Best Hearing Aids Based on In-Depth Reviews
- 200+Hours of research
- 84+Sources used
- 21Companies vetted
- 4Features reviewed
- 7Top
Picks
- Make sure your provider uses Real Ear Measurements
- Models and technology levels are two different things
- Hearing aids are not waterproof, only water-resistant
- Insurance and National organizations can help with costs
How We Found The Best Hearing Aids
Our Top Picks: Hearing Aids Reviews
Our goal is to create an intuitive guide that motivates newcomers and seasoned hearing aid users to visit a hearing care professional and purchase their own hearing aids. To do this, we spent over 100 hours of research, studied more than 80 sources, and vetted 21 companies to find the best hearing aids for a variety of needs and lifestyles.
We didn’t evaluate hearing aids on their technology levels or programmable features, for these vary too much between companies and hearing aids. Instead, we focused on hearing aid models and their built-in features. Hearing aids can be expensive, so we also checked the price range of each device, and we weighed on battery life and warranties, as these can help you save money in the long run. Finally, if a company had direct customer support, we checked its reliability through online reviews.
The products reviewed on this list weren’t personally tested by ConsumersAdvocate.org, as hearing aid needs and device listening experiences vary greatly from person to person. Therefore, we researched each hearing aid company, their devices, and read online reviews, as well as customer reviews that assessed the factors stated above.
Why we didn’t recommend hearing aids for children
The following product reviews are aimed at adults with hearing loss rather than children. The reason being that, depending on their age, hearing aid needs for children can vary greatly from those of adults. For example, since children are constantly growing and they’re always interacting with what’s around them, they can’t make do with low-technology level devices that an adult could opt to buy.
“When you’re dealing with children who are exposed to a large variety of environments and they’re going to school and have to keep close attention to what their teachers are saying, it’s highly recommended for their parents to do the best they can to offer the best possible hearing aid for them,” stated Dr. Carmen Arroyo, an audiologist with more than ten years of clinical experience.
Direct-to-consumer hearing aids
If you want hearing aids but you don’t want to go through an evaluation process, or you just don’t want to invest a lot of money, we added two direct-to-consumer hearing aids to our list. These devices are cheaper and don’t require a hearing evaluation to purchase but they have their own disadvantages: they come with a limited set of innate features and programs that, typically, can’t be reprogrammed by your hearing care professional. This means that direct-to-consumer hearing aids usually can’t provide the most optimal hearing aid experience since they can’t be programmed to meet your hearing loss prescription.
Jabra Enhance review
Best For Customizable Settings
Jabra Enhance Hearing Aids are an affordable, online alternative to purchasing hearing aids the traditional way—in person through an audiology clinic. Jabra Enhance is distinguished in the hearing aid marketplace by the level of follow-up care customers have access to three years of customized help from hearing specialists and licensed audiologists.
Screenshot from Listenlively.com 12/16/2021. The company had a name change to Jabra Enhance on 11/7/2022.
The company offers three medical-grade models at this time, two of which are rechargeable, providing 30 hours of listening time with just a 3-hour charge. The company's most comprehensive model, the Jabra Enhance Select 200 offers advanced speech clarity and noise reduction, binaural directionality for a more natural sound experience, customizable noise filtering, and automatic volume control is available for $1,995, or $65 per month. The model also provides Bluetooth streaming for listening to music or making hands-free phone calls.
The Jabra Enhance Select 100 is also rechargeable and costs $1,595, or $52 per month if you're approved for financing. While it doesn't offer all the bells and whistles of the 200, (no hands-free calls, automatic volume control or binaural directionality) this model does have music mode and allows for remote adjustment.
The company's third model, the Enhance Select 50R, is best in quieter situations. It is rechargeable, comes with a desktop charger and costs $1,195, or as little as $39 per month when financed.
All three models are Bluetooth-enabled for direct streaming from your TV, radio, or mobile phone so you can enjoy better hearing when tuned into your favorite entertainment channels. They connect seamlessly with your smartphone through Jabra Enhance's patented app, which allows you to edit your settings to your personalized hearing needs.
All Jabra Enhance hearing aids feature tinnitus and noise/feedback reduction technology. You can also adjust your hearing aids to provide better service in common environments, such as outdoors and in restaurants and other crowded places.
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Hearing Aid Type: Behind-the-ear receiver in canal (BTE RIC)
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Type of Hearing Loss: Mild to moderate
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Price Range: $1195 to $1995
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Manufacturer’s Warranty: 3 years
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Battery type: Lithium-ion (rechargeable) or zinc-air (battery-powered)
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Features: Directional microphones, Bluetooth, hands-free calling, in-app sound customization, and “find my hearing aid” GPS locator
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Add-ons: Portable microphone and phone clip
Audicus review
Best Overall.
Audicus is unique among hearing aid companies in that it’s the only one to offer a comprehensive, all-inclusive membership program. Starting at just $39 per month, Audicus Members enjoy their choice of hearing aid, unlimited access to expert support, damage and loss insurance, and new hearing aids every eighteen months. Members pay an initial $100 start-up fee. There is no contract or long-term commitment required with the membership program. You can cancel at any time.
Audicus recently announced a new membership tier called Audicus Plus. For $89/month and up, depending on the hearing aids you choose, Audicu Plus members get access to premium hearing aid technology and move to the front of the customer support line, with faster access to the company's hearing specialists. Member benefits include a free upgrade to a new hearing aid model every 18 months, comprehensive loss and damage insurance, and the option to buy their hearing aids outright at any time.
Customers can also select one of Audicus's upfront payment options. The company's new top-of-the-line model, the Omni, is priced at $999 per ear or $1,998 per pair when purchased upfront. It offers the latest in adaptive-directional microphone technology, and comes with Bluetooth, rechargeable batteries, and remote adjustment capabilities.
Screenshot, Audicus.com, June 27, 2022
No matter which payment option you choose, when you visit Audicus.com, you’ll be able to take a 100% free online hearing test so your devices can be personalized according to your needs. The company offers free ground shipping and expedited shipping for an additional fee.
Eargo review
Wide Range of Models
- Hearing aid type: Invisible in the canal (IIC).
- Hearing loss type: Mild to moderately severe high-frequency hearing loss.
- Price: $2,950 per pair.
- Battery type: Rechargeable (battery life: 16 hours).
- Features: User preference tuning, noise reduction, feedback cancellation, wind noise reduction, 4 preset sound profiles, water-resistant even while swimming.
- Warranty: 2-year warranty (covers unlimited repairs and one-time loss/damage).
The Eargo SE is the company's third offering, providing virtually invisible CIC hearing aids cleared by the FDA. You can tailor your devices to your unique hearing needs by using its propietary Sound Match technology or choosing between its four preset sound modes. Like the Eargo 7, Eargo SE provides an all-day battery through 16 hours of continous use and a charger holding up to 5 full charges. The Eargo SE is rated to IP54 for dust protection and splash and water-resistance.
Screenshot from Eargo.com 7/12/2024
Audien Hearing Aids review
Best For Budget
If you suffer from hearing loss and you're on a tight budget, Audien hearing aids are worth careful consideration. The company offers four hearing aid models that are suitable for mild to moderate hearing loss and are priced between $189 and $489. Two are in-the-canal models, which makes them more discreet than hearing aids that fit behind the ear.
Customers who prefer a behind-the-ear solution can select one of Audien's two BTE models. The first is the EVI model, which was part of Audien's original line-up. Audiens' second BTE model (known simply as BTE) features a new A2 Max™ chip to provide enhanced sound and reduce background noise. It also relies on directional microphones, an upgrade to the company's previous models. The BTE is Audien Hearing's priciest hearing aid.
Audien was founded in 2016 and earns a respectable B rating from the Better Business Bureau. Consumers on the BBB website award the company 4.27 out of 5 stars. Audien wins praise for its customer service and the comfort of its devices.
Audien Hearing offers four models, two of which are worn in the ear and two of which are worn behind the ear. The company recently introduced two new models within its Atom Series.
The Audien Atom 2 is 28% smaller than the original Atom. It features a patented design for comfort, as well as dual wax protection to prevent ear damage.
The Atom Pro 2 takes miniaturization to the next level: it's 15% smaller than the Atom 2. For improved hygiene, the Atom Pro 2 comes with a 2-in-1 UV cleaning case that kills 99.9% of bacteria while the devices charge. It also comes with a portable charger so you can charge on the go and enjoy more hours of enhanced hearing. Customers who want a discreet solution to their hearing problems will appreciate how both of these models practically disappear when you wear them.
Audien hearing aids are sold in pairs only. One size fits both ears, which some customers find a welcome convenience. All models are rechargeable.
Audien hearing aids are substantially less expensive than other hearing aid models. Therefore, they don't come with as many bells and whistles. Notably, the company does not perform a hearing test before you purchase their products, so they are not customized to individual customers' needs. But again, some customers will appreciate the simplicity of the company's solutions, as well as their affordability.
MDHearingAid review
If you’re just starting to explore hearing aid options and don’t want to invest heavily just yet or if you're on a limited budget, MDHearingAid can be a great choice for you. The company's products don't have as many features as custom-fitted devices, but they make up for it through sheer affordability. MDHearingAid offers three models to choose from with prices ranging from $299 to $799. Some of these models are analog and others digital. Some require battery replacement and others are rechargeable. Two of their models are water-resistant to protect against accidental splashes, rain, and humid environments.
MDHearingAid offers a valuable service for people whose health insurance covers the cost of hearing aids. For no additional charge, MDHearingAid's dedicated Insurance Team can take the hassle out of getting your hearing aid expenses covered by navigating the ins and outs of your insurance plan, recommending a covered device, and filing claims on your behalf.
In addition to full hearing aids, MDHearingAid recently introduced its own device for people who just need a little help because they're experiencing very mild hearing loss that becomes problematic when they're enjoying TV with companions who aren't hearing-impaired. MDHearingAid's TV amplifiers are a great solution for people who don't want to "graduate" to full hearing aids, which are considerably more expensive and may exceed their needs. For many customers, TV amplifiers offer just what they need when they need it.
Widex review
• Hearing loss type: Mild to moderate hearing loss.
• Technology levels: (Evoke 110, 220, 330, 440).
• Price: $1,962-$3,684 for 1 device.
• Battery type: Disposable, size 10 (battery life: 5-9 days).
• Features: Machine-learning capabilities, Bluetooth, iPhone connectivity, telecoil, push button (program control, volume control), debris and water resistant (IP 68), noise reduction, tinnitus balance (Zen Program).
• Warranty: 2-year manufacturer warranty.
If you want a RIC hearing aid with a unique twist for tinnitus relief and with the ability to learn your listening preferences, the Widex Evoke is the device for you. The RIC 10 comes with the “Zen”, a program that provides tinnitus relief through music. When you cycle to “Zen” using the push button, you will hear a looped tune that you can use to manage tinnitus or for relaxing purposes. The device also has an in-app feature called the “Soundsense Learn” that learns your hearing preferences and creates a noise profile for any hearing situation. Whenever you’re in a specific environment—let’s say, at a party—you click on the app’s Soundsense Learn option and it’ll prompt you to listen to two sound profiles based on the noise level in your vicinity. You choose the ones that sound better, and after listening to all the sound profiles, you can save it as a program on your device.
Phonak review
• Hearing loss type: Mild to severe hearing loss.
• Technology levels: 4 (M30, M50, M70, M90).
• Price: $1,903-$3,938 per unit.
• Battery type: Rechargeable (24 hours of battery life, 16 if streaming for 4 hours).
• Features: Bluetooth, hands-free calling, Water and debris-resistant (IP 68), push-button (volume control, program control, audio stream mix), telecoil, directional microphone, user preference tuning, remote programming.
• Warranty: 1-year limited international warranty.
Phonak isn’t kidding when they call their Audéo M-RT “The all-in-one hearing aid.” This device can connect to any phone brand or model with Bluetooth by using traditional Bluetooth technology rather than Bluetooth Smart (also known as Bluetooth low energy). Moreover, the device is RogerDirect and telecoil-friendly, so you can use Phonak’s line of Roger microphones to improve your listening capabilities during group conversations, and you can enjoy clearer hearing in public venues that have telecoil technology. You can also stream music, check YouTube videos, watch TV (with a Phonak TV connector accessory), and answer phone calls directly through the Audéo M-RT.
Using Phonak’s Classification of Streamed Signals technology, the device can also tell if what you’re streaming is more music or voice-heavy, automatically optimizing the sound toward that type of audio. Phonak’s phone app also lets you manually adjust the device’s sound capabilities, or if you prefer professional help, you can contact your hearing care professional in-app to do it remotely.
Oticon review
• Hearing loss type: Severe to profound hearing loss.
• Technology levels: 4 (SP4, SP6, SP8, SP10).
• Price: $1,125-$1,990 for one device.
• Battery type: Rechargeable (battery life: 24 hours, 18 with 5 hours of streaming).
• Features: Apple streaming, telecoil, debris and water-resistant (IP 58), push-button (toggle control, volume control), feedback prevention, directional microphones, user preference tuning, hands-free streaming (through external devices).
• Warranty: 1-year international limited warranty.
Although bulkier than other behind the ear models, the Oticon Dynamo can deliver as much as 139 dB of peak output sound pressure level and a gain of 78dB of low-frequency output, providing quality sound for those with more than just moderate hearing loss. The device is also backed by Oticon’s Inium Sense processing chip which has 30% more processing power to help out boost sound. Its feedback prevention is also powerful, ranging from 500 Hz to 6,500 Hz. The device comes with 4 customizable programs and can be connected to an iPhone for audio and podcast streaming.
Starkey review
• Hearing loss type: Mild to severe hearing loss.
• Technology levels: 5 (1000, 1200, 1600, 2000, 2400).
• Price: $2,204-$4,537 per unit.
• Battery type: Rechargeable (battery life: 24 hours, 22 if streaming for 4 hours).
• Features: Bluetooth, iPhone connectivity, hands-free calling, debris and water resistant (IP 58), push-button (volume control, program control), inertial measurement unit (IMU), directional microphone, user-preference tuning, remote programming.
• Warranty: 3 years (36 months).
The Starkey Livio AI is the only hearing device on the market that has an inertial measurement unit (IMU) as part of its circuitry. The IMU contains an accelerometer and a gyroscope that can track your heart rate, measure your movement and positioning, and even detect sudden falls. The Livio AI uses this information in unison with Starkey’s "Thrive" app, to help you track your body’s physical activity and brain stimulation. This is measured in-app through a 200-point system that awards 100 points for steps taken, calories burned, and overall daily movement; and 100 points for hearing aid use-time, social engagement during the day, and device usage in different environments, like noisy places and car travel.
These features don’t come cheap, as the Livio AI is among the most expensive hearing aids on the market. You’ll really have to weigh in whether having a workout-friendly hearing device is worth the extra expense. Another downside is that, although the Livio comes in 5 technology levels, only the 2400 premium level has the IMU.
Further Insight Into Our Methodology
Developing a methodology for hearing aids wasn’t easy. With the exception of manufacturer warranties, most of the important parameters, like overall price, program features, and customer support, vary greatly because they aren’t necessarily set by the manufacturers, but rather by the hearing care provider. When you go to an audiologist and decide on a hearing aid that covers your prescription, the audiologist calculates the total price of your hearing aid, which includes the price of the device, the level of programmability—explained below—, warranty length, and trial period. This price can also include clinic checkups and any other extras such as additional warranty for loss or damaged devices.
Since some audiologists can charge you more than others for the same hearing aid or services, we couldn’t depend on these malleable parameters. We couldn’t just focus on aesthetics or on functionality, either, as the preferences and needs of every hearing aid user are different, and with eight hearing aid models available today, there are plenty of options out there.
Instead, we chose to balance aesthetics with functionality as best as possible, offering hearing aid choices that could fit to both your hearing loss level and lifestyle. Because we couldn’t measure overall price and programmability on most devices, we offered a price range for each hearing aid based on technology levels, which increase the costs of your hearing aids. We also used other reliable parameters, such as battery life, manufacturer warranty, and customer satisfaction.
After analyzing 21 companies and their varied models, we were able to pick six hearing aids that met these requisites, and we divided them into six categories: best BTE, best IIC, severe to profound hearing loss, tinnitus, affordability, and active lifestyle. We also added an extra category, best hearing aid supplier, to help users who would prefer to buy their hearing aids online.
Why we didn’t evaluate analog hearing aids:
Analog hearing aids precede the digital hearing aids of today, so their processing system isn’t as precise, and have little, if any, features. Unlike digital hearing aids, analog devices aren’t capable of adjusting the sounds you hear, but rather use a standard microphone that takes in all noises and amplifies them indiscriminately. Major hearing aid manufacturers don’t sell analog hearing aids anymore, so the only way to get them is online through direct-to-consumer websites. Due to the niche nature and lack of support of this hearing aid type, we decided not to include them on our list.
Hearing Aid Style
Hearing aids come in two styles: behind the ear (BTE)—where the hearing aid’s chassis is placed behind the ear—and canal hearing aids—where the chassis is placed inside the ear canal. Every ear canal is different, so these hearing aids are typically custom molded to offer the best comfortability.
Each style also has its own model variants. BTEs have one variant—the receiver in the canal (RIC)—that places the amplifier inside the canal rather than inside the chassis. The benefit of RIC models is that, since the amplifier is inside the canal, the sound is directly transmitted to the ear canal, offering a crisper sound. The dome that surrounds the amplifier can also be changed: you can have an open-fit dome, which lets low-frequency sounds enter naturally while amplifying high-frequency sounds, or a closed-fit dome, which reduces outside sounds from entering the canal.
On the other hand, canal hearing aids have the most variety, with six different models: in the ear (ITE), half shell (HS), in the canal (ITC), mini canal (MC), completely in the canal (CIC) and invisible in the canal (IIC). The main differences between these models are the size and where they are placed ear-wise. For example, ITEs are the largest and are placed outside the ear canal, while IIC models are more discreet, fitting entirely inside the canal.
With such a variety of hearing aid styles, we wanted to balance aesthetics with functionality. Since each hearing aid style has its own pros and cons, we decided to include the most functional and aesthetically pleasing of each style, while also including hearing aids that could adapt to your lifestyle or particular hearing loss.
You will notice that most of our choices are RIC models, and this is because this style is the most functional on the market: they can be programmed to handle all levels of hearing loss, and their chassis size allows manufacturers to add all the bells and whistles found in the hearing loss industry, including Bluetooth, directional microphones, and rechargeable batteries.
Why we didn’t recommend Cochlear implant devices:
Although we wanted to add a Cochlear implant to our hearing aid list, it became difficult due to its overall requisites and functionality. Cochlear implants are an alternative for people with profound hearing loss who no longer benefit from traditional hearing aids, and they require both a doctor’s recommendation and surgery to set up.
“If you won’t gain any benefits from a hearing aid then there’s no point in getting one,” said Dr. Clifford Olson, a licensed audiologist and owner of the Applied Hearing Solutions center in Phoenix, Arizona. “So you go through this process of having surgery, and what a cochlear implant does is that it bypasses the hearing structures that would pick up sound from a hearing aid, and instead you electrically stimulate the auditory nerve directly, and that usually has a dramatic improvement in speech understanding and sound quality.”
That doesn’t mean that we don’t recommend cochlear implants. If you have profound or total hearing loss, it can be an excellent alternative for you. “I would say that a cochlear implant is the closest thing we have to a medical miracle in the hearing industry,” said Dr. Olson.
Features & Price
We looked at the built-in features of each hearing aid and chose those that were the most versatile and unique. By versatile we mean that they’re able to assist a variety of users, such as those with severe to profound hearing loss, and those who want to stream music or TV straight to their hearing aids. By unique we mean devices whose features aren’t typically found in a hearing aid, such as the Starkey Livio AI’s IMU.
Hearing aid features have two tiers: innate features, which are those that the hearing aid model has already built-in—Bluetooth on an RIC, for example—, and programmable features that depend on the technology level that you choose when you make your hearing aid purchase. We know, we were also confused at first, but we’ve sorted it out for you.
When buying a hearing aid, first look at the type and model that you want—BTEs and IICs, for example. Let’s say that you liked the Phonak Audeo M-RT since it comes with Bluetooth, telecoil, and a rechargeable battery. These are the device’s innate features: they are built into the device and are separate from the programming. Now that you’ve picked a device model, your next step is to look for the programs you want your hearing aid to have—noise cancellation and wind block, for example. Companies bundle up these programs into technology levels that can be set up by your hearing care provider: the higher the level, the more programs it will have, the more expensive your hearing aid will be, and vice versa. Technology levels vary per manufacturer and hearing aid model, so the Phonak Audeo M-RT could have 4 technology levels, while the Widex Evoke RIC might have 5.
In terms of pricing, since hearing aid costs depend on the model that you buy and on the technology level that you get, it also became difficult for us to pinpoint an overall cost for our picks. Instead, we decided to list the average price range of each hearing aid, from the lowest technology level to the highest. This way, you can look at the average costs of each device and pick one based on your budget.
Battery Life
We evaluated how well a hearing aid handled its battery by looking at the length stated on their manufacturer’s website and comparing them to online product and customer reviews. Some devices on our list, like the Eargo HiFi, don’t have the best battery life, but they make it up with a cheaper price range or with innate features. With disposable battery models, we also considered the device’s battery size, since smaller batteries tend to drain faster.
Hearing aids use either rechargeable (lithium-ion) or disposable batteries (zinc-air). Rechargeable batteries, made of lithium-ion, tend to last 24 hours on a full charge, while disposable batteries, depending on size, have a lifespan of 3-20 days. The four hearing aid battery sizes, from largest to smallest, are 675 (blue-color-coded), 13 (red), 312 (brown), and 10 (yellow).
Customer Experience
We looked at the manufacturer warranties from each hearing device and picked those that were lengthier or included extra protection, like a damaged/loss warranty. For companies with customer support, we checked online reviews to assess their promptness and efficiency. We also checked how many contacting methods a company had, the more the better.
Although most hearing aids have a one-year manufacturer’s warranty, the overall warranty length depends on the brand and the technology level you buy. Lower technology levels come with a one-year limited warranty, while higher technology levels have longer, more thorough warranties. No matter the tech level you buy, for an extra fee, you can increase the warranty up to a maximum of 6-7 years. Unfortunately, direct-to-consumer hearing aids have a shorter warranty length, typically lasting for 90-120 days. You can pay extra to lengthen this warranty, but they usually go as high as two years, and the option isn’t available with all direct-to-consumer devices.
Helpful information about Hearing Aids
On a rainy evening in February 2020, we interviewed Lourdes Rodriguez, a 70-year-old woman with moderate hearing loss who has been wearing hearing aids since 2017. Her son had noticed that she always increased the volume of the TV and constantly asked him to repeat himself. Concerned, he talked to Lourdes about this, and together they decided to book an appointment with an audiologist. During our interview with Lourdes, she said something that we wanted to convey through our guide for hearing aids:
When you gradually lose your hearing, you don’t notice it, so you think that you don’t need hearing aids. Even when family members mention it to you, you feel like you’re fine and that it isn’t a necessity. But when you go to an audiologist and you wear a hearing aid for the first time, that’s when you know how much you actually needed them. Honestly, the difference is huge.Lourdes’ statement is only a symptom of a much larger problem. In the United States alone, more than 48 million people have significant hearing loss, and the average waiting period before seeking professional help is seven years. The time between acknowledging hearing loss, discussing it with loved ones, and getting help can be crucial, since prolonged lack of sound stimuli can impact brain function.
How Hearing Loss Happens:
Hearing loss can occur in many ways and for many reasons. It can be the result of gradual earwax buildup, constant exposure to noises at or above 85 decibels (dB) —like motorcycle motors and police sirens—, or it can even come naturally with aging. Because of its variability, hearing loss is classified into three types in relation to its location in the ear: conductive (involving the external or the middle ear), sensorineural (involving the inner ear) and mixed (a combination of the two).
In terms of sound intensity and frequency, hearing loss is divided into five levels: mild, moderate, moderately severe, severe, and profound hearing loss. Hearing care providers measure these levels using an audiogram, a chart that determines the sounds and pitches you can and can’t hear. Normally, a person’s hearing can detect sounds from -10 to 20 decibels (dB), and they can distinguish pitch from 125 to 8,000 hertz (Hz). Human speech falls on what is known as the “speech banana,” which ranges from 20-60 dB and 125-5,000 Hz. Vowels fall on the lower-pitch section of the banana, while consonants fall on the high pitches.
The chart below indicates the different risk factors for hearing loss, and it locates various causes for hearing loss in each of the 3 sections of the ear. It also provides an audiogram with the sound range for each hearing loss level, as well as sounds that are found in those levels.
Hearing Aids: A Breakdown
No matter the style or model, digital hearing aids usually have the same components inside: a microphone, amplifier, speaker, and battery. How do they work? The microphone first picks up the sounds around you and sends them to a microchip that amplifies and converts them into electrical signals. The microchip adjusts these signals to comply with the programming set up by your hearing care provider, and then they’re converted back into soundwaves and transmitted to your ear through the speaker. Unlike analog devices, digital hearing aids are sophisticated enough to identify particular sounds, like someone’s voice, and amplifies that sound while decreasing all other noises around you. Some hearing aids also include additional components that don’t alter this process, such as extra microphones, Bluetooth, volume switches, program buttons, ear hooks, and a battery hatch.
Although all hearing aids work the same way, that doesn’t mean that they come with the same features. For example, canal hearing aids have less programs you can cycle through and they usually don’t have Bluetooth capabilities, since, as Dr. Arroyo explains, “The chassis is way smaller and so the circuitry has to be placed closer together, and that’s why they’re usually less potent and have less features. Some of them have Bluetooth, but most don’t.”
BTE’s, on the other hand, have a bigger chassis and can include Bluetooth, extra microphones, and even lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. These two hearing aid styles have their own strengths and weaknesses, so we’ve broken down their components and their pros and cons into the following diagram.
How to Get Hearing aids:
Getting a hearing aid can be as easy as buying a direct-to-consumer device, but you should follow these steps to ensure that what you’re getting will actually help you and not just give you a temporary fix. Money-wise, hearing aids can be a great investment, but if you know what you’re doing, you can save up from the moment you make your purchase.
Consult a reputable Hearing Care Professional:
Your first step is to consult a licensed professional, like an audiologist or an otolaryngologist. They have the means and the expertise to diagnose the severity of your hearing loss, as well as inform you of the best solutions available for your particular situation. However, when you consult a hearing care professional, you need to make sure that they conduct what is known as Real Ear Measurements, as this guarantees that your hearing aid will be fine-tuned to the best of its capabilities.
“Real ear measurements are how we verify that hearing aids are programmed correctly to a patient’s hearing loss prescription,” said Dr. Olson, “Without performing real ear measurements, hearing aid programming is basically a guessing game. Your ear canals are different from everybody else’s ear canals on the planet; it’s just like a fingerprint. So, it becomes this verification method to ensure that your hearing aid achieves the proper amount of audibility that you need.”
There may be cases where real ear measurements won’t hit your exact prescription, but the process assures that the hearing care provider maximizes the benefits you receive from your hearing aids.
Plan Ahead
Since hearing aids can cost from $1,000 to $6,000 for a single device, you need to plan how to tackle their price from the moment of purchase to the time they need replacing. When well-maintained, a hearing aid can last up to seven years, so this is a good timeline for you to plan financially for your hearing aids. First, know the length of the manufacturer’s warranty and extend it according to your budget. Normally, manufacturer warranties last for one year and they don’t include loss and damage protection, but you can extend warranty lengths and add extra protection at a price. Having your hearing aids under warranty is crucial, since paying for repairs or even buying a new hearing aid can really dent your wallet.
Second, check to see if your hearing care provider lets you upgrade your hearing aid to a new model, or if they have discounts for trading in your old hearing aids. Not only will you be receiving a better hearing aid for cheaper, but you’ll also free yourself from having to keep old models around your home for no reason.
Third, search whether or not your health insurance can partially or fully pay your hearing aids. Insurance companies usually don’t cover hearing aids, but instead cover part of the costs or other expenses, like clinic visits, batteries, and RIC receivers. Since every health plan is different, you should contact them personally or by phone to confirm whether or not they’ll be able to assist you.
Another possibility is to check whether your hearing care provider offers payment plans for hearing aids, as this will ease the initial payment of the device. Both traditional and direct-to-consumer hearing aids can offer payment plans, so don’t shy away from asking them. “Private health insurance can help a lot, usually they’re able to pay part or even all of your device expenses. But if the patient’s insurance doesn’t cover it, we always do our best to help out the patient with financing,” said Dr. Arroyo.
Check for Financial Assistance:
If you’re unable to pay for your hearing aids, there are various national organizations and federal programs that can help you obtain hearing aids. Each of these organizations has its own requisites and restrictions, so it’s important to read them to see if you qualify. For example, the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s “Hear Now” program only considers people with a low annual or monthly income, who also don’t have funds invested in money market accounts, IRAs or CDs. Here is a list of some programs that offer hearing aids at a price, or even for free, if you meet their requisites:
- Audient Alliance Audient Program
- Easterseals Hard of Hearing and Deaf Services
- Hearing Charities of America's "The Hearing Aid Project."
- Medicaid Benefits per state
- Military Audiology Association "Retiree Assistive Listening Devices (RALD)" program
- Starkey Foundation Hear Now program
Technology-Level Programs
We discussed technology level pricing in the methodology section, but we didn’t mention the programs that are included with each level. This chart breaks down the standard programs included per level, although you should remember that they can always vary per model and brand. Also, be aware that hearing aid companies tend to change program names just to make their products seem unique. For example, a company might list a hearing aid program named “Ultrafocus 360”, when in reality it’s just a program that reduces background noise.
Companies might also claim that their programming is far superior to other devices, but as Dr. Olson stated, “I wouldn’t get caught up in the ‘what does this or that manufacturer have from a noise reduction standpoint,’ they all generally use the same types of noise reduction, maybe there’s a small difference in the methodology of how they employ it, but at the end of the day they come with their marketing terms for it, but there’s not a whole lot of difference there.”
| TECHNOLOGY LEVEL PROGRAMS | |||
| Level | Channels | Bands | Programs |
| Basic | 2-5 | 1-4 | Feedback suppression, noise reduction (1 level), speech compression. |
| Standard | 3-9 | 3-6 | Feedback suppression, noise reduction (1-3 levels), speech compression, wind noise management, tinnitus relief, binaural processing. |
| Advanced | 3-16 | 4-10 | Feedback suppression, noise reduction (1-4 levels), speech compression, wind noise management, tinnitus relief, binaural processing, wireless capabilities, directional microphone adaptability, auto volume, music enhancer, telecoil. |
| Premium | 5-24 | 6-20 | Feedback suppression, noise reduction (1-4 levels), speech compression, wind noise management, tinnitus relief, binaural processing, wireless capabilities, directional microphone adaptability, auto volume, music enhancer, telecoil, sound smoothing, sound classifier, range extender. |
Channels vs. Bands
Did you notice the channel and band amounts in the chart above? These are features that improve sound and frequency quality. Channels are used by a hearing aid’s microchip to divide frequency levels into more processable blocks. This, in turn, helps programs, like noise cancellation and background noise reduction, to recognize and reduce bothersome noises. Channels, on the other hand, are used directly by hearing care providers to adjust sound frequencies to your hearing loss prescription. This means that the more bands a hearing aid has, the more precise its fine-tuning can be. Think of channels and bands as a TV screen resolution: a higher number means that the TV can produce a more detailed image.
However, for hearing aids, it’s best to have more bands than channels, since, as Dr. Olson said: “Research would suggest that having additional channels, like anything above 18 channels doesn’t help, because the amount of benefit becomes smaller and smaller for each channel that is added, and you get diminishing returns… With bands, I subscribe to the belief that the better I can customize the device for my patient’s hearing loss, the better they will ultimately perform.”
If you can afford the highest technology level for your hearing aid, then there shouldn’t be a problem with bands and channels. But if you can’t spend as much or if you want to save by purchasing a lower technology tier, you should consult your hearing care professional to see how many channels and bands you would actually need to optimize your prescription.
Consider learning ASL
If you have severe to profound hearing loss, if your hearing loss keeps increasing year by year, or if you would like to learn something new and unique, an engaging alternative is to learn American sign language (ASL). Not only will you learn a new language altogether, but you’ll also be able to communicate with a community that understands hearing loss and deafness, and that can help you stay active and motivated through years to come.
Just like with any other language, learning ASL takes time and practice, so determination is key. If you’re interested in learning ASL, you can search for ASL courses near your area. There are many places you can learn ASL from, including local and state colleges, community centers for the Deaf, and speech and hearing centers.
Speaking Out: Advice from Hearing Aid Users
Researching hearing aids taught us that users have to keep an eye on a lot of things, from features and specs to battery life and technology levels. It would be wrong for us to give you tips on hearing aids without even considering the perspective of actual hearing aid users, so to give you the best advice, we interviewed four hearing aid users about their experiences with hearing aids.
Two of the interviewees asked us to use aliases to protect their identities, while the other two allowed us to use their real names. The alias users will be named “Mark Cole” and “Marie Rose”, while the others are Eric Vincent, a designer here at ConsumersAdvocate.org, and Lourdes Rodriguez, who you met in our Helpful Information introduction. The age of these users ranges from 34 to 70, and the range of their hearing loss ranges from moderate to profound.
Hearing Aids Won’t Return Your Hearing to Normal
It’s a common misconception that hearing aids restore your hearing back to what it was before, but this isn’t true. “Hearing aids aren’t a cure for hearing loss, they just help you listen and understand better” said Marie Rose, a hearing aid user since she was two years old. “I say this because, as I grew up, I thought that eventually there would be a hearing aid that would fix all the nuances of my hearing loss, but even with the technological advancements of today, it’s sometimes difficult for me to understand someone during a conversation, especially if they talk on a soft tone.”
Even if hearing aids aren’t a cure to your hearing loss, they still have the potential to improve your hearing considerably, so you shouldn’t see them as useless gadgets.
I think of them as eyeglasses,” said Mark Cole, “You need your glasses to see better, and you need your hearing aids to hear better. That’s just how it is,” he added.Careful with Audiologists that push you towards a specific brand
“Sometimes audiologists will recommend one particular brand over the other, just because they’ve been hired by that company” explained Eric Vincent. “That company creates an audiology or hearing aid center, and the focus of that center is to push people toward that particular brand.” This may not seem like a big deal at first: top brand devices are made with high-quality materials and have great features in most cases. But, since every user experiences hearing aids differently, it’s very important that you’re not limited to any brand or model. “You should always try two or three hearing aids models and never conform to just one, especially if you’re starting out with hearing aids,” said Cole.
Before you go to a hearing care professional, do some research on the clinic and call them to see if they offer more than just one or two brands.
You gotta be mindful about where you go, the best idea is to go to a hearing care professional that is neutral that has a lot of brands available, and that they recommend the best one based on your hearing loss and budget,” said Vincent.Don’t Be Afraid of Using Hearing Aids or Visiting a Hearing Care Professional
If you have hearing loss, seeking help from an audiologist and getting the hearing aids they prescribe sounds like the best course of action. However, as attested by our interviewees, there are many people out there who fear visiting a hearing care professional and/or wearing hearing aids.
“Sometimes people don’t wear hearing aids not because they don’t want to, but because they feel ashamed of using them,” said Cole. “The person could be thinking ‘damn if I get seen wearing these, people are going to make fun of me.’ I lived through that during school, and even college.” You might think that this isn’t common with hearing aid candidates, but according to the National Institute for Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), out of the 28.8 million Americans of age 29-60 who could benefit from hearing aids, only 16 percent actually use them.
So, what’s the solution? Our four interviewees mentioned the same advice: don’t let the hearing aid stigma get to you and focus on the benefits you’ll gain instead. “You really need to give them a chance,” said Lourdes Rodriguez. “As you lose your hearing, you become more isolated without even noticing it, if you can’t understand what people are saying on a daily basis, you tend to move away from these situations, so you don’t have to deal with them. If there’s a device that can improve your quality of life, you should definitely take that chance.”
Changing your prescription and Switching Hearing Devices Can Be Tough
If your hearing aids need to be fine-tuned to a new prescription, or if you want to switch to a new device altogether, you might have some difficulties adjusting at first. “Adapting to a new hearing aid was always a tedious process for me. I needed to adjust to the new settings, and I needed to recognize and re-learn how things sounded with the new programming,” said Rose. The reason is that the brain, who was already used to the sound quality of your old hearing aids, has to adapt itself again to the sounds it’s hearing.
This adjustment process can take weeks or months, depending on the prescription difference, the brand you’re switching to, and how accustomed you were to your previous hearing aids. “I used a Starkey model, and it had a quality to it that I was used to,” said Vincent. “But when I switched to Oticon two years later, for the first couple of days, I started to think that it wasn’t working like it should because it was blocking a lot of background noise, but the noise and the voices that were coming in were just so crisp, but my brain couldn’t get adjusted to the fact that all the background noise was being blocked out. So, it took me like a few days, to realize ‘oh ok, these are actually helping me’, and it took me a few weeks to fully be comfortable.”
If you’re having trouble adjusting to a new prescription or device, it’s important to remind yourself to be patient and to give your brain the time it needs to adjust. Your prescription or hearing aid wasn’t switched randomly, its purpose was to improve your hearing.
Water and Dehumidifiers
This was also stressed by all our interviewees: Water and hearing aids don’t mix.
A hearing aid’s nemesis is water, it can get inside the device and damage them outright,” said Cole.Unfortunately, there aren’t any hearing aids on the market that are fully waterproof, only water resistant, and even these devices shouldn’t be exposed to water, since they can easily malfunction. “I have the Oticon Agil Pro, which has an IP of 57,” said Vincent. A few years back I went floating down the river with some friends, and while I was on my float, I accidentally slipped down the inner tube. When I tried to get back on it, my head suddenly went underwater and one of my hearing aids quickly shorted out, while the other was still operating decently enough. I was able to save one but the other was too far gone.”
Humidity is also detrimental for hearing aids, so people who live in tropical climates like Florida and Puerto Rico have a harder time, but you can counter this with a hearing aid dehumidifier. “Living in Puerto Rico, I use a dehumidifier every day and it has lengthened my hearing aid’s lifespan,” said Cole. “So far these hearing aids have lasted eight years, and they’re still kicking.”
Hearing aid dehumidifiers come in various types and prices: Some are cheap and disposable, like desiccant dehumidifiers, while others are more expensive and use air or UV light.
There Might be Extra Expenses Involved
Depending on the type and model of hearing aid you use, and whether your device is still under warranty, there can be extra expenses you need to know about. These include the purchase of extra batteries, wax guard filters, replacements for earmolds and damaged receivers (in the case of RIC models), BTE tubing, warranty extensions, extra protection for your hearing aid (like loss and damage coverage), and repair costs if your warranty expired.
“Battery, that’s a big one,” said Vincent, “That’s probably the thing I like the least. Since my device is so powerful and the batteries are so small, they soak up the battery power. I replace them every 4-5 days, and they cost around $16 for a pack of 8. It can be a lot of money you have to spend, for sure.”
Most of these are generally covered by your warranty when you purchase a hearing aid from an audiologist, but since policies vary per clinic, some might cover batteries expenses up to a certain period, while others might not cover them at all.
FAQs about Hearing Aids
Do hearing aids cure hearing loss?
Hearing aids don’t cure hearing loss, but rather improve your hearing by amplifying the sounds around you. Think of the device like a pair of glasses: they don’t cure your eyesight, but they help you see clearly while you wear them.
Are all Hearing aids programmable?
Not all hearing aids are programmable. Hearing aids sold by hearing care professionals (such as audiologists and hearing aid dispensers) are all programmable since they are professionally fine-tuned to meet your particular prescription. On the other hand, direct-to-consumer hearing aids aren’t programmable on average, and they typically come with two to six pre-programmed settings that address different hearing loss levels. This makes direct-to-consumer hearing aids less optimal than a programmable hearing aid, but they are usually less expensive.
Do hearing aids set off metal detectors?
A hearing aid won’t set off metal detectors since most of its parts are made of plastic. For airports, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) specifically states that you aren’t required to remove your hearing aids or cochlear implant when going through the screening process. On the rare occasion that a TSA official asks you to remove your hearing aid to examine it via x-ray, you can request a manual inspection instead.
Are hearing aids waterproof?
As of 2020, there aren’t any hearing aids that are fully waterproof, but many of them are water resistant. You can identify the degree in which the hearing aid repels water and how well it’s protected from debris by looking up its Ingress Protection (IP) rating. The rating consists of two numbers: the first one (scored from 1-6) measures how well-protected a device is from solids like dust or debris; the second number (scored from 1-8) grades the level of water resistance. For example, a hearing aid with an IP score of 54 is protected from dust ingress and from water splashing from any angle, while one with an IP score of 36 is protected from solid objects greater than 2.5 mm (like a screwdriver) and is protected from powerful jets of water. If you’re interested in a hearing aid model and its product description doesn’t show an IP rating, speak with your hearing care provider or the manufacturer to find out its score.
How long do hearing aid batteries last?
Depending on the type, a hearing aid battery can last from 16 hours to 22 days. Rechargeable batteries (lithium-ion) last 21 hours on average, although it can drop to 16 hours depending on how much music, podcast or videos you stream to your hearing aids during the day. For disposable batteries (zinc-air button), there are four different sizes, the larger the battery, the longer its life span. These are the sizes and battery life from largest to smallest: 675 (blue-colored seal, lasts for 9-20 days), 13 (orange, 6-14 days), 312 (brown, 3-12 days), and 10 (yellow, 3-12 days). These batteries are air-activated, so they start to lose their charge the moment you remove their protective seal.
How long will it take for me to adjust to my hearing aids?
Adjusting to a hearing aid varies from person to person, but it typically takes from one to four months. During this period, your brain acclimates itself to sounds that it hasn’t heard in a while, such as the rustle of leaves, traffic noises, and even your own voice. The best way to adjust to your hearing aids is to wear them for a few hours a day and increase their usage over time.
Does Medicare cover hearing aids?
Medicare does not cover the price of hearing exams or hearing aids. However, Medicare Part B does cover diagnostic hearing and balance exams when requested by your doctor if he needs them to work out a treatment plan.