If you have been diagnosed as hard of hearing, you will be in the marketplace to buy a hearing aid. Have a chat with your audiologist. Ask for recommendations. Professionals will help you choose what is right for you. Hearing aids do not come cheap. You must shop around. There are lots of different models available and this can feel like a minefield. Price wise, analogue aids are cheaper than digital devices. Why is that? Basically speaking, digital aids have a microchip that can analyze and adjust sound. Analogue aids simply turn up the sound. Digital aids can be personalized and there are more features to use. There is a programmable analogue aid available. But it is not as flexible as the digital.

This advanced technology makes the digital aid more costly. The analogue models are becoming less and less popular and some dealers do not sell them because of this. Many hearing aids are categorized by where they are placed. The smallest available is the CIC – Completely in the Canal, placed deep inside the ear canal. Because of its size, the features are limited and its life span is short. It is the most expensive model available and only suitable for those with moderate loss of hearing. Similar to the CIC is the ITC – In the Canal, placed just inside the ear canal. They have more features available and are less expensive than the CIC. The ITE – is placed in the ear bowl. They are the largest of the three and suitable for mild or severe hearing loss.

The disadvantage of the ITE is they can produce feedback and are sensitive to wind noise. A lot depends on the quality of the model and correct placement in the ear. It can be resolved by adjusting the settings. It is best to discuss the problem with your audiologist. They are larger than the other two and have more available features. This is an advantage because they are more adaptable to your needs.

The most common type of unit is the BTE – Behind The Ear. A unit is placed behind the ear and an ear mould is placed in the ear canal. The two are connected by a discreet tube. They are the most adaptable and the most powerful of all the units and are suitable for both adults and children. The disadvantage is, they are large and people find them a bit conspicuous. Some companies offer smaller models than others.

Add-On Features can be very important to some and there are several available. Adjustable settings allow you to swap between one preset and another. For example, a preset could be very useful when entering a noisy environment. Directional microphones can pick up sounds coming from ahead and reduce background noise. These settings can be switch or remote operated. Telecoils allow the hearing aid to be used with a telephone. It must be compatible and normally eliminates cordless and cell phones.

Digital Hearing Aids With Helpful Features

Digital hearing aids do offer some advantages, in comparison to their analogue counterparts. There is a major difference between the two. An analogue hearing aid picks up sound on the outside of the ear. This is picked up with a microphone. It sends the sound to a receiver. This receiver is on the inner ear. Sounds are amplified enough so that the user hears. Digital hearing aids are of a more advanced technology. A microchip does more that amplification. The chip can analyze sounds. It is similar to digital audio technology. This improves the quality of sound. Because of the microchip sound can be adjusted to the specifications of the user.

Although the basic analogue hearing aid is limited there is a programmable variety that offers more options. It is comparable to the digital hearing aid in that it can be set to the user’s preference. But it does not have the capacity to digitally analyze sound. Digital hearing aids can also be adjusted to amplify specific frequencies of sound to a more effective degree than other hearing aids. This is a useful feature for those whose hearing loss is primarily in the high frequency range. Because of its flexibility it is able to personalize. With such a wide range of extra features most digital hearing aid wearers will agree these are the best choice. They are certainly becoming more and more in demand amongst people who are hearing challenged.

Technology is always improving and hearing aids are no exception. The earlier analogue models do suffer from feedback and do pick up unwanted noise. The only way to avoid this is to simply turn the volume down. Of course, this turns down the unwanted noise but, at the same time it turns down all sound. This may be sound that the user wants to hear. Digital hearing aids have greatly improved on this dilemma. It has special ‘noise reduction’ properties with more control. It is more effective than earlier units.

The digital hearing aid has a ‘Dual Microphone System’. A single microphone can be set to pick up sounds in front of the user. It gets rid of unwanted background noise. A second microphone picks up all sounds. A switch lets the user change between the two microphones. Older digital hearing aids were much bigger, used a lot of energy and batteries. The first model arrived in 1987 and was not popular for these reasons. They are much more efficient today and fit behind the ear, in the ear and in the ear canal.

Do bear in mind that it is essential to select a hearing aid that is closest to your unique requirements. Whether it is analogue or digital is entirely up to you.