Zeal is the device we fit most often, and the one we recommend when someone wants help hearing without a daily reminder that they are wearing anything. It is small, rechargeable, and built on Oticon's BrainHearing approach: give the brain a full, natural picture of sound rather than a narrow beam pointed at whoever is directly in front of you.
Why we call Zeal our specialty
Most practices carry Oticon. Fewer make a point of stocking Zeal in the fitting range that covers the majority of hearing losses we see in this part of Pennsylvania. That matters for one practical reason: many patients can be fitted the same day as their hearing evaluation, rather than waiting a week or two for an order to arrive.
If you have been putting off getting your hearing checked because you assumed it would take several visits before you heard any difference, this is the part worth knowing. For a lot of people it is one appointment.
Who Zeal suits
- Mild to moderately severe hearing loss, which covers most people who notice they are struggling in restaurants and at family gatherings before they notice it anywhere else
- Anyone who wants discretion. The receiver-in-canal design puts a very small housing behind the ear with a thin wire into the canal. Most people looking at you will not see it
- People who are tired of batteries. Zeal charges overnight and runs through the day. No fumbling with size 312 cells at the kitchen table
- Phone and TV users. Direct streaming from iPhone and compatible Android devices, plus TV audio through Oticon's TV Adapter
What it actually does differently
The honest version: no hearing aid restores normal hearing. What a good one does is make speech easier to follow while leaving enough of the rest of the world intact that you still feel oriented in it.
Zeal's sound processing is built to preserve that context. Sit in a busy room with a device that aggressively suppresses everything but the voice in front of you and conversation gets easier, but the room goes flat and you lose track of who is where. Zeal aims to keep the speech clear while letting the surroundings stay present. In practice most patients describe it as sounding less "processed" than what they expected.
Fitting and follow-up here
Every Zeal fitting at Northeast Hearing Solutions includes:
- A full 90-minute hearing evaluation first, because the fitting is only as good as the measurements behind it
- Live speech mapping, so we verify the device is delivering the prescribed sound in your ear, not just in the software. Ear canals differ enough that this genuinely changes the result
- A 30-day trial period, our Test Drive, so you evaluate it in your own life rather than in our office
- Follow-up adjustments with the person who fitted you, at whichever office is closer
Insurance and financing
Many plans include a hearing benefit, and we verify yours before your visit so there are no surprises. We work with Geisinger Gold Medicare Advantage and a range of other plans. Financing options may include PowerPay and CareCredit.
Where to find us
We fit and service Oticon Zeal at both offices:
- Kulpmont, 963 Chestnut St, open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, (570) 373-5000
- Hazle Township, 426 Airport Rd #139, serving the Hazleton area, open Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, (570) 459-1400
Schedule a hearing evaluation and hear Zeal for yourself. If it turns out you do not need hearing aids, we will tell you that too.
Related: the full Oticon lineup · Oticon Intent · Oticon Reveal, coming soon · what happens at a hearing evaluation