About Sondell

His Father Couldn't Hear the Price, So He Created Sondell's OTC Hearing Aid

— The Story of Sondell's Founder

Not the traditional, expensive, complicated hearing aid you find in hospitals.
Nor ordinary Bluetooth earbuds.
What Sondell makes is an in-ear over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid with hearing assistance as its primary function.
It is as easy to buy and wear as Bluetooth earbuds, and it can take calls, play WeChat voice messages, and watch videos.
But its core purpose is to help people with mild to moderate hearing loss hear family members clearly, hear prices clearly, and hear the sounds in life that should not be missed.

In 1994, Lin Sheng was 10 years old.

That year, he often went to the vegetable market with his father. His father could not hear clearly. When the vendor said "three yuan and fifty cents per catty," he heard "ten yuan and fifty cents per catty." When someone said "eight yuan in total," he heard "eighteen yuan." He was slow to pay and afraid of making others impatient, so he often overpaid and still smiled and said thank you.

Once, the vendor clearly said "six yuan," but his father heard "sixteen yuan." He handed over twenty, and the vendor only gave him four yuan in change. Lin Sheng stood beside him, tugged his father's sleeve, and said quietly, "Dad, he just said six yuan."

His father did not hear clearly, bent down, and asked, "Huh? What did you say?"

The vendor glanced at them, said nothing, and took the money.

That day, back home, his father was still muttering, "Why was the food so expensive today?" Lin Sheng said nothing. His heart felt heavy. For the first time, he understood that not hearing clearly was not just "not hearing." It could make a person get cheated, fooled, and bullied.

What was even harder was at the school gate.

His father wore an old-style hearing aid, a body-worn model hanging on his chest, with a wire looping up to his ear. When he walked Lin Sheng to school, classmates at the gate laughed: "What is your dad wearing? Headphones?" Later, some gave him nicknames: "Little Deaf Boy" and "Hearing Aid's Son."

Once, Lin Sheng shook off his father's hand and said, "Don't walk me to school anymore."

His father froze for a moment, handed him his schoolbag, turned, and walked away. He walked slowly, his back a little hunched. Lin Sheng stood at the school gate, watching his father's back, and regretted it for many years.

Later, his father took off the hearing aid and said, "I won't wear it anymore. I don't want to embarrass you."

Actually, that hearing aid was not good either. The sound was amplified, but all sounds were amplified together: wind, cars, dishes and chopsticks, the shouts of the vegetable market. It made his head hurt. He would rather not hear clearly than suffer that.

From then on, two things took root in Lin Sheng's heart:

First, could people who cannot hear clearly be spared from being cheated, laughed at, and treated as "outsiders"?
Second, could hearing aids be made more like earbuds—cheaper, better looking, and easier to use?

In 2002, he was admitted to a well-known university in China to study biomedical engineering. It was a discipline that combined medicine, electronics, and sound processing. In his sophomore year, he walked into a hearing laboratory for the first time and saw pure-tone audiometers, sound fields, artificial ears, and real-ear measurement equipment. For the first time, he understood that "not hearing" was not just about low volume. It was many sounds mixing together, making it hard to hear clearly, tiring to listen, and noisy.

For his undergraduate thesis, he chose "feedback cancellation for digital hearing aids."
Simply put, it was about solving the "squeaking" problem of hearing aids. Many people wanted to wear one, but as soon as they put it on, it squeaked—piercing, embarrassing—and in the end it could only sit in a drawer. What he studied was how to stop the hearing aid from squeaking, so people would dare to wear it and be willing to wear it. But this was only a small part of all his later research.

In 2006, he entered a top research institution in China for acoustics and audiology to pursue a master's degree, focusing on sound processing and hearing compensation. In those years, he practically lived in the laboratory. The things he studied sounded complicated, but for users, they were actually very direct:

Noise reduction: In vegetable markets, buses, and restaurants, it pushes down the noise and makes people's speech clearer. Users no longer have to frown and guess what others are saying, and their ears are less tired.
Directional microphone: It is like putting a "spotlight" on the ear. The person opposite speaks more clearly, while the noise from the next table is quieter.
Soft sounds amplified, loud sounds not blasted: Soft sounds can be heard, and loud sounds are not piercing. This allows clear hearing while protecting the remaining hearing, so the ears do not suffer.
Feedback cancellation: The hearing aid does not squeak, so wearing it out is not embarrassing and not piercing.
Real-ear measurement: Instead of casually adjusting according to the machine's default values, it measures how much you actually hear in your ear and then adjusts bit by bit. This way, it will not be "others think it is good, but it is noisy for you."
Speech audiometry: It does not just test whether you can hear a sound; it tests whether you can hear speech clearly. Because what really matters in life is hearing a sentence clearly, not just hearing a sound.

During his master's studies, he co-authored papers and applied for patents. But the more he researched, the more he understood: a hearing aid is not an ordinary electronic product. It is half device, half fitting and service. No matter how good the device is, if the hearing test is inaccurate, the adjustment is wrong, and there is no follow-up, the user will still feel "noisy," "muffled," and unable to hear clearly.

In 2009, he joined an international hearing aid company, doing sound processing and fitting training. In four years, he went from the laboratory to frontline stores and saw too many heartbreaking scenes:

An elderly person spent more than ten thousand yuan on a hearing aid, but because it was not adjusted properly, it sat in a drawer;
Children bought their parents the most expensive device, but no speech audiometry or real-ear verification was done;
Some people thought "not hearing clearly is normal with age" and delayed until they could no longer hear speech clearly;
There were also young people who, because of tinnitus or noise-induced hearing loss, did not dare to socialize or attend meetings.

In the spring of 2013, Lin Sheng resigned.

His leader asked him, "You have a master's degree from a prestigious school. Isn't it a pity to go run a hearing studio?"

He said, "There are too many people with hearing loss in China. We cannot just rely on selling a device. What I want to do is hearing testing, fitting, rehabilitation, and follow-up—the whole chain."

So the predecessor of Sondell—a 20-square-meter hearing studio—opened next to an old residential community. A second-hand audiometer, a rented real-ear measurement device, and a few packs of soundproofing cotton he installed himself. In the first month, only three users came.

The first was a retired teacher with moderate hearing loss in both ears. He had worn an analog hearing aid before and felt that "the whole world was arguing." Lin Sheng did pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry, and real-ear measurement for him, selected a hearing aid that suited him, and adjusted it bit by bit. After the adjustment, the old man suddenly said, "I can hear the birds outside the window."

Then he cried.

At that moment, Lin Sheng knew he had taken the right path.

But what really made him decide to make an OTC hearing aid was a user he met in 2019.

That was a 42-year-old man with mild hearing loss. In meetings, he often could not hear what others were saying and frequently asked them to repeat. The fitter suggested he wear a hearing aid. He tried a traditional behind-the-ear device, looked in the mirror, was silent for a long time, and said:

"I am not old enough to wear a hearing aid. Can it be like Bluetooth earbuds? Able to take calls, watch videos, not look like a hearing aid, but help me hear people clearly?"

This sentence struck Lin Sheng like lightning.

He suddenly understood: many people do not lack the need for hearing aids; they just do not accept the words "hearing aid."
Traditional hearing aids can compensate for hearing, but they are expensive, old-looking, troublesome to fit, and limited in function. Many people cannot get past that in their hearts.
Ordinary Bluetooth earbuds are cheap, good-looking, and can take calls, but they only amplify sound. They cannot compensate according to your hearing condition. Listening for a long time may be more tiring, or even harmful to the ears.

In 2022, the U.S. FDA officially implemented the OTC hearing aid rule.
OTC simply means "over-the-counter."
No prescription, no appointment, no repeated sales pitches from stores. Buy them like earbuds, with transparent pricing, online options, and self-adjustment.
Lin Sheng realized that this was the direction he had been thinking about for twenty years:
Make hearing assistance the primary function, give it the appearance of Bluetooth earbuds, and integrate fitting and service into daily life.

Not a pure hearing aid, nor ordinary Bluetooth earbuds.
It is an in-ear Bluetooth earbud that can be used as an OTC hearing aid.

In 2021, the first-generation product was made.
In 2023, the second generation was upgraded.
In 2024, Sondell's independent website went online.

Today, Sondell still insists on a few things:

Hearing test first, fitting second; we do not sell devices by telling customers to "just try it."
Binaural first: if both ears need help, we do not fit only one.
Remote follow-up at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, with readjustment based on feedback.
Transparent pricing, so users do not spend extra money because they do not know the industry.
No exaggeration, no promise of a "cure"; we only provide scientific hearing compensation and rehabilitation.

It must also be made clear:
OTC hearing aids are mainly suitable for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss.
If the user is a child, or has severe hearing loss, sudden deafness, sudden hearing decline in one ear, ear pain, or ear discharge, they must go to a hospital first.
OTC is not a replacement for a doctor. It is about helping more people with mild to moderate hearing loss take the first step.

Lin Sheng often says that a hearing aid is not an ordinary product. It is a path of sound.
One end of the path is the back of his father in the vegetable market, hearing the wrong price, overpaying, and being laughed at;
The other end is the user hearing his grandson call "Grandpa" for the first time, hearing his daughter on the phone say "I miss you," hearing the street vendor's calls, and hearing the rain fall on the windowsill.

What Sondell wants to do is not just sell hearing aids.
We want clear hearing to no longer be an expensive and difficult thing;
We want every person trapped by unclear hearing to hear their family's voices again.
And not have to be called a "hearing aid."

That sentence, "Dad, he just said six yuan," Lin Sheng has pursued for twenty years.
Now, he wants to help more people hear it earlier.

Sondell Website Hero Section Copy

Not a traditional hearing aid, nor ordinary Bluetooth earbuds.
Sondell is an in-ear OTC hearing aid with hearing assistance as its primary function.
Helps you hear family clearly, and also works for calls, music, and videos.
No squeaking, no harsh noise, comfortable to wear, barely noticeable.
Transparent pricing, available online, remotely adjustable.

Before publishing, replace "a well-known university in China," "research institution," "papers/patents," etc., with the founder's real credentials.
Also a reminder: if the product is sold in China, OTC hearing aids may still be subject to medical device registration or filing requirements. For wording such as "hearing aid," "hearing assistance," and "hearing compensation," consult regulatory requirements first to avoid compliance risks.