Audio Digital Communications

Audio Digital Communications (ADC) was a pioneering medical technology company that specialized in the development of digital signal processing (DSP) for hearing aids. Founded in 1987 as a spin-off from research at Washington University in St. Louis, the company was instrumental in the industry's transition from analog to digital hearing assistance. ADC developed low-power, high-performance digital chips that enabled advanced features such as noise reduction and feedback cancellation within the small form factor of a hearing aid. The company's intellectual property and technology were acquired by Starkey Laboratories in 1993. This acquisition provided the foundational technology for Starkey's subsequent successful lines of digital hearing instruments.