Bluetooth Hearing Aids - Advance Hearing Aid Technology

If you’ve been paying any attention to the incredible advances in mobile and digital technologies over the past five years, you may have heard the term ‘Bluetooth.’ A wireless technology that allows communication between electronic devices, Bluetooth eliminates the needs for any type of wire while allowing communication at distances of up to 100 feet away.

Originally available in only a few devices, Bluetooth is now available as a standard feature of most new electronic communication devices, including hearing aids. For those interested in the most advanced hearing device technology, Bluetooth hearing aids allow wearers to operate many hands free devices in conjunction with the hearing aid.

In the past, it has been difficult for wearers of traditional hearing aids to utilize wireless technologies like the iPod ear piece and cell phone headsets. However, Bluetooth hearing aids eliminate this problem by incorporating the Bluetooth technology right into the hearing aid device, making it completely compatible with other electronic devices that are Bluetooth enabled.  

The Bluetooth hearing aid incorporate this advanced technology for two different benefits, communication between two hearing aids and connectivity with separate wireless devices. To address the first benefit, hearing aids that are enabled with Bluetooth technology can communicate wirelessly with each other, making it possible to produce a smooth, realistic picture of sound for the wearer that allows them to pick up sounds all around them and interpret their originating locations.

The second benefit of Bluetooth enabled hearing aids is the increased compatibility with other enabled devices like mobile phones, and music players. Depending on which manufacturer and design you choose, it could even be possible to answer the phone through your hearing aid at the click of a button.

There are several popular manufacturers currently offering Bluetooth hearing aids as part of their product line. One popular brand is Oticon, which offers the Epoq model of hearing instrument. The Epoq uses integrated Bluetooth technology to allow two hearing aids to communicate directly with each other, as well as turning the device itself into a mobile phone headset.

Another popular brand is the Smartlink from Phonak, which uses Bluetooth to create a two-directional link between Bluetooth enabled mobile phones and the enabled hearing aid. If you are interested in purchasing the most advanced and most discreet hearing aid on the market, consider the ELI made by Starkey Laboratories. The ELI is an adaptive device that can turn a hearing aid into a Bluetooth headset.