Sonic Innovations, a leading U.S.-based manufacturer, reported a healthy 16.4 percent increase in sales to $30.4 million (US) in its latest fiscal quarter, a growth rate apparently well above the rate at which the global market is growing. Sonic Innovations has cashed in on the craze for small, open-fit, behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids with its year-old ion family of hearing aids, and in April the company not only introduced the new and improved ion 200, but also an entirely new family of Velocity high-performance BTE and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids. Sonic Innovations reported a very slight loss for the quarter of a little under half a million dollars, or $0.02 per share, due to costs of developing and introducing the new products. But the company is profitable for the first six months of the fiscal year. If new-product sales continue to increase at such a healthy clip, the company should be well-positioned to secure its position as one of the top seven global hearing aid manufacturers.