AirPods vs. hearing aids: which helps you hear better in a crowd?
NCT ID NCT06840015
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 11, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tests whether Apple AirPods can help adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss understand speech in noisy places. Twenty-four participants will compare AirPods, hearing aids, and wireless microphones in a single lab session. Researchers will measure how well people hear, how much effort it takes, and which device people prefer.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- AirPod Pro (2nd and 3rd generation) as hearing assistive device
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that AirPods are a cheaper, more accessible option for people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss to hear better in noisy settings.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early study with only 24 participants. Results may not apply to everyone, and AirPods are not medical-grade devices, so they may not work as well as hearing aids for all users.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 24 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2025
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 60 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Adults aged 18 to 60 years. * Fluent English speakers. * Mild-to-moderate hearing loss confirmed by a pure-tone hearing test (average hearing threshold screening 25 to 55 dB HL across octave frequencies from 250 to 8000 Hz). * Individuals with no prior hearing aid experience for a year. Exclusion Criteria: * Normal hearing. * Hearing loss worse than moderate. * Neurological, psychiatric, or ophthalmological conditions that might alter the pupil response. * Non-fluent English speakers. * Individuals with prior hearing aid experience more than a year.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Callier Center for Communication Disorders
RECRUITINGRichardson, Texas, 75080, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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