Navigating A World Of Hearing Devices
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Your best hearing will come from the proper selection of your hearing device. Hearing devices range in size and shape, from extremely tiny custom pieces that fit completely in your ear canal to cosmetic styles that wrap behind your ear. Whatever their features or capabilities, audiologists are available to recommend and adjust a device to perfectly fit your hearing loss, lifestyle needs and budget.
Amplifiers vs. Hearing Aids vs. Smart Hearing Devices
Over-the-counter hearing amplifiers simply make all sounds louder across three broad spectrums — bass, mid and treble. These are typically available at very low cost by most big chain retailers.
Hearing aids are digital and programmable with finely tuned prescriptions based on your precise ear-specific tone loss to mainly enhance the sounds you want to hear while reducing some background noise.
Smart hearing devices with artificial intelligence are the most versatile, tunable and include automatic speech focus, advanced noise and wind reduction. They also include smartphone apps that allow you to control your listening experience in the moment, as well as wireless streaming of calls, music and TV audio.
Hearing Device Brands
The "Big Brands" are the device manufacturers most audiologist and hearing aid dispensing professionals recommend and fit due to their long-trusted, tried and true history in the industry. These products have increasingly improving natural sound quality, the best user-friendly features and an incredible overall experience. These brands include:
- Oticon
- Signia
- EarQ
- ReSound
- Starkey
- Widex
- Unitron
- Phonak
- Sonic
Hearing Device Maintenance Tips
If your hearing device isn't working, try:
- Changing the battery (or placing in the charger for 3-6 hours)
- Using cleaning tools to dispel debris from the speaker end.
- Changing the wax filter in the speaker end.
- Calling or scheduling a quick TeleHealth conference with your local hearing professional’s office for guidance and troubleshooting.
