You’ve known who has had a hearing loss for quite some time and finally get the nerve to get your hearing tested. They tell you that you need a hearing aid and can not help but think, why has to happen to me? Then they start telling you about hearing aids and the use of terminology tons of which only goes over your head. Do they not know that you are in a state of shock? How can you make an informed decision about anything if you do not even know what they’re talking about?
There are hundreds of different hearing aids. It can be a very complicated world in terms technilogical. Sometimes, those of us who work with hearing aids all the time can forget how that may sound foreign to you. To make matters worse, manufacturers like to call things different names, so it sounds like something different. Not surprisingly, there is so much confusion!
I will try to unravel some of the mystery for you. Upon arriving at this, there are really only a few terms you need to understand. These features are what really count, and the model or style of the hearing aid.
There are seven major styles of earphones: ITE, Half Shell, ITC, Mini Canal, CIC, BTE, and Open Ear.
In the ear (ITE) ITE hearing aids are the largest custom style of hearing aid, fill the bowl of your ear, and can have more power and features available for the ear in hearing aids.
Half Shell (HS) Half Shell is a custom hearing aid that only about half filled the bowl of your ear. They are able to have a good amount of power and features, use a battery smaller, but more cosmetically appealing.
In the canal (ITC) The next smallest size is the custom ITC hearing aid. More difficult to see that the big hearing aids, but also may not have much power or as many features.
Mini Canal (MC) Smaller than the ITC hearing aid, the mini uses a custom channel smaller and the battery still has less power available. Features also may be more limited.
Completely in the canal (CIC) The CIC is the smallest custom in the ear hearing aids and very popular due to its cosmetic appeal and ease of use. Usually there are no manual controls of a CIC, the use of the phone is often better because they are less likely to whistle. The lack of power is the main reason people can not use this type of hearing aid, although a small ear canal can prevent you can also use one.
Behind the ear (BTE) The BTE hearing aid sits behind his ear and is connected to your ear by a tube attached with a mold. BTE hearing aids have the most power and features available.
Open ear (otitis externa) and the receiver on Canal (RIC) This hearing aid is a fairly new style of BTE available in recent years and are much smaller then a traditional BTE. Its goal is primarily for high-frequency hearing loss. The headset is connected to the ear by a very thin tube or wire with a small earbud at the tip. They are called Open left ear because the ear canal blocked unless other styles of earphones.
Important features:
Directional microphones – These are available in most BTE, OE, ITE, Half Shell, and ITC styles of earphones. They are the best role it can have on your headset to hear in noisy places such as restaurants. That means reducing all sounds behind you so that doesn’t get in the way of sounds that are in front of you. Directional microphones can be automatic that the hearing aid automatically decides when to turn on them once the level of sound in the room is too high. Some of them are also be adaptive, meaning they can continue moving sounds, or reduce the different sounds at the same time.
Noise reduction – Noise reduction does not really reduce the noise, which reduces the amplification of frequencies where there is no noise and speech. If there is a fan running in the background, the headset does not expand as much as we speak. When the headset is both speech and noise at a frequency, you still get both. The most advanced hearing aids better handle the noise frequencies to break up into smaller pieces.
Memories – There are two types of memory on a headset, manual and automatic. Many headphones have a button that allows you to have different settings (memories) for different situations, such as quiet places, noisy places, and the music or by telephone. The headset beeps when you press the button to let you know that you are using the memory. Advance headset can have memories that are automatic. Instead of clicking a button, the hearing aid does it for you! Some headphones have a combination of both.
Feedback Cancellation – Feedback (or annoying whistling sound) is the number one compaint people have about hearing aids. Most users of hearing aids experience reviews when it set his hand on his ear, or use the phone. Feedback Cancellation will take down the amount of feedback (whistling) that you hear.
Bands / Channels – bands which is used to adjust the volume on a headset. More bands more ways to control when the hearing aid program to his hearing loss.
The channels are used to adjust the party to the hearing aid that keeps the sound from reaching too high. Channels can also refer to the hearing aid noise reduction system. For noise reduction, more channels is definitely better, because the headset can break up the sound into smaller pieces and isolate the noise of expression.
These are the main things to understand about your hearing aid. If you really want the best help for the hearing that I recommend that you focus on telling the audience what benefits you want from your professional headset. Tell them what you’re most frustrated and give them a better idea of how you can help. His goal is to help you hear better, and when that happens, everybody wins.
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