Hearing aid technology is a rapidly expanding and fast-moving area of technical advancement. The key shift in recent years has been the move away from analogue technology in favour of digital hearing aids. This happened in the lates 90s and is something that has led to dramatic improvements in quality of life for hearing loss sufferers.
While the old analogue technology focused on simply amplifying base and treble (high and low pitched sounds), digital hearing aids do something rather different. They work by breaking up the full spectrum of sounds that enter the ear into a large number of distinct frequency bands, with each one amplified independently. The current leaders on the market work on up to 48 distinct hearing bands, each being actively compared to the original volume of the sound. This ensures that the ability to hear different frequencies naturally is achieved with reference to the fact that hearing loss impacts different parts of the frequency spectrum to varying degrees.
In the past a common complaint from wearers of analogue hearing aids was the constant background whistling sound they’d have to learn to live with. This was a result of unwanted feedback occurring inside the hearing aid, altering the sound sent back into the ear. At times it would become so loud that it would be audible to other people, causing embarrassment and discomfort on a regular basis. The solution has been the creation of open fit digital hearing aids that allow sound waves to flow far more naturally through the ear. They also have the secondary benefit of improved ventilation and cooling air flow which ensures an all-day, comfortable fit with the minimum of adjustment.
Directional microphones have also been developed and enhanced in the last 10 years, allowing hearing loss sufferers to echo locate and pinpoint the origin of sounds with much greater accuracy. Add in the active noise filtering technology that analyses background noise every few milliseconds and you start to see why modern digital hearing aids really are nothing like their ancestors.
The digital revolution has even created options to save multiple hearing aid settings that wearers can switch between instantly. This allows optimal performance in quiet settings, crowd environments and everything else in between. You can also quickly and easily connect your audio devices to the latest generation of hearing aids, allowing you to enjoy crystal quality sound as you enjoy your day.
Last modified: May 20, 2022
