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Completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids are the smallest of all the hearing aid options and distinct from other possibilities because they are custom fitted to the inside of your ear canal to amplify sounds in people with mild to moderately-severe hearing losses. CIC hearing aids offer several pros for the wearer, as well as a couple of cons that you should be aware of before getting one.

Hearing aids are marvels of advanced technology, and they keep improving. Each technological advance delivers more features and functions in a smaller space. One such technology is the directional microphone. Many of today’s hearing aids incorporate this device, allowing the wearer to enjoy a more natural hearing experience. Older hearing aids relied on omnidirectional microphones to amplify sound. This type of microphone picks up on sounds from all directions equally. When used in a quiet setting (such as in the home), an omnidirectional microphone works quite well, but it is not as effective in noisy environments. In order to compensate for this, directional microphones focus closely on sounds emanating from the front. Users can focus more clearly on what the people in front of them are saying, rather than being distracted by background noise.

From a crowded restaurant to a busy sidewalk, you can confront overwhelming amounts of noise almost anyplace. People who use hearing aids are particularly sensitive to this problem as it becomes difficult to differentiate between meaningless noise and important sound. Digital noise reduction technology embedded inside hearing aids is one approach to combating this problem. It allows the wearer to block unwanted noise and focus on specific sounds. Digital noise reduction technology relies on the fact that noise and speech have different sound patterns. This is easy to do when speaking to someone in a quiet room as the speech signals are the only sound around. However, when conversing in a noisy environment, your digital noise reduction equipped hearing aid can tell that there is unwanted sound present. The hearing aid makes the necessary adjustments on its own using built-in software and reduces the volume associated with the noisy channels.

You’ll likely encounter numerous hearing aid designs and features when choosing a device for a loved one or for yourself; among the more common is in-the-ear (ITE). These tiny devices are made to fit in the lower portion of the outer ear, making them a comfortable choice for listeners with mild to moderate hearing problems. Keep reading to find out more about this popular hearing aid style. In-the-ear hearing aids are specially designed to fit each wearer‚Äôs ear. Your hearing professional will make a mold of your ear to make sure that the end result is a perfect fit. By doing so, you will enjoy high quality sound, low feedback, and an extremely comfortable overall experience. All the components needed for this type of hearing aid are stored in a single case, eliminating the need for wires and tubes. Overall they are easy to use being very lightweight and comfortable.

Hearing a conversation in a busy restaurant and listening to an individual speaking in a hushed room are two very different situations. Most digital hearing aids can adjust to different environments like these by using a variety of “listening programs”. Having the ability to use various listening programs makes it easy to hear better in many different situations. After you receive your hearing aid, your hearing care professional will use a computer running specialized software to program it based on your unique needs. This device allows him or her to fine-tune a number of individual processing characteristics into several distinct programs. When you start wearing your device, these programs can be accessed manually or automatically to match whatever situation you find yourself in.

Paying attention to someone speaking in a congested environment with a lot of background noise can be tough for even a seasoned hearing aid wearer. Sizeable, open spaces such as places of worship, auditoriums, concert halls and movie theaters can be particularly difficult. Fortunately, hearing loops systems offer a solution to this problem, permitting hearing aid users to readily hear the sounds they wish to enjoy. Hearing loop systems work together with the telecoil feature found in many hearing aids. Telecoils were originally designed to pick up on the magnetic fields created by coils within telephones. People who had a telecoil could enjoy a clear phone conversation without having to worry about background noise. Hearing loop systems use this same concept but on a larger scale, creating magnetic signals that anyone in the area with a telecoil can pick up on.

Looking for the best hearing aids will expose you to a variety of designs, including receiver-in-canal (RIC). The RIC hearing aid shares numerous benefits with behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aid while having some distinctive advantages particular to the receiver in canal. Continue reading to discover the pros and cons of RIC devices. In behind-the-ear and in-the-ear hearing aids, the device’s components are all held in the same case: either behind the ear or in the ear. RIC hearing aids, on the other hand, separate the components into two major sections. The device’s microphone and amplifier are housed in a small case that rests behind the ear, while the receiver is found in a small bud that rests in the ear canal. The two parts are connected by a thin clear tube.

If you are wearing or thinking about purchasing a hearing aid with a telecoil feature, you may be curious about what it does. As its name suggests, a telecoil is a tiny coil of wire. It sounds simplistic, but it greatly enhances the functionality of your hearing aid. Read on to discover more about what a telecoil can do for your hearing. A hearing aid with a telecoil can recognize magnetic signals. Unlike conventional microphones and amplifiers, which amplify all sounds they encounter, a telecoil will only transmit sounds that are created magnetically. The telecoil was first introduced to enhance listening ability on the telephone. The speakers in older telephone handsets included strong magnets. The telecoil-enabled hearing aid could therefore offer a clear transmission of only those sounds coming through the phone. Modern phones no longer use magnets in this way. But, because the telecoil function is so popular among hearing aid users, many modern phones contain supplemental electronics to make them telecoil compatible.

When you consider making public places accessible for individuals with disabilities, the obvious first thing you think of are modifications for wheelchairs. But what about accessibility for people with hearing loss? With the help of telecoil hearing aids or cochlear implants, hearing loops clarify sounds for hearing challenged individuals, are a less expensive investment than other disability modifications and will bring in additional visitors. Oftentimes the managers of the venue aren’t aware of how much a hearing loop can help. With a little effort you may be able to get them to install one.

To fully understand the difference between analog and digital hearing aids, you need to first appreciate the history of analog versus digital, and the different ways that they amplify and process sounds. Analog hearing aids came out first, and were the standard in the majority of hearing aids for many years. Then with the arrival of digital signal processing (DSP) technology, digital hearing aids also started to emerge. Most (roughly 90%) hearing aids purchased in the United States at this point are digital, although you can still find analog hearing aids because some people have a preference for them, and they are typically cheaper.