MaxHear
Built for testing your own voice before you commit to a platform
ReSound Reviews & Alternative, Your Own Voice Tested
ReSound's M&RIE (Microphone & Receiver-In-Ear) puts a third microphone inside your ear canal, using your own ear's shape to pick up sound the way it naturally would. ReSound's own data claims it improves sound localization by 9–10%, particularly for mild hearing loss — a specific, sourced number, not a vague marketing phrase. HearAdvisor's lab testing gives the flagship Nexia a B grade, SoundScore 3.87/5.
Real complaints, separately, describe accessories — the charger and TV streamer — as the weak point. MaxHear is a sound amplifier app for iPhone and Android that answers whether amplification helps you at all, for free, using headphones you already own, with no separate charging hardware to fail.
Free to try with no account, no email and no card. Headphones required.
"I'm not old enough, in my opinion, to be dealing with this! But apparently my ears didn't get the memo. My biggest issue is people talking softly or turning away while they're talking."
Linda S., 55 — Phoenix, AZ · MaxHear userWhat ReSound owners actually say, once the accessories are involved
ReSound North America is not BBB accredited. We read its most recent complaint in full, checked 19 August 2026, along with a separate customer review of the Nexia's TV streamer accessory.
In the complainant's own words:
"My hearing aid broke and was returned for repair March 2, 2026. For the hearing aid to charge its to be placed in a charger with an insert specific to the hearing aid. An aid, charger and insert was returned separately and it will not charge."
BBB complaint — 22 May 2026"The aid will not charge and I without a hearing aid...just keeps saying they are working on it! They are also giving my provider a run around! I want a new aid, charger and insert made and all tested together."
BBB complaint — 22 May 2026 (same filing)A separate customer review of the Nexia's TV streamer accessory, posted March 2026, described a different failure: "The streamer for these hearing aids is low quality and high price…The streamer just quits indiscriminately in the middle of a tv broadcast and will not re pair." Neither complaint is about the hearing aid's core amplification — both are about the accessories built to charge and connect it.
The finding worth knowing before you buy: the innovation is inside your ear, the failure points are outside it
M&RIE is a genuinely distinctive piece of engineering — moving the microphone from behind the ear to inside the ear canal, so it picks up sound (including your own voice) the way your ear actually hears it, rather than through a processed feed. An audiologist reviewing it noted the caveat honestly: "Although M&RIE is a unique feature, its suitability largely depends on ear canal size and degree of hearing loss." What the complaints above point at is a separate layer entirely — the charger, the insert, the TV streamer — the accessory hardware that has to work correctly every day for the core technology to matter at all.
What it costs
Prescription pricing bundles the device with the audiologist's time.
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Nexia 5, per pair | $2,298 | HearingTracker |
| Nexia 9 (top tier), per pair | $2,998 | HearingTracker |
| Reported real-world spend (BBB complaint) | $1,495 | BBB complaint filing |
| Trial (varies by seller) | 60 days | HearingTracker |
| MaxHear | free to find out, then the plan is shown in the app | — |
Original Medicare covers neither hearing aids nor the exams used to fit them. Confirm what happens if the charger, insert or streamer accessory fails separately from the hearing aid itself — per the BBB complaint above, that distinction mattered.
ReSound vs MaxHear
A distinctive in-ear microphone design with accessory-dependent reliability vs. a free way to answer the first question.
| What matters | MaxHear Sound amplifier app | ReSound Nexia Prescription hearing aid |
|---|---|---|
| First step | Open the app No appointment, no exam | Audiologist visit Fitting and programming required |
| Own-voice sound quality | Not lab-tested A general-purpose amplifier, not a clinical device | M&RIE, claimed 9–10% localization gain Suitability depends on ear canal size |
| Charger/accessory dependency | None No separate charger, insert or streamer to fail | Real, per complaints Charger/insert and TV streamer failures reported |
| Hardware required | None Uses the phone and headphones you own | Yes Device plus charger, insert and optional streamer |
| Cost | 3 days free to try, then the plan is shown in the app Nothing to buy to find out | $2,298–$2,998 a pair Medicare pays nothing |
If M&RIE's in-ear microphone design genuinely fits your ear canal and hearing loss profile, it's a real technical advantage no other brand offers the same way. If you first want to know whether amplification helps you at all, that's a cheaper, faster question, and MaxHear answers it before any accessory is involved.
Why people check MaxHear before booking a ReSound fitting
Chosen from what actually recurs in ReSound's own complaints — not a generic list.
No separate charging hardware to fail
MaxHear uses your phone and headphones you already charge. There's no matched charger-plus-insert set that has to arrive working together.
Built for TV listening directly
No add-on streamer to pair and re-pair. MaxHear's live equalizer works through the headphones already connected to your device.
Works the same for everyone
No anatomical fit dependency to navigate. Test amplification directly with your own ears and headphones.
Nothing to escalate
No repair ticket, no provider intermediary. MaxHear's free mode simply works, indefinitely.
Which one is actually right for you
Two positions, and a step in between.
A fitted device is the right tool
Your hearing loss is severe or profound, affects one ear only, or is conductive or mixed. Ask specifically whether M&RIE fits your ear canal — suitability varies, per reviewing audiologists.
You haven't established that yet
Your struggle is situational, or you're not ready for a $2,300+ decision involving matched hardware accessories. Test amplification free first; if the answer is yes, you'll book that fitting knowing more than you do now.
A ten-minute check before you book a fitting
Do this before scheduling an appointment. It costs nothing and gives you a real answer.
Write down your three hardest moments
The restaurant table, the phone call, the TV at family dinners. Specific beats "I can't hear well."
Grab headphones you already own
Wired or Bluetooth, whatever you have — no new hardware needed to test the question.
Start in a quiet room, level low
The app opens quiet on purpose — you set the level, with one person talking to you.
Then test your actual worst room
The kitchen mid-cooking, or the TV at normal volume. That's the situation you're really solving for.
Judge it on one thing
Are you asking people to repeat themselves less? If yes, you've learned amplification helps — now a fitting appointment is an informed decision, not a guess.
FAQ: ReSound reviews and alternatives
What is M&RIE and does it actually work?
Microphone & Receiver-In-Ear places a third microphone inside your ear canal to capture sound using your ear's own natural shape. ReSound's own data claims a 9–10% improvement in sound localization, particularly for mild hearing loss, though a reviewing audiologist notes suitability depends on ear canal size and degree of loss.
Is ReSound BBB accredited?
No. ReSound North America is not BBB accredited. Its most recent complaint, filed 22 May 2026, describes a charger and insert that wouldn't work together after a repair, left unanswered as of this check.
Is the ReSound TV streamer reliable?
Reviews are mixed. One customer review from March 2026 describes it quitting mid-broadcast and failing to re-pair; other owners report satisfactory streaming performance.
How much does the ReSound Nexia cost?
$2,298 to $2,998 per pair depending on technology tier, per HearingTracker, with a 60-day trial through some sellers.
Can an app replace a hearing aid?
No, and MaxHear doesn't claim to. It's a sound amplifier app, not a medical device, and isn't authorized as a hearing aid. Its purpose is answering whether amplification helps you at all, for free, before any sales call or purchase.
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Stop asking people to repeat themselves
Install MaxHear, connect the headphones you already own, and hear the next conversation clearly.