Hearing Aid Technology is changing very rapidly and can be very confusing to the consumer. This page is designed to help answer some of the basic questions concerning the micro-chip technology that most hearing aids use today.

There are two primary levels of technology today, and they are...Analog (sometimes called Conventional),  and Digital.

Analog or Conventional:

This type of hearing aid has been around for over 50 years. There are three basic electronic components to this type of hearing aid. There is a microphone, an analog amplifier, and a receiver. The microphone picks up the sound, the amplifier  magnifies the sound, and the receiver reproduces the sound, similar to a speaker. Most all conventional hearing aids have a "user controlled" volume switch. There are very little adjustments made to the sound other than making it louder, although there are a limited amount of automatic options available on some of the more advanced conventional models. Just a few years ago, analog instrument had more power than digital instruments but many of today's digitals are just as powerful as conventional instruments.

Digital:

Digital technology simply means that the instrument has a processor that amplifies the sound using a very tiny computer. All computers use "numbers" recorded in memory to reproduce the sound, thus are called digital. They use the same technology as cell phones, calculators and other similar electronic devices. When Digital hearing aids first came out they were very expensive, but now you can sometimes purchase a digital less that some older style convention instruments. There are many different kinds of digitals today, so to clarify the features and benefits of different digital hearing aids, we have divided the digital technology into three different areas. Non-Programmable, Programmable, and Advanced Programmable.

Non-Programmable:

This is the most economical type of digital instrument on the market. Just a short time ago, if a hearing aid was digital, it was surely programmable, but not any longer.  Economy digital hearing aids have the tiny computer inside that gives clear and quality sound, but cannot be attached to a computer in the office. Should there be a need to change the factory settings later, the hearing care professional is limited to a few set screw tone controls (just as with the conventional aids). Usually, with new hearing aids some changes are necessary, and as the client's hearing loss changes, reprogramming becomes even more important.

Programmable Digitals:

Programmable hearing aids have small ports or contacts in the instrument that allows a tiny cable to connect the computer in the instrument to the computer in the office. This is of great benefit to the consumer because the hearing care professional can better balance the electronic sound amplification to the patient's hearing loss. It makes the initial fitting, follow up adjustments, and future change in hearing loss much easier to adjust for the patient.

Advanced Programmable Digital:

These are the more expensive Digital instruments of today. Just as with a home computer, the more memory, the more advanced software, the more expensive the computer. The same is true with hearing aids. some of the advanced features that more internal memory provides are:

     More Channels...

Channels in hearing aids are like controls on a stereo. If you only have a volume control, you are limited to how you can adjust the sound. Inexpensive stereos may have only a volume control. Medium priced ones may have a bass and treble adjustment, and premium ones will likely have a 4 to 8 band "equalizer" to fine tune the sound quality. In hearing aids, the hearing specialist can adjust these controls with the computer to meet the needs of the patient. Also, the instrument itself can better "self adjust" to the changing environmental sounds with more channels.

    Noise Control...

The most common complaint of people with hearing loss is that of "background noises" The more advanced hearing instruments have advanced computer programs to analyze the noise, and make the necessary automatic adjustments noisy environments.

    Advanced Features...

Just as with home computers, more memory equals more advanced features and programs. Some of these advanced features are: Directional Mics, Multiple Programs, Feedback Control, and Automatic telecoil. These are only a few of the features available on advanced digital hearing aids. For more information on these or any other features, see your local Happy Hearing Center office for details.