If you have just become aware that you have suffered some hearing loss or you have just become able to do something about your condition, you will want to be able to compare the various types of hearing aids. The National Association For The Deaf and your audiologist will be able to give you some advice, but it is always best to be able to do your own research as well.
Assuming that you are not going to want an ear trumpet, there are three main choices: analogue, digital or hybrid hearing aids. The analogue hearing aid is the least expensive of the three and it operates by picking up the sound with a microphone and amplifying it into your ear.
Then there is the half-way house hybrid which is called the digital programmable or analogue programmable hearing aid. It is an analogue unit, but it has programmable functions. It is customizable by the use of computer software programming.
These functions allow you to customize the hearing aid to the surroundings that you are in at any time. For instance, they can be made to be more or less responsive or to mask out specific frequencies like wind noise. They are more costly than analogue hearing aids.
Digital hearing aids are by far the most pricey, but then the sound quality is greatly superior as well. The difference in sound quality is analogous to the difference between CD's and vinyl records. This is achieved through digital signal processing or DSP.
Digital hearing aids have different amounts of so-called channels. These channels relate to frequency bands. Not everyone loses exactly the same amount of the same frequencies, so if your digital hearing aid supports several channels, you can programme each channel to compensate precisely for your loss. One person may only have to adjust one or two channels, but others may need to modify quite a few of them.
Standard 'behind the ear' (BTE) hearing ears have a microphone that tends to emphasize sounds from behind the wearer, but a digital device has directional microphones so that you can turn on forward facing microphones too.
The digital hearing aids also have built in predetermined programmes for easiness of use. One click and your device is optimized for a loud environment, another click and it is optimized for the cinema. This is a very helpful feature.
Look for a 'smart' function on your digital hearing aid. This feature remembers your most used settings so that when you replace the battery, it automatically resets itself. This is another very practical feature, given that you could have to change the battery between one and seven times per week. Ask how long the batteries are likely to last too.
Other things to look out for are capabilities to cut out ambient frequencies like wind, traffic and feedback. It is always useful to have some information at your finger tips, when you go to talk to your audiologist or when you go shopping for your new hearing aid. Learn how to compare hearing aids for yourself.
Assuming that you are not going to want an ear trumpet, there are three main choices: analogue, digital or hybrid hearing aids. The analogue hearing aid is the least expensive of the three and it operates by picking up the sound with a microphone and amplifying it into your ear.
Then there is the half-way house hybrid which is called the digital programmable or analogue programmable hearing aid. It is an analogue unit, but it has programmable functions. It is customizable by the use of computer software programming.
These functions allow you to customize the hearing aid to the surroundings that you are in at any time. For instance, they can be made to be more or less responsive or to mask out specific frequencies like wind noise. They are more costly than analogue hearing aids.
Digital hearing aids are by far the most pricey, but then the sound quality is greatly superior as well. The difference in sound quality is analogous to the difference between CD's and vinyl records. This is achieved through digital signal processing or DSP.
Digital hearing aids have different amounts of so-called channels. These channels relate to frequency bands. Not everyone loses exactly the same amount of the same frequencies, so if your digital hearing aid supports several channels, you can programme each channel to compensate precisely for your loss. One person may only have to adjust one or two channels, but others may need to modify quite a few of them.
Standard 'behind the ear' (BTE) hearing ears have a microphone that tends to emphasize sounds from behind the wearer, but a digital device has directional microphones so that you can turn on forward facing microphones too.
The digital hearing aids also have built in predetermined programmes for easiness of use. One click and your device is optimized for a loud environment, another click and it is optimized for the cinema. This is a very helpful feature.
Look for a 'smart' function on your digital hearing aid. This feature remembers your most used settings so that when you replace the battery, it automatically resets itself. This is another very practical feature, given that you could have to change the battery between one and seven times per week. Ask how long the batteries are likely to last too.
Other things to look out for are capabilities to cut out ambient frequencies like wind, traffic and feedback. It is always useful to have some information at your finger tips, when you go to talk to your audiologist or when you go shopping for your new hearing aid. Learn how to compare hearing aids for yourself.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on quite a few subjects, but is currently involved with hearing aids comparisons. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Digital Hearing Aids Prices.