Power meets quality in a new generation of technology
The ability to hear is essential for communication, enjoyment of life, and mental health. Yet for many people around the world, it remains out of reach—either due to hearing loss, lack of medical care, or inadequate technical hearing solutions. What began as idealism—the vision of helping people in need as a missionary doctor—developed into a global company offering hearing solutions of the highest standard. With great commitment, technological vision, and a keen understanding of human needs, Bill Austin founded Starkey in 1967. Today, the company stands for sophisticated hearing systems, pioneering spirit, and the highest level of innovation, reaching a new milestone in the hearing care industry with its revolutionary EdgeAI product family.
Bill Austin — a visionary who changed millions of lives
Bill Austin had a clear goal: he wanted to become a missionary doctor. To finance his medical studies, he began working in his uncle's company in 1961, manufacturing ear molds for hearing aids. He developed a customized hearing aid for a patient whom other specialists had already given up on and realized that his true calling was to restore people's quality of life through good hearing. In 1970, he took over the small company Starkey Laboratories, which at the time had three employees. Bill Austin merged his uncle's existing business with Starkey and began to change the hearing care industry forever.
In 1984, he founded the Starkey Hearing Foundation, a non-profit organization that distributes free hearing aids to people in need around the world. Since then, people with hearing impairments in over 100 countries have been provided with hearing aids. Bill Austin's achievements have been recognized with numerous awards. In 2017, the UN appointed him as its first Global Ambassador for Ear and Hearing Health.
Quality and reliability — the Starkey DNA
From the very beginning, Starkey's approach to work has been characterized by uncompromising quality standards. Unlike many of its competitors, Starkey focused on precision craftsmanship, in-depth consultation, and individual customization—long before this became standard practice. Maximum reliability, the finest sound processing, and continuous innovation—this corporate philosophy continues to shape Starkey to this day.
One example of this commitment to quality is the EdgeAI product family, which currently occupies the top technological position in the portfolio. With EdgeAI, Starkey has achieved a milestone in the hearing aid industry. These smart hearing aids use artificial intelligence to analyze and automatically adjust to listening environments in real time. Edge AI recognizes whether the hearing aid wearer is in a quiet room, a busy restaurant, or a windy park and seamlessly adjusts the sound profile. The dynamic Edge Mode+ can be activated as needed to mobilize additional computing power to improve speech comprehension in difficult listening situations.
In 2025, Starkey was awarded the prestigious BIG Innovation Award for EdgeAI—proof that the company is committed to quality and technological excellence. The demand for durability, comfort, and design is evident in every single hearing aid.
Conversation focus with changing noise sources
Starkey hearing aids are highly complex, miniaturized computer systems that understand the individual lifestyles of their wearers, continuously adapt, and respond to changing environments in real time. Starkey is one of the innovation leaders in this field and goes well beyond the technological standard with intelligent features, award-winning sensor technology, and AI-based hearing environment analysis.
The central element of intelligent signal processing is the Sound Manager, a system organized into three dynamically operating levels. This is where the specially developed Deep Neural Network (DNN) comes into play—a form of machine learning that has been trained on countless hearing situations and is able to precisely distinguish between speech, noise, and sources of interference. Instead of rigidly relying on preset programs, the Starkey hearing aid adapts dynamically and recognizes in real time whether it is a quiet conversation, a lively family celebration, or a highly reverberant environment such as an airport or train station. Sophisticated artificial intelligence ensures that speech signals are always clearly in the foreground, while background noise is automatically suppressed—regardless of the direction from which the speech is coming. This is particularly crucial for lively conversations in which the conversation partners move around frequently or spontaneously change their seating position.
Intelligent alignment for maximum speech intelligibility
Hearing care professionals can tailor it specifically to the lifestyle of the hearing aid wearer. This function enables channel-specific control, whereby the microphone array intelligently aligns itself with the speech source while simultaneously filtering out dominant noise sources. Thanks to this technology, the focus on speech is maintained even when noise sources and speakers are constantly changing—a clear advantage in meetings or when commuting on public transport.
Hearing in motion
Starkey has set another milestone with the introduction of Motion-Based Optimization (MBO). Whether walking, jogging, or in the hectic everyday working life, this function is based on integrated motion sensors that accurately detect whether the hearing aid wearer is currently moving. Depending on the movement situation, the hearing system automatically adjusts and selects an omnidirectional microphone setting to enhance situational awareness and improve perception of ambient noise. A special highlight is the adaptive wind noise reduction, which reduces disruptive influences by up to 35 dB. This is a significant improvement, especially outdoors or during sports activities. The sensors are so sensitive that they detect even the slightest movements, such as chewing or slight slippage of the hearing aid in the ear canal. These impulses automatically trigger the patented feedback cancellation, effectively preventing annoying whistling noises—even if the hearing aid is no longer sitting optimally in the ear.
With product families such as EdgeAI, state-of-the-art AI technology, and groundbreaking features such as motion-based optimization, Starkey is redefining standards in the hearing care industry and remaining true to its founding principle: helping people hear better and live better.
The future of hearing
Discover the highlights of EdgeAI as an audiologist. During a personalized product demonstration, our hearing experts will present all the features in detail: from intelligent sound management and frequency translation to Edge Mode+ and wind noise optimization.
Contact our sales team now at info@aureos.ch, to arrange a personal demonstration at your premises.