Digital Hearing Aids-The Latest News in Hearing Aid Technology

Digital hearing aids have been around since 1987, but they have become very popular in the past five years.  There are about 40 different models on the market to day produced by over 20 different manufacturers.  Digital hearing aids are available in the same models as the traditional analog hearing aids.  There are behind the ear (BTE) models all the way up through the completely in the canal (CIC) models and every model in between. 

Digital hearing aids are more expensive than analog hearing aids.  The digital models are equipped with a high tech signal processing unit which provides clarity and reduces excess background noise.

Analog hearing aids were designed to amplify sounds and that is exactly what they do.    They amplify any and all sounds at the same volume making it difficult for users to be able to concentrate on only the sounds they want to hear.  For example, imagine trying to hold a conversation with someone when the all of the background noises like the furnace, the television, the washer, and the children playing in the next room were as loud as the person’s voice. 

It would become almost impossible to concentrate on your conversation.  Digital hearing aids have a computerized chip that can analyze sounds geared to the individual’s degree of hearing loss.  Then, they analyze the listening environment, and then amplify the sound so that it adjusts for the volume and feedback. 

Digital hearing aids convert sound into digital code, change it and then send it back to the ear by using precise mathematical calculations.   These hearing aids can produce an exact replication of a transmitted sound.  They produce a high quality of sound that is precisely accurate.  Because each individual’s hearing loss is unique, digital hearing aids have an algorithm that is programmed to precisely adjust to the user’s degree of hearing loss. 

The algorithm resides on a computer inside the hearing aid.  The chip continues to make sound adjustments as the individual’s environment changes.  Digital hearings can recognize the difference between speech and noise so that it can reduce the noise and enhance the speech sounds.

The new digital hearing aids are a thrilling new technology for individuals that suffer from hearing loss.  Digital hearing aids are becoming more and more popular and will someday totally replace the analog versions.  While they are more costly than analog hearing aids, digital hearing aids offer a much more improved sound quality to its users.