The choice of a hearing aid is not to be taken lightly because this small device will accompany you constantly in your daily life. You will wear it for several years. To find the device that suits you best, read our tips!
For those who are affected, there are few solutions , except to learn to live with their disability or accept the idea of wearing a hearing aid. It is to this category of people that we address ourselves.
In terms of hearing loss, there is no minimum deafness threshold to be achieved for a hearing aid to be effective, nor to benefit from technological progress! If they were prescribed only for the most serious types of deafness, a few years ago, they are now adapted to all hearing impaired who wish to find a perfect hearing. You can find these devices even on the internet , at sites like Puryt. Whether your hearing is slightly damaged, or if it is badly damaged, you will find a hearing aid that will suit you.
These hearing aids adapt to the needs of the user. There are several types, such as small hearing devices that are attached behind the ear or on the contrary, that hide at the entrance of the conduit and are therefore perfectly invisible from the point of view of an external view.
Different types of hearing aids for different needs
The first type of hearing aid is probably the best known, since it is the earloop device that is placed behind the horn. It is slightly light but this system is easy to handle to adapt to surrounding sounds, it is managed independently.
The mini-contours devices, with remote headphones , are similar to the previous model, except that they are more discreet. Nevertheless, they are sometimes less easy to handle, and have less autonomy.
In-ear devices are placed in the canal of the ear . These hearing aid in ear canal are the most discreet and do not detract from the aesthetics of the overall look. It would be necessary to look inside the ear of a hearing impaired to detect them.
There are other categorizations, some only work with batteries, others have rechargeable batteries, more ecological and economical.
The modern hearing aid and its progress
Hearing aids have grown significantly since the volume of computer chips has been reduced in size. Now, these hearing aid amplifiers can hear as well as anyone, regardless of the type of deafness that the hearing impaired is affected. Here is the list of modern hearing aid settings:
- Removing ambient noise: the device captures all the surrounding sounds and isolates them so that the wearer only hears more than the sound that interests him, such as the sound of a voice or music. The equivalent for those who are not deaf is the headphones created by Orosound that filter ambient noise through a sensor in its appendix.
- Directional listening: it is simply possible to direct the pickups to a specific source of noise to better hear the sounds coming from that direction.
- An anti-feedback system is also included to avoid the high-pitched sound that can be heard when a microphone gets too close to a speaker .
- By making the devices communicate on the left and right sides, you can recreate a 3-dimensional sound print so that the hearing impaired person can identify the source of a sound in the space.
- Of course, these devices are waterproof!
How to choose a hearing aid?
There are therefore several criteria for choosing a hearing aid. In the first place, we must study the financial aspect. If all the devices make it possible to hear distinctly the sounds around the hearing impaired, some offer additional services, as mentioned in the previous paragraph.
The prices of a hearing aid may vary according to the power of the desired model. Thus, the entry-level is rather between $600 and $1,100, the average range is between $ 1,100 and $ 1,700, the best devices can reach $2,200.
Then, the other important criterion in the selection is its discretion. How much do you want the hearing aid to be showy? Do you prefer it to be almost invisible, or will you prefer a more powerful device? This consideration should put you on the road to the type of device you need.
Finally, the power is a third parameter. What do you expect performance of this hearing aid? Can you use a microphone that picks up the surrounding sounds in general, or do you want advanced noise isolation and directional tuning ? Do you prefer having recorded presets that will adapt to the situation you are in. For example, reducing the sound when you travel by taxi, focus on listening to the general atmosphere during a concert or a theatrical performance, adapt the listening power according to the distance you are from the person, and so on.
With all these criteria in mind, you will be able to choose a quality hearing aid that will satisfy you! So do not turn a deaf ear, do not stay isolated and find an active social life.