What Connect Hearing does

Connect Hearing, operating legally as National Hearing Services Inc., is Canada's largest retail hearing healthcare provider with more than 150 clinics nationwide, headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, and founded in 1978. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sonova AG (SIX:SONN), the Swiss hearing technology group, which gives it distribution rights to Sonova's brands including Phonak, Unitron, and Advanced Bionics. Its core offering is a full-spectrum audiology service: comprehensive hearing tests, fittings, and ongoing care, dispensed alongside hearing aids spanning all form factors (BTE, RIC, ITE, IIC) and tier categories, plus specialized implantable solutions (bone-anchored, cochlear, brainstem), tinnitus devices, and the invisible Lyric. Technology is anchored on Sonova's Phonak Infinio platform with the DEEPSONIC dedicated AI chip for speech-in-noise performance, AutoSense OS for automatic environment adaptation, and Roger wireless accessories for challenging listening scenarios.

The business operates a hybrid B2C/B2B model. Consumer revenue is generated through one-time device sales and the Hearing Care Plan subscription ($158/month, 36-month term with 3-year technology upgrades and warranty). Pricing is tiered (Select, Advanced, Standard), with up to 15-20% CAA member discounts, a 60-day price match guarantee, and acceptance of government program coverage (VAC, WCB, WSIB, WorkSafeBC, ADP, ODSP). A separate industrial division delivers mobile audiometric testing, noise surveys, and respirator fit testing to employers in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan under WorkSafeBC approval. Distribution is omnichannel: physical clinic network, online shop for accessories and batteries, eBooking system, and a free online hearing screener for top-of-funnel lead generation. Marketing combines educational content, SEO-driven clinic finder, CAA partnership promotions, and field sales for industrial accounts.

Name

Connect Hearing

Legal name

National Hearing Services Inc.

Website

https://connecthearing.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Connect Hearing is Canada's largest retail hearing healthcare provider, operating 150+ clinics nationwide as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sonova AG. It sells Phonak, Unitron, and Advanced Bionics hearing aids, runs a subscription Hearing Care Plan, and provides industrial workplace audiometric testing across Western Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audiology Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340)

SIC

Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiology & Hearing Diagnostic Centers (HLAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hearing Enhancement / Assistive Listening Audio Devices (CRACANAL), Hearables (True Wireless Earbuds & Smart Headphones) (CRACAIAD), Audiology & Hearing Services (ENT-Affiliated) (HLAKAMAI)

Keywords

• Hearing healthcare services
• Hearing aid fitting
• Audiology services
• Industrial hearing testing
• Tinnitus management

Headquarters

HQ city

Victoria

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Hearing Aid Sales: One-time sale of hearing aids ranging from entry-level to premium technology tiers. Customers can purchase devices outright or through the Hearing Care Plan monthly subscription.
2. Hearing Care Plan Subscription: All-inclusive monthly payment plan starting at $158/month for 36 months, including new technology upgrades every 3 years, full warranty coverage, and brand new hearing aids.
3. Professional Hearing Services: Hearing tests, evaluations, fittings, and follow-up care. Free hearing evaluations for customers over 18. Additional fees may apply for employment testing, reports, or applications.
4. Industrial Workplace Testing: Mobile industrial hearing testing, noise surveys, and respirator fit testing services for employers in BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. WorkSafeBC approved audiometric testing.
5. Hearing Accessories: Sale of hearing accessories including batteries, wireless microphones (Roger On, Roger Select), Phonak Active Vent, and everyday listening products through online shop.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Connect Hearing is a Canadian hearing healthcare provider that sells hearing aids, implantable hearing solutions, and accessories through 150+ retail clinics and an e-commerce shop, complemented by professional audiology services (hearing tests, fittings, follow-up care). It also offers a Hearing Care Plan monthly subscription bundling devices with 3-year technology upgrades, plus a workplace audiological care division providing mobile industrial hearing testing, noise surveys, and respirator fit testing for employers in BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.

Product overview

Connect Hearing is a Canadian hearing healthcare company offering a comprehensive product and service portfolio centered on hearing solutions. The core offerings include multiple hearing aid styles (BTE, RIC, ITE, IIC) and specialized implantable devices (bone-anchored, cochlear implants, brainstem implants) along with Phonak's latest Infinio platform products featuring AI-powered DEEPSONIC chips. Connect Hearing distributes Phonak, Unitron, and Advanced Bionics brands as a Sonova subsidiary. The product ecosystem includes wireless accessories (Roger On/Select, ActiveVent), batteries, and hearing protection. Services span clinical offerings (online and in-clinic hearing tests, hearing evaluations) and industrial workplace services (occupational noise surveys, respirator fit testing, industrial hearing tests) across British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. Financing options include a Hearing Care Plan with 3-year technology upgrades starting at $158/month. Partnerships include CAA membership discounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hearing Aids Comprehensive range of hearing aids in Behind-the-Ear (BTE), Receiver-in-Canal (RIC), In-the-Ear (ITE), and Invisible-in-Canal (IIC) styles covering mild to profound hearing loss, available in Select, Advanced, and Standard technology tiers across Phonak, Unitron, and other partner brands.
• Phonak Infinio Platform Hearing Aids Premium hearing aids built on the Phonak Infinio platform—including Audéo I-Sphere 90 with DEEPSONIC chip for speech-in-noise, Audéo R Infinio, and Virto R Infinio—for mild to profound hearing losses with Bluetooth pairing to up to 8 devices.
• Lyric Invisible Hearing Aid Phonak's Lyric hearing aid worn deep in the ear canal, completely invisible from the outside, designed to be worn for months at a time.
• Bone Conduction and Bone-Anchored Hearing Aids Hearing aids that transmit sound through the skull bone via glasses arms or headband, including an implantable solution with a titanium screw behind the ear and snap-fastener attachment for conductive or mixed hearing loss and chronic middle ear infections.
• Cochlear Implants and Brainstem Implants Implanted hearing devices from Advanced Bionics (a Sonova brand) that bypass missing or damaged sensory cells in the cochlea or auditory nerve and directly stimulate the auditory pathway for severe-to-profound hearing loss.
• Tinnitus Maskers Devices that produce sounds transmitted to the ears to cancel out or mask tinnitus noise in the background for tinnitus sufferers.
• Hearing Care Plan Subscription All-inclusive monthly payment plan starting at $158/month over a 36-month term, including new state-of-the-art Sonova hearing aids, full warranty coverage, and new technology upgrades every 3 years. Available on Sonova products and Roger On.
• Roger Wireless Microphones (Roger On / Roger Select) Wireless remote microphone accessories that boost hearing aid performance in challenging listening situations such as noisy environments, meetings, and phone calls.
• Phonak ActiveVent Receiver Innovative speaker accessory that optimizes hearing aid performance in challenging listening environments or moments of focus by mechanically switching venting modes.
• Hearing Aid Batteries Button-cell batteries for hearing aids, available through the online shop with information on quality, capacity, and performance.
• Hearing Protection Products Ear protection products for consumers and industrial users investing in long-term hearing health.
• Online Hearing Test Free online hearing screening test through the Beyond Hearing platform that takes a few minutes and provides an overall indication of hearing ability to drive clinic appointments.
• In-Clinic Hearing Tests, Evaluations, and Fittings Professional audiology services including hearing tests, evaluations, hearing aid fittings, and follow-up care delivered at Connect Hearing's 150+ clinics across Canada. Free hearing evaluations for adults 18+; additional fees may apply for employment testing, reports, or applications.
• Industrial Hearing Tests WorkSafeBC-approved mobile industrial hearing testing services provided on-site 24/7 across British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to meet workplace hearing conservation requirements.
• Occupational Noise Surveys Noise dosimetry testing and occupational noise surveys producing fully documented reports to support workplace hearing conservation programs and compliance with noise exposure regulations.
• Respirator Fit Testing Annual qualitative and quantitative respirator fit testing services required under WorkSafeBC Regulation 8.40, using Bitrex, isoamyl acetate, saccharin, or irritant smoke qualitative agents.
• Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant Brand Portfolio Hearing solutions from Advanced Bionics (a Sonova brand) specializing in cochlear implant technology, offered at Connect Hearing for severe-to-profound hearing loss.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37% of Canadian adults experience tinnitus, 7% report bothersome tinnitus affecting daily activities
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• CAA (Canadian Automobile Association)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerExclusive partnership offering CAA members up to 15-20% discounts on hearing aid purchases. CAA members receive complimentary hearing tests and free demos at Connect Hearing clinics. The partnership promotes Connect Hearing to CAA's membership base.
• SonovacoreOthersConnect Hearing is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sonova AG, a global leader in hearing solutions. This relationship provides access to Sonova's hearing technology brands including Phonak, Unitron, and Advanced Bionics, and their manufacturing capabilities.
• PhonakcoreTechnology or IntegrationPhonak is a flagship brand under Sonova offering advanced hearing technology. Connect Hearing offers Phonak's latest products including the Infinio platform with DEEPSONIC AI chip, Virto I-R Infinio, and Audéo I-Sphere hearing aids.
• UnitronsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationUnitron is a Sonova brand offering hearing solutions. Connect Hearing carries Unitron hearing aids as part of their product portfolio.
• Advanced BionicssecondaryTechnology or IntegrationAdvanced Bionics is a Sonova brand specializing in cochlear implant technology. Connect Hearing offers Advanced Bionics products for severe-to-profound hearing loss.
• WorkSafeBCcoreOthersConnect Hearing's industrial division holds WorkSafeBC approval for conducting occupational hearing tests, meeting regulatory standards for workplace hearing conservation programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Starkey Hearing Technologies: Starkey is a US-based hearing aid manufacturer and operates Starkey HearCare retail clinics. It is comparable through its vertically integrated manufacturer-plus-retail model, although it is currently not a major brand partner for Connect Hearing.
• WS Audiology (Widex, Signia): WS Audiology is a global hearing aid manufacturer combining Widex and Sivantos/Signia. Its products compete for shelf space at retail clinics including Connect Hearing, and the company also operates its own retail channels in some markets.
• Sonova AG: Sonova is the parent company of Connect Hearing and a global hearing solutions manufacturer (Phonak, Unitron, Advanced Bionics). Sonova's retail hearing care strategy is executed in part through Connect Hearing in Canada.
• Miracle-Ear: Miracle-Ear is a large North American hearing care retail franchise network offering hearing tests, hearing aids, and aftercare. Mirrors Connect Hearing's clinic-led retail model, although primarily present in the US.
• Amplifon: Amplifon is a global leader in retail hearing care, operating thousands of clinics worldwide including Canada. It competes directly with Connect Hearing on the clinic-based retail hearing services model and shares Sonova/WSAudiology as a supplier/competitor dynamic.
• Demant (Oticon): Demant owns Oticon, a leading hearing aid brand competing directly with Phonak. While not a clinic operator in Canada at scale, its products compete with what Connect Hearing dispenses, making it a relevant peer in the broader hearing healthcare value chain.

Direct peers

• HearingLife Canada: HearingLife is one of Canada's largest networks of hearing clinics, directly competing with Connect Hearing across retail hearing tests, hearing aid fittings, and follow-up care. Both serve Canadian adult consumers seeking hearing loss solutions through physical clinic locations nationwide.
• ListenUP! Canada: ListenUP! is a Canadian audiology clinic network offering hearing tests, hearing aids, and assistive listening devices across multiple provinces. Operates a similar clinic-led model targeting the same adult hearing-loss demographic as Connect Hearing.
• Costco Hearing Aid Center: Costco operates in-clinic hearing aid centers inside its Canadian warehouse locations, offering professionally fitted hearing aids at aggressive price points. It competes with Connect Hearing on price and convenience while reaching a similar consumer demographic.

Emerging players

• Audicus: Audicus is an online direct-to-consumer hearing aid retailer offering pre-programmed and remote-fitted devices at lower price points. It is not a direct competitor in the clinical-fit segment but represents the disruptive online channel that could pressure traditional clinic operators like Connect Hearing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/connect_hearing
• Facebookfacebook.com/ConnectHearingCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/connect-hearing-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Connect Hearing