What you get for your money

Entry level hearing aids are provided free to Pensioners and Veterans under the Office of Hearing Services voucher scheme. These hearing aids have all improved significantly over the last 2 years to the point that a basic ‘behind the ear' hearing aid now has directional microphones which cut out background noise, feedback suppression to reduce whistling, and wind noise suppression as standard.

So what do I get for my money if I pay more? Listed are the key points of difference:

More channels

During a hearing test, we measure the threshold of your hearing across the different frequencies on each ear and we then use this information to program the hearing aids. The greater the number of programming points or ‘channels', the closer we can match the required amplification to the hearing loss across the different frequencies. The number of channels ranges between 6 and 16 depending on technology level.

Speech and Noise Management

A big challenge for hearing aid wearers is distinguishing background noises from conversational speech. The humming of a vacuum or the sounds of traffic can be particularly annoying. Speech and Noise Management technology automatically identifies and reduces environmental background noise to a comfortable level, while isolating and selectively enhancing speech.

Automatic Adaptive Directional Microphones

This system can improve speech intelligibility because the hearing aids are able to reduce noise even if the sound from the target speaker comes from a different direction than the noise.

Sound Smoothing

Unexpected, impulsive noises like breaking glass, rustling paper, and clanging dishes can be startling and disturbing for people who wear hearing aids. Sound Smoothing automatically isolates and softens sudden noises while leaving speech signals intact.

Ear to Ear

Wireless connectivity means that the hearing aids work together which can help speech discrimination. The hearing aids can also be set up so that the volume control wheel is on one hearing aid and the program change button is on the other. On the basic model the hearing aids are separate and therefore any changes such as volume control has to be done individually.

Data Learning

The hearing aids can ‘learn' from the wearer as to their preferred volume in any situation. For example, if a wearer was to reduce the volume in a noisy restaurant, the hearing aids would automatically reduce the volume next time they were in a similar noise situation.

True Ear

This feature provides enhanced sound directionality you can tell where a sound is coming from.

Sound Brilliance

This technology extends the frequency range to allow the wearer fuller enjoyment of music.

Blue Tooth Connectivity

The latest generation of hearing aids can be streamed into devices such as TV's, I-pods, and mobile phones. However, it would be fair to say that this technology has some way to go before it could be considered easy to use or intuitive. The point to consider is your life style requirements and your budget.

To sum up, if you are working and going to multiple meetings you have a requirement for higher technology than someone has who is mainly talking to a partner and watching TV.

Lastly, a hearing aid is only as good as the clinician who programmed it.