Digital Hearing Aids

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:53:13 +0000

What do I Need in a Digital Hearing Aid?

People that suffer from hearing loss report back that they are very satisfied with digital hearing aids that include the following features.

1. Digital hearing aids with directional microphones.

The answer to why is easy, directional microphones improve the understanding of speech especially in the noisy environment. The digital hearing aid is able to perform this function by using two microphones. What the two microphones do is separate unwanted sounds that occur behind the user from the speech that occurs in front of the user for better understanding.

2. Multiple Compression Channels.

What multiple compression channels do for you is they react quickly to increase volume for crucial speech sounds and then also lower it for louder stray noises. The multiple compression channels technology serves to protect the user from sudden loud sounds like slamming doors or something falling on the floor.

3. Multiple Programs.

The modern digital hearing devise has memory to take advantage of a number of different programs. This allows the user to switch between programs from one environment to another. The different environment could be as simple as inside, outside or in a noisy office. This gives the user much more control over the different types of listening situations.

4. Noise Reduction.

The digital hearing devise also has built-in noise reduction that makes listening to speech more natural in noisy situations. Sounds are annoying, like wind noise must be reduced to reduce irritation. Noise reduction capabilities are available in different levels and the technology and can vary in its effectiveness. So, it is important to understand that having noise reduction in a hearing devise does not mean background noise is eliminated.

5. Feedback Cancellation.

Is a valuable added digital feature of any hearing aid feedback cancellation eliminates whistling and squealing that is annoying. The stray sound must be eliminated in order to have the needed clarity for speech recognition.

6. The Difference in Hearing Aid Manufactures

Hearing aid manufactures vary only slightly in quality and performance among most of the major brands on today’s market. You will find somewhere around 20 different hearing devise manufactures making hearing aids. But you will only find about seven of them that actually do the research and design for new technology.