When looking for hearing aids most people accept the simple fact that digital hearing aids are better than analog hearing aids. No doubt digital aids are more sophisticated and state-of-the-art, not to mention that they're easier to install and use, but sometimes analog hearing aids are more appropriate for your needs. Digital hearing aids have more options for the user, and so they are more costly than the analog variety, it just depends on whether or not you need these extra features.
Analog Hearing Aids
Modern hearing aids consist of a microphone which receives sound, an amplifier which makes the sound louder and clearer, and a receiver to convey amplified sound to the ear. Analog hearing aids can be divided into two categories: conventional analog hearing aids, and programmable analog hearing aids.
Conventional hearing aids are the least expensive of all and the simplest in terms of technology. They only offer the basic functions that you would associate with a hearing aid. Programmable hearing aids on the other hand have many more features to offer the user. They are actually very similar to digital hearing aids in the fact that they also contain a microchip to program required options and settings suitable for a patient.
Programmable hearing aids can be customized to be used in quiet or noisy environments. They are very easy to use, at a flick of a switch you can completely customize all of the settings. The only difference between digital hearing aids and programmable analog hearing aids is that in digital aids the sound is converted into digital signals which can then be used to perform additional functions, like speech recognition and noise reduction. These state of the art digital hearing aids are normally self-adjusting, however with the analog variety you will have to operate them manually using either a switch, or a remote control.
Programmable analog hearing aids differ from conventional analog hearing aids because they can be programmed to suit the specific patient's requirements. If you are not comfortable with the present settings you can always have them changed to suit you better. An induction coil can be used in programmable aids to pick up sounds that are sometimes hard to hear, for example while using a telephone you sometimes need to strain your ears to hear what the other person is saying. Programmable hearing aids normally come with a switch for induction coil mode so you can easily switch between modes.
Because of these features and others, programmable aids cost more than the conventional ones. The conventional ones can only really be set up, not programmed. The main reason people will chose analog aids is because they are less expensive.
There are times when an analog hearing aid suits the user perfectly, not just because of the cost. Most people buy a hearing aid is to improve their hearing ability, so it doesn't matter how much a hearing aid costs or how modern it is. Very few people would want a speech recognition system, although that would mean I could get rid of my receptionist, oh no that's unfair it would have to make tea too. You can talk to your audiologist to decide which one will be suitable for the type of hearing loss you have.
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