Turtle Beach Corporation Changes The Landscape Of Hearing Healthcare And Home Entertainment With HyperSound Clear

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Turtle Beach Corporation (NASDAQ: HEAR), the leading-edge audio technology company, today announced it will begin fulfilling initial orders for its breakthrough hearing healthcare device, HyperSound Clear™, in the next three weeks, and that the product will be available to purchase through hearing healthcare providers for a MSRP of $1,675.

HyperSound^® technology is a fundamentally new approach to sound delivery that generates a highly directional, narrow beam of audio in the air. Similar to how a flashlight directs a beam of light, HyperSound Clear directs a beam of audio to targeted listeners, which has been shown to significantly improve sound clarity and speech intelligibility in individuals with hearing loss¹. HyperSound Clear works in parallel with the audio from the TV or home theater system, so a person with hearing loss will experience immersive, 3D audio when sitting in the HyperSound beam, while everyone else in the room hears audio from the TV speakers or home theater system at a normal volume level. This means that people with hearing loss, along with family members and friends, can once again return to the family room to enjoy the latest home entertainment together.

Additionally, through their partnership with CaptionCall^® Turtle Beach is offering complimentary white glove installation for a limited time for each HyperSound Clear unit sold in the U.S., where the Company will ensure the first-of-its-kind directed audio solution for people with hearing loss is installed and setup for the optimal home listening experience.

"We're extremely pleased to get this truly amazing new product launched, as we believe it will improve the quality of life for people living with hearing loss," said Rodney Schutt, SVP and General Manager for the HyperSound business at Turtle Beach Corporation. "With nearly 50 million people in the U.S. and 360 million people around the world with hearing loss, and approximately 80% of patients specifically telling their hearing healthcare providers they're having trouble hearing and understanding the TV, we know there's a significant audience of people who can benefit from adding HyperSound Clear into their home entertainment setup."

With strong initial pre-orders, Turtle Beach will begin a staged roll-out of the first shipments of HyperSound Clear units to its partners – some of the biggest companies in hearing healthcare, including American Hearing Aid Associates, Audiology Management Group, Inc., Amplified Resource Group, LLC, AuDConnex, Battery Benelux BV, Beltone New England and Fuel Medical Group, LLC. Consumers interested in purchasing HyperSound Clear should speak with their hearing healthcare provider for availability details. Additionally, HyperSound Clear is customizable for up to two individuals, and will be programmed by a hearing healthcare professional to a specific user's hearing profile to deliver optimal results. Once purchased, programmed and brought home, patients in the U.S. will be contacted by a member from CaptionCall to schedule the complimentary in-home installation.

In a third-party/internal study² conducted during HyperSound Clear's development, 58 adults were provided an opportunity to participate in a demonstration of the product, with intriguing results. In a simulated at-home listening environment in the unaided condition, a substantial majority of participants reported HyperSound Clear enhanced both their overall listening experience and speech recognition ability for television viewing. When asked how much they liked their overall experience with HyperSound Clear, nearly 70% of subjects in the study rated the overall listening experience to be either a 4/5 or 5/5. When asked how much HyperSound Clear improved their ability to hear and understand speech, the results were similar, this time with nearly 80% of subjects in the study giving a rating of either 4/5 for ("marked improvement"), or 5/5 for ("tremendous improvement").

"One of the main joys of being a doctor is knowing you're helping people, and my favorite part of working with the team at Turtle Beach on HyperSound Clear has been those moments shared with patients when they experience the immediate results of hearing clearly," said Dr. Mehta³, Founder and Medical Director of the California Hearing & Balance Center. "Looking beyond the scientific evidence, the human reaction is all I need to see to know it works. I've witnessed the full range of patients' emotions reacting to HyperSound Clear. Whether they become instantly giddy and smile and laugh or are overcome with emotion, no matter which way you slice it, you know they are having a life-changing experience by being able to hear the television clearly again."

Dr. Mehta continued, "This is a significant step not only for individuals with hearing loss, but for our industry as a whole because one of the biggest obstacles we face is the approximate 10 year gap between when someone first notices a problem with their hearing and when they obtain hearing aids. Unfortunately, although difficulty hearing and understanding the TV is an early sign of hearing loss, most people simply choose to turn-up the volume as opposed to seeking help. When you add HyperSound Clear as an all-new, gateway product that directly addresses the issue of hearing and understanding the TV as an alternative option for those who choose not to purchase hearing aids, it certainly has the potential to shorten the aforementioned 10 year gap. This is because people will sooner realize the significant improvement in speech intelligibility can also be achieved in everyday listening environments by adopting hearing aids. That's why HyperSound Clear is such a refreshing, technological breakthrough for hearing healthcare as a whole."

"The moment we first experienced HyperSound, we instantly recognized its potential and jumped at the opportunity to acquire the technology, knowing full-well we could leverage our 40 years of audio commercialization expertise to bring this groundbreaking, new type of audio product to multiple markets," said Juergen Stark, CEO, Turtle Beach Corporation. "Since January 2014, we've focused on bringing HyperSound Clear to the hearing healthcare market as a first major consumer opportunity for the technology, with the goal of recreating that home entertainment environment that everyone with and without hearing loss can enjoy together again."

Hearing loss is a growing, widespread issue that impacts people of all ages and often carries with it serious implications for one's health, relationships, and overall well-being. As people initially begin to lose their hearing, they inevitably rely on increasing the TV volume to compensate. Unfortunately, this has the potential to create a divide in the household, as most people don't want to be in the same room watching TV with somebody with hearing loss when the volume is cranked-up. A nationwide survey⁴ of nearly 4,000 adults and their significant others shows a considerably higher rate of depression, anxiety, and other psychosocial disorders in adults with untreated hearing loss.

Researchers estimate that one in five Americans, and one in three people over age 65, suffer from hearing loss. Impacting over 48 million Americans, hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical condition in the United States. An estimated 360 million people worldwide suffer from some form of hearing loss, and HyperSound Clear is on the verge of offering a new way for people with hearing loss to once again enjoy home entertainment.

To learn more about HyperSound technology and HyperSound Clear, please visit the official website at http://hypersoundhearing.com.

About Turtle Beach Corporation  
Turtle Beach Corporation (www.turtlebeachcorp.com) designs leading-edge audio products for the consumer, commercial and healthcare markets. Under the Turtle Beach brand (www.turtlebeach.com), the Company markets a wide selection of quality gaming headsets catering to a variety of gamers' needs and budgets, for use with video game consoles, including officially-licensed headsets for the Xbox One and PlayStation^®4, as well as for personal computers and mobile/tablet devices. Under the HyperSound brand (www.hypersound.com), the Company markets pioneering directed audio solutions that have applications in digital signage and kiosks, consumer electronics and healthcare. The company's shares are traded on the NASDAQ Exchange under the symbol: HEAR.

Forward-Looking Statements   
This press release includes forward-looking information and statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Except for historical information contained in this release, statements in this release may constitute forward-looking statements regarding assumptions, projections, expectations, targets, intentions or beliefs about future events. Forward looking statements are based on management's statements containing the words "may", "could", "would", "should", "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "plan", "estimate", "target", "project", "intend" and similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current belief, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management.

While the Company believes that its expectations are based upon reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurances that its goals and strategy will be realized. Numerous factors, including risks and uncertainties, may affect actual results and may cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements made by the Company or on its behalf. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the substantial uncertainties inherent in acceptance of existing and future products, the difficulty of commercializing and protecting new technology, the impact of competitive products and pricing, general business and economic conditions, risks associated with the expansion of our business including the implementation of any businesses we acquire, our indebtedness, and other factors discussed in our public filings, including the risk factors included in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the Company's other periodic reports. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Company any is under no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement after the date of this release whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

¹ Mehta, R., Mattson, S., & Seitzman, R., Kappas, B. (2015, August). Speech recognition in the sound field: directed audio vs. conventional speakers. Audiology Online, Article 14901. Retrieved from http://www.audiologyonline.com.

² Dr. Mehta is a consultant for Turtle Beach Corporation and has received stock options as compensation for his work related to the HyperSound Clear product.

³ Taylor B., Hartenstein R., Gruttadauria S. (Sept/Oct. 2015). Patient Preferences for a Directed Audio Solution. Hearing Review.

⁴ Untreated Hearing Loss in Adults- A Growing National Epidemic. American Speech-Language Hearing Association.

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SOURCE Turtle Beach Corporation

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