Hearing Aid Features

Technology

What is A Digital Hearing Aid?
Why does music from a CD sound more crisp, clear and distortion-free than music from a record or tape? The answer, at least in part, is the difference between analog and digital sound processing.

Digital hearing aids contain one or more microchip processors that convert analog sound waves into computer language. They offer the best way to match a particular patient's hearing loss with the precise amplification needed. The benefits of digital technology are numerous and we list some of them below.

Features

Directional Microphones
The inability to hear in a noisy environment is a common complaint among those using instruments with one microphone. Instruments with directional microphones (two microphones) are able to emphasise sounds coming from the front, and reduce those coming from behind (often background noise). The result is improved speech understanding in noise.

Noise Management
This feature further refines sounds to allow the user to listen to speech comfortably in noisy environments.

Feedback Management
High frequency information carries the sounds of speech responsible for clarity, but may sometimes cause feedback in the hearing aid. Acoustic feedback (whistling from the hearing aid) can be annoying, embarrassing, and in some cases, prevent the hearing aid wearer from using the correct amount of volume. Many of today's hearing aids have an automatic feature that quickly detects acoustic feedback and cancels it without resorting to volume reduction. The result is better speech clarity.

Automatic Telephone Response
The hearing aid is automatically able to sense a telephone signal when the telephone receiver is near the ear. This allows you to hear on the phone clearly and comfortably without experiencing feedback problems.

Multiple Listening Programs
A memory is a location to store hearing aid settings that are designed for a particular listening situation. It is common for hearing aids to have two or three memories. For example, in a hearing aid with three memories, it is common that memory one will be for listening in quiet, memory two will be for listening in noise, and memory three will be for telephone. On the other hand, many hearing aid users find that a single memory works in a variety of listening situations, and may only use one memory. Changing memories is accomplished by using a button (or toggle switch) on the hearing aid, with a remote control device. In some digital hearing aids, it happens automatically.

This feature allows the hearing instrument user to change listening programs depending on the environment.