Hearing Solutions for Single-Sided Deafness

Single-sided deafness is more common than most people realize — and it's genuinely exhausting to live with. You constantly turn your head to follow conversations. You lose track of where sounds are coming from. In a noisy restaurant or a crowded meeting, you're working twice as hard just to keep up. Standard hearing aids weren't built for this, but specialized systems were. At Audiologic Solutions, we fit patients with single-sided deafness (SSD) at our four locations across Rensselaer, Hudson, Queensbury, and Saratoga Springs, NY.

What Single-Sided Deafness Actually Means

SSD means you have little to no usable hearing in one ear, while your other ear hears normally or close to it. It can happen gradually or overnight. The causes vary — illness, injury, a tumor removal, or sometimes no clear reason at all. Even with one perfectly functioning ear, you're missing something important: the ability to hear in stereo. That's what makes it hard to pinpoint where sounds are coming from or to follow speech when there's any background noise.

How CROS and BiCROS Systems Work

The most effective non-surgical solution for SSD is a CROS system. Here's the basic idea: a small microphone sits on your non-hearing ear and wirelessly sends sounds over to a receiver on your hearing ear. Sounds from your deaf side aren't lost anymore — they get delivered where your brain can actually process them.

If your hearing ear also has some degree of hearing loss, a BiCROS system is the right fit. It does the same thing as a CROS, but the receiver also amplifies sound for the ear it's sitting in. One system, two problems solved.

Neither option restores hearing in the affected ear. But both make a real difference in your ability to follow conversations, stay aware of your surroundings, and stop feeling like you're constantly one step behind.

The Oticon Intent CROS

For most of our SSD patients, we start with the Oticon Intent CROS. What makes it stand out is its 4D Sensor technology, which tracks four things simultaneously — your head movement, body movement, conversation activity, and the sound environment around you. It uses all of that information to continuously adjust how it processes sound.

Under the hood, it runs on a second-generation deep neural network trained across thousands of real-world listening environments. In plain terms: it's very good at keeping speech clear even when things get noisy. It also streams directly from iPhones and most Android phones, tablets, and PCs. If you're trying to manage background noise while also staying connected to your devices, this system handles both well.

The Phonak CROS Infinio

Phonak's CROS Infinio pairs with the Audéo Infinio R, a rechargeable hearing aid that automatically adjusts its settings as your environment changes — moving from a quiet office to a loud street, for instance, without you touching a thing. That automatic adjustment feature is called AutoSense OS 6.0, and it works seamlessly in the background.

Both the hearing aid and the CROS transmitter are rechargeable and rated IP68, which means they're protected against water and dust. If you're active, spend time outdoors, or just don't want to think about fragile electronics, this system is worth a close look.

The ReSound Vivia CROS

The ReSound Vivia CROS is the most discreet option we carry. The hearing aid itself is compact and runs up to 30 hours on a single charge — longer than most competitors. It uses AI-driven processing that's designed to focus on speech coming from the direction you're looking, which helps in busy environments where sound is coming from everywhere.

It also supports Auracast, a newer Bluetooth standard that allows streaming from public audio sources like TVs in waiting rooms or announcements in public spaces. If staying connected and keeping a low profile both matter to you, Vivia is a strong choice.

Finding the Right Match for Your Life

There's no single best option here. The right system depends on your hearing profile, how you spend your days, and your budget. A patient who's active outdoors and always on the go might prioritize durability and battery life. Someone who spends most of their time in meetings might care more about speech clarity in noise. Our audiologists will take the time to understand your situation and walk you through what each system actually offers — not just the specs, but how it'll perform in your daily life.

Let's Talk About Your Hearing

If you've been living with single-sided deafness and haven't explored your options yet, a hearing evaluation is the natural place to start. We'll assess both ears, talk through your lifestyle, and help you find a solution that actually fits. Call us or book online at any of our four locations — and take the first step toward hearing from all directions again.