| Industry: | Hearing aids, Health Care, Retail |
| Founder: | Kenneth Dahlberg |
| Location City: | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Location Country: | U.S. |
| Locations: | 1,500+ |
| Area Served: | United States |
| Key People: | Emiliano Di Vincenzo, Executive Vice President - Amplifon Americas |
| Owner: | Amplifon S.p.A. |
Miracle-Ear, Inc. is a hearing aid and hearing care company consisting of a network of franchised and corporately owned retail locations. The company is a subsidiary of Amplifon, the worldwide leader in hearing care and hearing aid retail based in Milan, Italy.[1] Miracle-Ear's U.S. headquarters are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[2] As of 2023 it has more than 1,500 locations in the United States, and it is the best-known hearing aid brand in the U.S.
Miracle-Ear, Inc. began as a hearing aid manufactured by Dahlberg Electronics, an electronics company founded in 1948. Highly decorated WWII veteran, Kenneth Dahlberg started Dahlberg Electronics after he left a position as assistant to the president of Telex Communications, another manufacturer of hearing aids.[3] [4] Prior to manufacturing hearing aids, Dahlberg's company produced pillow radios for hospitals and motels.[5]
In the early 1950s, Dahlberg Electronics began producing hearing aids that utilized the newly invented transistor technology – beginning with "hybrid" hearing aids that used transistors and vacuum tubes, and then releasing an all-transistor model in 1953.[6] In 1955, they introduced the first so-called "in-the-ear" hearing aid, the D-10 Magic Ear – which concealed all electronic components in a shell snapped onto an earmold and weighed 1/2 ounce, including battery, three-transistor amplifier, microphone, and receiver.[7] [8] Other innovations included the D-14 "Solar Ear" eyeglasses hearing aid, which used a solar cell for power.
In 1962, the Miracle-Ear IV was the first hearing aid that used integrated circuitry,[9] and in 1971, the company introduced the Dahlberg SHARP circuit, an ultra-low power circuit utilizing in-house hybrid production. In 1988, the company debuted the Miracle-Ear Dolphin, the first programmable hearing aid on the market.[10] [11] Following university testing in 1997, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved claims on Miracle-Ear's Sharp Plus circuitry that the Miracle-Ear devices improved hearing in the presence of background noise.[12]
In 1998 the Miracle-Ear Messenger was introduced, which featured proprietary technology that enabled the aid to be customized by the wearer. In 2003 the company's entire line of hearing aids went digital, and in 2005 Miracle-Ear brought out the innovative Open Fit design. In early 2011 the company announced the Miracle-Ear Mirage, an invisible completely in the canal hearing aid that fits deep in the ear canal.
Also in 2011, Miracle-Ear debuted a waterproof hearing aid, the Aquavi, which is also dustproof and virtually shockproof to accommodate active lifestyles.[13] It can be completely submerged in water up to three feet deep for up to 30 minutes without damage to the instrument and has an IP rating of 68. In 2013, Miracle-Ear launched a new technology platform called ClearVation, which learns the wearer's individual preferences and delivers appropriate amplification levels while preserving natural acoustics.[14]
Miracle-Ear offers Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids to interact with compatible smartphones. These wireless Miracle-Ear hearing aids are "Made-for-iPhone" (MFi)[15] and can connect with compatible Apple® iPhones® to stream audio directly from the phone to the hearing aid. Additionally, Miracle-Ear Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids utilize Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids (ASHA) protocol to interact with compatible Android™ smartphones to stream audio directly to the hearing aids. Miracle-Ear offers an app (the Miracle-Ear App) that allows Miracle-Ear hearing aid wearers to increase the volume, adjust the equalizer and view wear time of the hearing aids. The Miracle-Ear app offers an alternative to using a physical remote for Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids.
Miracle-Ear hearing aid styles include behind-the-ear (BTE), receiver-in-canal (RIC), in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), completely-in-the-canal (CIC) devices and invisible-in-canal (IIC). Rechargeable hearing aids with lithium-ion batteries are available in many styles.
Miracle-Ear devices have technology to help make speech clearer and listening easier. Every hearing aid comes with noise and wind reduction, personalized fitting, and customizable programs. In addition, options for music, media streaming and accessories provide solutions for every hearing loss and listener preference.
Kenneth Dahlberg briefly sold his company to Motorola in 1959 but bought it back only 5 years later in 1964 when Motorola divested itself of consumer products. Miracle-Ear began franchising in 1984.[16] Dahlberg sold the company to Bausch & Lomb in 1993.[17] In 1999, Amplifon acquired Dahlberg, Inc. from Bausch & Lomb, and that year Dahlberg, Inc. and its subsidiary Miracle-Ear, Inc. merged into Miracle-Ear, Inc.
Miracle-Ear was a sponsor of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta,[18] which included a Miracle-Ear Olympic Hearing Center. A technician at the Miracle-Ear Olympic Hearing Center identified that a member of the Rwandan track team had severe hearing loss, and Miracle-Ear assisted the runner so that an ear specialist in the U.S. could perform surgeries which restored the athlete's hearing.[19] [20]
Miracle-Ear Foundation®
In 1990, the Miracle-Ear Children's Foundation was founded to provide free hearing aids and services to children for families who could not afford hearing aids.[21] In 2013, the Miracle-Ear Children's Foundation was rebranded to the Miracle-Ear Foundation, expanding services to provide free hearing aids to both adults and children in need.[22] Since inception, the foundation has donated more than 40,000 hearing aids to over 21,000 children and adults in the U.S.
In 2014, the Miracle-Ear Foundation initiated and co-sponsored "One Day Without Sound", which encourages hearing persons to remove sound from their lives for one day to experience what it might be like to live hearing loss.[23]