I am always skeptical of sweeping claims for substantial improvements in word recognition through hearing aids, having lived through the era of the "Zeta Noise Blocker" and other technologies that worked well in cotnrolled environments, but fall apart in the so-called "real world".  As a result, I tend to be very suspicious regarding articles like the one I saw this morning (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160006.php) that claims to provide 50% improvement in word recongition for cochlear implant and hearing aid users.   A Tel Aviv researcher has developed an algorithm called "ClearCall" that supposedly may be "easily added" to existing devices.  I have only seen the press release, which provides scanty details, but my immediate relates to how "50 percent" improvement is defined - is it 5 dB SNR improvement for speech in noise?  Is it an improvment from 5 dB SNR to 3.5 dB SNR (a 50% improvement)?  What kind of background noise was used for evaluation?  The press release goes on to say that the technology was originally developed for cell phone communication, which is VERY different from communication in restaurants.  Don't get me wrong - I would LOVE a major breakthrough in speech communication, but I feel a sense of deja-vu here.  I sincerely hope that I am wrong, because this latest "advance" will be splashed all over the media, and clinicians everywhere will have to field questions regarding WHY they don't have hearing aids with this magical cure-all.