Hearing aid technologies have changed over the years. Before digital hearing aids came on the scene, hearing aids were based on analog technology alone.
Analog hearing aids’ sound signals are continuous and uniform in flow, so the sophisticated nuances or layers of sound that digital hearing aids have are missing. Adapting to different sound environments with analog hearing aids means simply turning up the volume, which is very uncomfortable. Also, with analog hearing aids, you don’t have the option to reduce background noises – they would also be amplified.
Digital hearing aids have sound signals that vary and are individual, bringing natural-sounding speech and audio enriched with depth and variation. Therefore, you can really play with the sound and volume of digital hearing aids, adjusting the experience to your personalised specifications and all your different settings.
In a hearing aid there is a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver, and a hearing aid battery (replaceable or rechargeable). With digital hearing aids, the amplifier really takes center stage.
The amplifier in digital hearing aids acts as a computerised brain. When it processes the speech and audio picked up by the microphone and sends it to the receiver and into your ears, it doesn’t simply make sounds louder. That is what analog hearing aids do. Instead, a digital hearing aid amplifier acts smartly to bring all the fine nuances and qualities of natural sound to life, to suit different settings, so you can control and enjoy them in personalised and comfortable ways.
Simply turning up the volume to hear more isn’t effective. This can be overpowering or screechy in certain locations or settings. Thanks to digital technology, with digital hearing aids you can customise your hearing experience to suit your type of hearing loss, which enhances your comfort and feeling of confidence. It’s a similar concept to adjusting the lights in your home; playing with the tone and mood to make the ambience perfect. You can do this with sound, so it sounds just natural and feels completely right.
Also, because digital hearing devices can pair up with other digital devices in various ways – such as smartphones and tablets – you can fully connect with your world, stream calls and entertainment, and discreetly control the sound without touching your ears. No one will know what or who you’re really listening to! And you will be able to forget about your hearing loss.
Style-wise, digital hearing aids are smart and usually small; the perfect package. They are discreet and blend in when you wear them, so you can also call them (almost) invisible hearing aids.
