Available to order — fitted by the optometrist team at Rose Optometry, Hamilton, and shipped NZ-wide.
Nuance Audio Plus is EssilorLuxottica's second-generation hearing glasses, released in September 2026: prescription-ready frames with open-ear speakers and beamforming microphones built into the temples, so mild-to-moderate hearing difficulty is handled by the glasses you already wear.
Panthos 48 in Amber
The Panthos 48 is the compact option — the smallest eye size in the Plus line at 48mm and the only one whose fit we can fine-tune at the nose. A 40.4mm lens height means it still carries a progressive despite the small eye.
Amber is the colour to choose if black and blue feel too dark: a warm tortoiseshell-adjacent tone without the pattern.
Fit and sizing — Panthos 48
- Lens 48mm · bridge 22mm · temple 145mm · lens height 40.4mm · hinge-to-hinge 122.7mm
- Frame size XS (regular fit), adjustable gooseneck nosepads; round panto shape, unisex
- Best on narrow faces and low or flat nose bridges, and for anyone whose glasses usually slide. If the 48mm eye looks small on you, the Square 53 is the step up.
Lens options for the Amber Panthos 48
- Standard lenses — NZ$1,699. The frame arrives with demo lenses and our optometrists fit your prescription in Hamilton: single vision, progressive, occupational, blue-light or tinted. Lens pricing is quoted at your fitting.
- Transitions® Clear to Sapphire — NZ$1,859. Factory-fitted light-adaptive lenses: clear indoors, darkening outdoors in a tint chosen to suit the amber frame.
What Nuance Audio Plus does
- Hearing support for mild-to-moderate difficulty, tuned in the app: four presets, Frontal or All-Around pickup
- Beamforming mics — the upgrade over the original — for restaurants, cafés and meetings
- Hands-free calls via Bluetooth
- On-frame power switch and volume buttons; no need to reach for your phone
- Approximately 10-hour battery
Designed for mild-to-moderate hearing difficulty — the point where a quiet conversation is easy but a restaurant is exhausting. Not a replacement for medical hearing aids in more significant loss; if your hearing has changed noticeably, have it tested first.
Why buy Nuance Audio Plus from Rose Optometry
- Independent Hamilton optometrists — the microphones only perform when the frame is positioned correctly, so we fit and adjust in person
- Vision and hearing addressed in one appointment
- Free optometrist advice with every order · tracked NZ-wide shipping
Book a Nuance Audio Plus fitting in Hamilton → Try them on, hear them working in a real room, and leave with the app set up. Or order online and we will arrange fitting when you collect.
Nuance Audio Plus Panthos 48 Amber — frequently asked questions
Where can I buy Nuance Audio Plus glasses in NZ?
Nuance Audio Plus is sold in New Zealand through authorised optical and hearing-care practices. Rose Optometry in Frankton, Hamilton stocks the full Plus range — Panthos 48 in Amber included — and ships nationwide. You can order online here or book a fitting to try the frames on and hear them working in a real room.
How do Nuance Audio Plus hearing glasses work?
Two beamforming microphone arrays in the frame pick up the voice in front of you and suppress sound from the sides and behind; the processed sound is played through open-ear speakers hidden in the temples, so nothing sits in your ear canal. You choose Frontal or All-Around listening in the Nuance Audio app, set one of four amplification presets and a background-noise-reduction level, and adjust volume on the frame or in the app.
How much are Nuance Audio Plus glasses in New Zealand?
The Nuance Audio Plus Panthos 48 in Amber is NZ$1,699 with standard demo lenses (your prescription is then fitted by Rose Optometry, quoted separately at your appointment) or NZ$1,859 with Transitions® Clear to Sapphire light-adaptive lenses factory-fitted. Those are EssilorLuxottica's New Zealand recommended retail prices; the original Nuance Audio range is NZ$1,320.
Can I try Nuance Audio Plus before I buy?
Yes. Book a fitting at Rose Optometry in Frankton, Hamilton — you will try the frame on, hear it working in a normal room with background noise, and leave with the app paired. If you order online first, we arrange the fitting when you collect or ship the frame with setup instructions and a phone walk-through.
Do you ship Nuance Audio Plus glasses across New Zealand?
Yes, nationwide by tracked courier. For prescription lenses we will need a current prescription or a fitting; frames with Transitions lenses fitted at the factory can ship as-is once your PD and fit are confirmed.
What size is the Nuance Audio Plus Panthos 48?
Lens width 48mm, bridge 22mm, temple 145mm, lens height 40.4mm, hinge-to-hinge 122.7mm. EssilorLuxottica lists it as frame size XS (regular fit), adjustable gooseneck nosepads.
What is new in Nuance Audio Plus compared with the original Nuance Audio?
Battery life of around 10 hours per charge, beamforming directional microphones for clearer speech in noisy rooms, hands-free phone calls answered on the frame, a physical power switch and volume buttons, two new colours (Amber and Olive Green) and three new frame shapes — Square 53, Upturn 52 and Panthos 48 — with a wider size range including adjustable nosepads on the Panthos.
Are Nuance Audio glasses any good for hearing loss?
For mild-to-moderate hearing difficulty — the stage where one-to-one conversation is fine but restaurants and group settings are tiring — they are a real option, and the beamforming in the Plus generation makes a noticeable difference in noise. They are not a substitute for prescribed hearing aids in more significant loss. If your hearing has changed, we recommend a hearing test first; we can arrange one in Hamilton.
See the full Nuance Audio hearing glasses range →
Supplier reference 0AW5007 11 (standard) / 12 (Transitions). Nuance Audio and Transitions are trademarks of their respective owners.