There is no such thing as a "best" hearing aid. The criteria that will determine the best hearing aid for you are:
- What is the extent of your hearing loss? Usually a hearing aid purchased to rectify a mild hearing loss (No greater than a 30 decibel hearing loss at any frequency) will cost a lot less than a hearing aid for a severe hearing loss (greater than 70 decibels at most frequencies). Why? A hearing aid for a mild hearing loss does not need to have a powerful amplifier or receiver that can blast out a really loud sound as those hearing aids needed for a severe hearing loss. Also for severe hearing loss, a BTE hearing aid with a custom mold would be mandatory in order to get the loudest sounds pushed to the eardrum with minimal feedback across the optimum frequency ranges.
- What hearing aid features do you really need? For most hard of hearing people who are in the market for a hearing aid, they are just looking for something that will allow them a better quality of life: being able to participate in conversations; being able to carry on a conversation over the phone; being able to hear the voices and dialog when watching TV; and most important being able to carry on a conversation and hear people in a noisy environment like a restaurant, at a party, or at a place of worship. The minimal features you should look for are:
- Digital or analog hearing aids? Most hearing aids manufactured today are digital as digital circuits provide much more flexibility in processing sounds and getting the right sounds to your eardrum. There are cheap analog hearing aids being shipped in from China and India that can be purchased for less than $100. If you just want something to sound loud and ignore all of the extra noise that comes with such a hearing aid, then the analog would be a choice for you. Digital hearing aids on the other hand allow the digitized sounds to be processed and optimized for a specific hearing loss curve. Digital hearing aids can filter loud noises such as those in a noisy room and specifically amplify those frequencies where people speak in soft voices so they can be heard.
- What form factor hearing aid do you want? (All of this discussion assumes digital hearing aids) Are you vain and don't want people to know you are wearing a hearing aid? Or you just want the best kind of hearing aid shape for your hearing loss. If you are concerned about people seeing you with a hearing aid then a CIC (Completely in the Canal) or a small ITC (In the Canal) model would be best for you. These types of hearing aids are best for those with mild or low severe hearing loss. Why? There is just not enough room in these models for powerful DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chips and amplifiers. Also these small hearing aids cannot take advantage of directional microphones because they are placed down into the ear canal. If you purchase a CIC or ITC hearing aid with a volume control, expect to remove the hearing aid to change the volume as most people's fingers can't grasp the volume control while the hearing aid is in the ear. BTE (Behind the Ear) come in two basic varieties: Those that require a mold, and those that do not. BTE hearing aids that have a mold come with the hearing aid case, an ear hook, a custom mold made of silicon, and a tube connecting the ear hook to the mold. This model BTE is often recommended for those with severe to profound hearing loss (greater than 90 decibels across most frequencies). The most popular hearing aid sold today is the BTE open fit hearing aid and is sold for those people whose hearing loss is from mild to severe across most frequencies (20 decibels to 80 decibels). The open fit hearing aids are not very effective in the 250 - 1000 hearing loss range where hearing loss is above 70 decibels). However some BTE open fit hearing aids can be utilized for hearing loss up 100 decibels in the 6000hz - 8000hz range.
- Should you get hearing aids with unidirectional (cheaper) or multidirectional microphones (more expensive)? For mild hearing loss, the features of a microphone do not matter that much and the unidirectional microphone. However, for people with a severe or profound hearing loss, directional microphones can be a great help as they concentrate the amplification where the head is facing.
- How many programmable frequencies do you need? When you go to an audiologist and get a hearing test, the tester will usually test no more than 9 frequencies : 250 hz, 500 hz, 1000hz, 1,500 hz, 2000hz, 3000hz, 4000hz, 6000hz, and 8000hz (Hz refers to herz rate or approximately cycles per second). The industry calls these channels although we call them equalizer bands. Some hearing manufacturers claim that their hearing aid models have up to 32 channels available for programming. We think such overkill is ridiculous. If an audiologist is only going to test a maximum of 9 frequencies anyway, why pay for all of those extra frequency testing capabilities. All of our hearing aids have the capability to be programmed for up to 12 frequencies and we have only seen one audiogram come through our organization with a total of 12 frequencies tested.
- What you are willing to pay? The cost of a hearing aid will span a wide range, depending on the extent of your hearing loss, the style of device you prefer, and how sophisticated the technology is that it contains. There is also a fair amount of variation between different brands and providers. Non-custom digital hearing aids including the open fit BTE hearing aids will cost between $1,800 to $3,500 each at an audiologist's office; on the Internet, they can be purchased for between about $500 and $1,800. Custom hearing aids can cost up to $5,000 each at an audiologist's office. On the Internet, they can be purchased for between $2,500 and $4,000 each if you are will ing to provide an audiogram so they can custom program the hearing aids. Our hearing aids have similar components as the much more expensive models you can find in an audiologist's office or the on the Internet, and our most expensive model costs no more than $900.
- NOTE: The most expensive hearing aids often don’t necessarily mean better performance. Some expensive models come with bells and whistles that no one will ever use and often these features don’t correlate with price.
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