Anika Begay
In use as a hearing aid, the Melodia has two modes: all around and “hear in noise,” which is designed for the loudest settings. Both were reasonably effective, but I got the best results with the aids on the quietest settings, as the noise canceling feature, which can be adjusted to three levels, tended to block out essential sounds like voices when activated. With noise canceling on its lowest setting, I experienced a constant, barely audible background hum and a noticeable hint of echo.
However, the biggest issue I had with the Melodia was that I had to turn the volume up to the max to get any impact, which I rarely experience with other devices. The Kingwell app has an in-app system for asking for support if your hearing experience isn’t perfect. A support agent quickly suggested resetting my audiogram settings to numbers that are 10 points higher overall, among other fixes. This helped with overall volume, but the echo effect was worse, with audio seeming to flow in and out, up and down in level, an issue that can make you feel a little crazy over time.
As streaming earbuds, the Melodia units sounded great, at least with music: great instrumental depth, solid but not thumping bass, and crystal-clear vocals across the board. Oddly enough, I encountered a new issue when I watched a dialogue-heavy movie with my hearing aids on: the voices didn’t seem to be in sync between both ears, creating more echo. Further testing after restarting the hearing aids by placing them in the case and switching between hearing aid mode and back alleviated the issue somewhat.
Photography: Christopher Null
Unfortunately, Kingwell’s noise reduction mode only works in hearing aid mode. In fact, you can’t even control the hearing aid volume in the Kingwell app when in streaming mode, although, oddly enough, you can still interact with the volume sliders for each ear that don’t actually work. You’ll have to use your phone’s volume controls.
The promised battery life seems ambitious, and streaming really does hurt the charge: one hour of continuous streaming reduced the reported battery life by a third. Kingwell says the nine-hour battery life is only for hearing aid mode, and that it will get up to six hours in streaming mode. But even that seems optimistic.
While the Melodia hearing aids are a bit rudimentary, they are moderately effective and surprisingly comfortable for extended wear. I was able to wear them for hours without even an itch, a claim I can’t make for many other hearing aids. At under $500, they’re not my favorite hearing aid, but they’re at least worth a listen.
