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Hearing Aid Styles

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Hearing Aid Technologies

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Digital hearing aid technology is now considered the "standard" within the industry. It can help people to hear better in a variety of listening conditions. These hearing aids are adjusted on a computer in our office through special software. We work with you to make fine-tuning adjustments to how the hearing aids perform and react to your special needs. There are five general "levels" of technology available and they are described below:

Basic to Standard

These "entry level" digital processing circuits incorporate multiple channels or bands, to allow us to follow the pattern of your hearing loss. We can adjust for soft and loud sound fluctuations coming into the hearing aid. There is only one "memory" or setting to be used in all environments. A telecoil and /or a volume control are options that can be chosen at no extra cost. Directional microphones typically are not included.

Advanced

These "mid level" digital processing incorporates all of the above features as well as the use of dual microphones for better hearing in noisy situations. Multiple memories or settings can be included for more specific listening situations or environments. Many of these hearing aids have a mechanism in place to reduce or cancel possible feedback (whistling) from the hearing aid. This technology is useful for people who need help with background noise reduction in noisy situations. These hearing aids will adapt and change their settings, depending on the listening environment.

Premium to Elite

These "high end" digital circuits use all the features discussed so far. This technology is also be completely "self adjusting" or automatic for different environments and listening situations. The hearing aid is consistently "listening to" and making judgments about what is happening in the environment and it reacts in a pre-determined manner. There is sophisticated speech processing and anti-feedback processing within the chip of the hearing aid.

Many people ask, "Which technology is best for me?" The answer to this question is based upon your degree and type of hearing loss, the communication needs that are important to you, and what a comfortable price range is. The key is to fit the technology features to your specific wants and needs in order to obtain the best value for the money spent.

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Hearing Technology to Help You Hear Better

Basic to Standard

Advanced

Premium to Elite