elevate the level of hearing care available to providers.”
“The AuDConnex team sees great potential in HyperSound Clear as an entirely new ‘Directed Audio’ product category that will help patients hear better in one of the most difficult listening situations: watching TV,” said Michael Iliff, Doctor of Audiology and AuDConnex co-founder. “Nearly 85% of patients who visit a hearing specialist for the first time do so because they’re no longer able to hear and understand the TV as well as they used to. Adding a gateway product like HyperSound Clear into our portfolio, a device that immediately addresses that TV issue, is great for the overall hearing healthcare industry because it means people will start addressing their hearing issues sooner.”
“The fact that HyperSound Clear is programmable by a hearing professional to adjust for a patient’s specific hearing profile is especially beneficial,” added Richard Johnson, Doctor of Audiology and AuDConnex co-founder. “Furthermore, the HyperSound solution brings our member practices a new brand building opportunity; truly enhancing the patient experience. We believe patients and their families will all have something to gain from this high-fidelity TV listening solution.”
Hearing loss is a growing, widespread issue that impacts people of all ages and often carries with it serious implications for one’s health, relationships, and overall well-being. 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 chronic physical condition in the United States. An estimated 360 million people worldwide suffer from some form of hearing loss, and HyperSound Clear is on the verge of offering a new way for people with hearing loss to once again enjoy home entertainment.
About AuDConnex
AuDConnex is a collaborative hearing provider network/buying group of over 300 members with operations in both the United States and Canada. Founded in 2011 by Richard Johnson, Au.D, Michael Iliff, Au.D, and Ryan Lewis, AuDConnex exists to help hearing care businesses maintain their competitive edge in practice. AuDConnex is dedicated to helping hearing care professionals simplify their practice strategy, collaborate with other like-minded practitioners, and succeed in an ever-changing and competitive marketplace. For more information on AuDConnex, please visit www.audconnex.com.
About Turtle Beach Corporation
Turtle Beach Corporation (www.turtlebeachcorp.com) designs leading-edge audio products for the consumer, commercial and healthcare markets. Under the Turtle Beach brand (www.turtlebeach.com), the Company markets a wide selection of quality gaming headsets catering to a variety of gamers’ needs and budgets, for use with video game consoles, including officially-licensed headsets for the Xbox One and PlayStation®4, as well as for personal computers and mobile/tablet devices. Under the HyperSound brand (www.hypersound.com), the Company markets pioneering directed audio solutions that have applications in digital signage and kiosks, consumer electronics and healthcare. The company’s shares are traded on the NASDAQ Exchange under the symbol: HEAR.