Since hearing aids improve the sense of hearing, these are considered as worthwhile investments. If you’re willing to make the financial commitment, you should look for these features whenever you’re buying new hearing aids! You will probably pay more for these features but you will be getting the best value for your money – and that, ladies and gents, is what you should look for in every purchase.
Programmable Capabilities
The hearing amplification products in the modern market have a wide range of features. Such are their differences that the cheapest hearing aids are akin to a Ford Pinto while the most expensive are the Lamborghinis. There’s just no comparison in their functionality, not even in their form!
Well, of course, programmability will cost you and cost you big time. But it’s a feature that pays for itself, so to speak, since it allows you to customize the settings according to your specific needs. And we’re not just talking about volume adjustments according to your hearing loss but according to the environment.
Background Noise Minimization
Many first-time users of hearing aids complain of the background noise overriding nearly everything else. This can be annoying and frustrating, not to mention that the background noise and feedback defeat the purpose of hearing aids.
As such, you should look for hearing aids with background noise minimization technology. High-end ones have a microprocessor able to distinguish between low-frequency sounds (background noise) and high-frequency sounds (voices and music). The microprocessor can amplify the high-frequency sounds while suppressing the low-frequency sounds.
Directional Microphones
Most hearing aids users want to use these devices to better understand speech and, thus, to feel more included and less isolated. This is where directional microphones come in.
Hearing aids with directionality typically have two or more directional microphones. These microphones have different times for receiving and transmitting sound, thus, the hearing aids have a different reaction to different sounds.
More importantly, the directional microphones pick up specific sounds from sources in front of the hearing aids. If you’re wearing these devices, you will be able to hear the voices and sounds of speech of the person in your front.
Telecoils
If feedback is an issue with you, be sure to ask your audiologist about telecoils. These are small copper coils in the hearing aids that significantly decrease feedback from other devices.
You can talk on the phone without worrying about annoying feedback, the hissing noise in the background, thanks to telecoils. You can also hook up, so to speak, telecoil technology to your home theater system so you can hear the soundtrack and dialogue better.
The overall design of the hearing aids matter as well, of course! But you should first look at these functional features.
If you need an new hearing aid, make sure to take the hearing test & assessment. For details, please contact HK Hearing & Speech Centre.
Source:
HK Hearing & Speech Centre
Specialist of Hearing test & assessment,
and Hearing Aid Prescription
http://www.hkhearingspeech.com