May 1, 2010
Hearing Aid Types
There is no doubt that quality hearing aids tend to be expensive. Research and development for new aids is anything but cheap. Since hearing aids are not a mass market item these costs are spread over a relatively few buyers making it critical that you select the most appropriate style and type of hearing device for your personal needs.
Hearing Aid Styles
Hearing aids come in three main styles:
- Behind The Ear (BTE). This is the most powerful, used by people with mild to profound hearing loss.
- In The Ear (ITE). For mild to severe loss of hearing hearing loss. Some 10 per cent of the population has severe to profound hearing loss, meaning they can’t even hear a big truck driving on the road.
- Completely In The Ear (CIC). The popular open-fit aids are of this style.
Hearing Aid Types
In 1996, the first totally digital hearing aid came on the market. Instead of simply turning sound waves into electric currents, they were instead converted into binary numbers, processed by a speaker and transformed into sound. The difference in sound quality between digital and analog is similar to the difference between an audio cassette and a compact disc. Disc player.
Right now, there are many different hearing aids brands and around 11,100 audiology clinics in North America. Only four companies -- Sonus Corp. of Portland, Ore.; Helix; Hearx Ltd. of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Newport Audiology Centers of Laguna Niguel, Calif. -- currently own more than 50 clinics each.
Hearing Aid Costs
Since a single hearing aid can cost from $700 - $3000 why should you invest in two? Studies show that having two hearing aids are better than one. There are many benefits to having binaural amplification (two hearing aids), including -- improved hearing in noisy situations, conditions, better sound quality, increased ability to detect the source of a sound (this is called localization.)
The Nexear 900 is an example of an open-fit hearing aid.
| Nexear 900 Hearing Aid, Left |
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Overall Rating: |
| Retail Price: $695.00 |
| Amazon Price: $694.99 |
A significant discount can be obtained by buying two aids at the same time.
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