The history of Beltone

Browse the timeline of how it all began. The rest, as they say, is history.

How it all started

Founders Sam and Faye Posen created personalized, miniaturized hearing technology to help a friend with hearing loss, surpassing hearing aids at the time. Sam’s distinct aim was to help people hear the music of life come through “as clear as the tone of a bell.”

Let's walk through the timeline

1940

Beltone opens for business in downtown Chicago in the United States with the first hearing aid, Beltone Model H™.

1950s

Beltone gets into the television game with our first TV commercial introducing Minuet™ – the first Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aid.

1960s

Larry Posen, Sam and Faye’s son, invents the Micro-Module™ circuit. It powers the ‘tiny’ Serenade™ BTE hearing aid and the first In-the-Ear (ITE) hearing aid, The Bravo™.

1970s

A 50,000 ft² extension to the Chicago headquarters has a walk-in, virtually soundproof room to enable more sophisticated research into the challenges of hearing
loss.

1980s

New technological wonders in the decade of decadence: ODE™, our first custom In-the-Canal (ITC) hearing aid; Alto-Max™ and Alto-Super Max™ ITC hearing aids; and Opera Max™, the most powerful canal hearing aid on the market at the time.

1990s

Technology is rapidly evolving and Beltone stays ahead of the game with Invisa™, the first virtually invisible hearing aid, and Beltone Digital™, our first non-analog technology.

2000s

Beltone AVE™, a brand-new, state-of-the-art fitting and verification system for hearing aids launches in 2002.

2010s

Beltone True™ lands in 2011, the first hearing aid with wireless streaming from hand-held devices with the 2.4 GHz frequency band, the highest speed of streaming possible.

In 2014, Beltone First™ arrives, the first MFi hearing aid with streaming from iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Beltone Amaze™ and Beltone Boost Ultra™ are the other high-profile hearing aids rounding off the decade in style.

2020s and beyond

The most tailored hearing solution, Beltone Imagine™, and our newest essential line, Beltone Rely™, take the industry by storm and complete the Beltone portfolio.

Today, we continue to focus on the needs of people with hearing loss and our partners by researching and developing innovative new hearing technologies.

The future is bright.

Explore the Beltone Portfolio

Discover the Beltone technology

All Beltone hearing aids offer great sound quality, connected by the same fitting software, user app, wireless accessories, and Beltone Remote Care Live.

Get more detailed information about the technology that powers Beltone products.

Learn more about our technology

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