Widex Allure Review
Widex Allure 440
(Unpaid Review by our Product Tester, July 2025)
Allure: The quality of being attractive, interesting, or exciting.
“Widex claim to ‘Manipulate less to craft a more natural hearing experience.’
The Widex philosophy is that their hearing aids sound more natural because they don’t process the sound as much as other brands.
Widex’s previous model, the SmartRICs, were competent enough hearing aids, but I didn’t think that they were good enough to tempt me away from my Phonak Lumities. I thought that their latest model, the Allures, might make me change my mind.
Appearance
Widex have dropped the stylish shape of the SmartRICs and gone back to a more conventional shape for the Allures. They are bulkier as well.
They have re-introduced a control button.
What are they like to wear?
I tried the Allures with 2M receivers, but I didn’t find them to be comfortable. They were noisy behind my ears because there didn’t seem to be enough space for the bulk of the aids and the arms of my spectacles.
I then tried them with receivers with longer wires, the 3Ms. There was some improvement, but they were still prone to make rustling noises.
What is the charger case like?
The charger case has no lid, so it can’t be used to carry the aids around when not wearing them.
It is powered by USB C. It has no internal battery like the SmartRIC case, so it can’t be used as a travel case.
The aids’ batteries hold a lot of power. One charge would probably be good for two days use.
Are they easy to use?
The control buttons can be set to change the volume and/or the program. I had them set to a short press to change program.
Full control of the aids is possible using the Allure app on a smartphone. Pairing the aids with the phone was trouble free.
The app is easy to use and has a comprehensive set of functions, including program and volume change, a graphic equaliser, mute, directional focus and battery level. There is an AI Quick Assistant feature that I didn’t investigate.
What different programs are available?
There are three program available: Universal, Music and PureSound. I used the Universal program most of the time, but I also spent periods with the other two.
How do they perform?
Universal Program
The Universal program was good for most situations and environments, from speech in noise to TV dialogue. I don’t think that they were as good for everyday speech as my Phonak Lumities, though.
The aids suppressed ambient noises such as the sound of a car engine or a fridge humming. I initially thought that they overdid it, leading to a sense of isolation in quiet environments. Louder noises such as a plate being put on a table or a door closing were a bit too loud. The fitting software allows the adjustment of both settings.
The aids were quite noisy behind my ears. I had to be very careful to make sure that the arms of my spectacles were as secure as possible over my ears. Even then the aids were still prone to making rustling noises when I was chewing or combing my hair, or just at random.
Feedback was worse than with most aids that I have worn, but I was able to improve it by setting the feedback manager to maximum in the fitting software.
Wind noise suppression was poor even when set to maximum.
PureSound Program
I tried the PureSound program, which has minimum sound processing. It sounded excellent. Feedback and contact noise were increased, but it wasn’t a fair test because it is only intended for use by people with mild hearing loss.
What are they like for listening to music?
Universal program
The sound of music with the aids set to Universal is bland, lacking in treble clarity.
Music program
The first time that I used the Music program I was disappointing because there was the typical smearing of the treble that I don’t like. Turning off the feedback manager in the fitting software solved the problem.
The treble was bright and clear, and the sound of the music program was as good as any that I have heard. There was a tendency for the aids to feed back, but it is a small price to pay for good sound.
Is streaming possible with the aids?
Widex hearing aids support MFI (made for iPhone), ASHA (Audio Streaming for Hearing Aids) and LE Audio streaming protocols. The aids will pair with, and stream from, Android smartphones as well as iPhones. I used my Android phone for streaming.
Phone calls
Incoming call sounds play in the aids as well as the phone. The double-tap ear to answer feature of some brands is not available on Widex aids with Android phones. Calls must be answered using the phone. Hands-free calls are not possible. The caller’s voice is passed to the aids. The sound of the caller’s voice is clear, but the phone’s microphone must be used for speaking. I don’t find this arrangement to be very useful.
Music streaming
I listened to several high-resolution tracks. The sound of streamed music was poor. The treble was harsh and what little bass that was there lacked body. The overall sound was thin and soulless. AC/DCs You Shook me All Night Long sounded dreadful.
At the other end of the musical spectrum, I listened to Looks Like the End of the Road, by Alison Krauss and Union Station. The virtuoso lap-guitar playing of Gerry Douglas sounded screechy, and Alison Krauss’ crystal-clear voice sounded harsh, which is unforgivable.
I switched my phone to LE Audio, which is supposed to give better streamed audio quality, but I could detect no improvement.
Conclusion
It would be OK for Widex aids to manipulate the sound less than other brands if there were no downsides, but there are. Friction noise behind my ears, poor feedback control and wind noise suppression being three of them.
A few years ago, it might have been true that Widex aids had a more natural sound than other brands, but in recent years processors have got faster and more powerful, and digital sampling rates have increased. The outcome is that all hearing aids sound more natural than they did in the past.
I have been a happy Widex user in the past and I wanted to be again, but the Allures fell short. They are decent enough aids to hearing, but they had several issues that made them difficult to live with. Perhaps Widex will get it right as they develop their new hearing aid platform.
Pros:
- The PureSound program is excellent. It would be good for first-time hearing aid users with mild hearing loss
- The Music program performs well for its intended purpose
- The aids last a long time on one charge of the battery
Cons:
- Uncomfortable to wear for long periods
- Noisy behind my ears
- They have a tendency to feed back
- Wind noise suppression is poor
- No tap control for answering phone calls and no hands-free calling with Android phones
- The sound quality of streamed music is poor
- No powerbank battery in the charger”
