WHAT FEATURES MATTER MOST IN HEARING AIDS
Fit
One of the most important considerations is the way a hearing aid fits on a person’s ear. The fit of a hearing aid not only affects the way it feels, but also how it works. Different fits are better for different types of hearing difficulties.
- Behind-the-ear aids: Behind-the-ear aids are plastic and rest behind a wearer’s ear. They are often used for children because they are easy to wear on different ear types and easy to clean.
- On-the-ear aids: These are a smaller version of the behind-the-ear aids that sit behind the wearer’s ear with increased comfort and less visibility.
- In-the-ear aids:In-the-ear aids are plastic and sit completely in the outer part of a wearer’s ear.
- In-the-canal aids: In-the-canal aids sit completely in a wearer’s ear canal, meaning they offer the least amount of visibility and excellent listening advantages.
Noise reduction
Though hearing aids are meant to amplify sound, including unnecessary background noise can be confusing for wearers. Thus, an important feature of many hearing aids is that they have the ability to reduce background sounds.
- Directional microphone: The directional microphone prioritizes noise that comes in from the sides and back are unimportant, and amplifies the sound from the front.
- Multiple channels: In order to reduce unavoidable ambient noise like the whirring of fans or humming of machines, many hearing aids are equipped with multiple channels. Several channels that pick up ambient sound are reduced, while other channels that amplify speech or voice sounds are prioritized.
- Wind noise manager: Because wind can create a lot of noise for someone wearing a hearing aid, many devices are equipped with electronic features that are able to reduce extra sound created by blowing wind.
Feedback reduction
Electronic interference can cause hearing aids to emit an unpleasant high-pitched whistling sound. To avoid feedback, many hearing aids are now equipped with technology to reduce such problems.
- Feedback reduction technology: While the fit or shape of a hearing aid can help control feedback, there is now special technology that can help reduce feedback as well. This technology requires a calibration test and then is able to detect and reduce feedback once it starts.
- Proper fitting: Feedback in hearing aids can happen when sounds leak back to the hearing aid’s microphone. The tighter a hearing aid fits, the less likely it is to produce feedback.
Speech enhancement
In addition to reducing background noise, many hearing aids are outfitted with technology that helps them enhance speech. This technology can help people hear others’ voices and the noises they are actually intending to listen to.
- Directional microphone: In addition to reducing noise from the sides and the back of a listener, the directional microphone increases the sound of noise right in front of a wearer.
- Wide dynamic range compression: This feature helps increase softer sounds more than louder sounds, so that listeners can hear voices and soft conversations, which are often lower in volume that unnecessary background or atmospheric noise.
Programmability
People who wear hearing aids wear them in many environments. Accordingly, some hearing aids have the ability to adjust their settings to suit a particular setting. These settings allow wearers to store volume levels and frequency adjustments for specific situations.
- Button operated:Some hearing aids have a button on them that they can press to switch between memories when they switch locations
- Remote control operated: Many hearing aids allow wearers to switch between pre-set memories by using a remote control to shift programs when they change locations
- Computer chip operated: Some hearing aids are equipped with the technology to sense a change in location and switch programs based on the sounds in the new space.
Telephone compatibility
Electronic interference from telephone conversations can cause problems with hearing aids. Some aids have special technology to reduce feedback and increase sound while wearers are talking on the phone.
- Telecoil:Many hearing aids have a telecoil, which transmits sound information from the telephone via magnetic signal rather than acoustic signal, reducing feedback.
