Hearing aids have a come a long in the past few years. A lot of research has gone into creating environmental sensors and computer chips for hearing aid technology, and many people compare them to small computers in your ears. Hearing aids are small devices that help amplify sounds intelligently, and are programmed by a professional for the individual wearing them, based on that person’s unique hearing loss.

There seems to be many hearing aid price points, which one is right for me? 

The biggest difference when it comes to the cost of a hearing aid is the technology on the inside of the hearing aid itself. Higher end hearing aid devices have more technology to help pick up speech sounds and diminish noise. The microphone technology and noise management systems are more refined and acute, creating a stronger and more clear speech signal in noise. Higher end technology is better at identifying where a speech sound is, if it is mixed in with other types of noise and will amplify the signal of interest better than lower end devices. Lower end hearing aids still do more than just make sounds louder, but have less features when it comes to noise management and defining speech signals. There is a lot of research emerging about the importance of hearing when it comes to overall health, so while high end devices function better than low end devices, something is still better than nothing when it comes to amplification and stimulating your brain with sound. 

Style or appearance does not dictate price 

There is a very common misconception when it comes to the cost of hearing aids, and that is that small hearing aids are more expensive than larger devices because they are more discreet. This is not the case, which is great news! The size of the hearing aids does is irrelevant when it comes to the cost, and it is in fact the digital chip technology on the inside of the hearing aid that determines the price. This means that if you are looking for a more budget friendly hearing aid, it can still come in a small and sleek style. 

My hearing aid can connect to my phone? Get out of here! 

It’s true! Hearing aids have come a very long way, and many can connect directly to cell phones, have accessories which allow for TV streaming and apps which allow you to make changes to volume and other settings. To find out more, call your local audiologist, or Toronto Hearing Health Clinic for details.