Digital Hearing Aids Have Many Advantages Over Analog

By Author: Jack Nick
Total Articles: 7
Comment this article

Today's digital hearing aids are the most popular form of hearing amplification in use, due largely to the many advantages they have over older, analog hearing aids. Although digital models cost a bit more than analog, the improved control, clarity and reliability makes them well worth the investment.

Digital Hearing Aids Offer Better Hearing Than Analog

One of the most obvious advantages of digital hearing aids is the increased quality of your hearing. The computer chips in digital hearing aids are precisely programmed so they more accurately correct your hearing loss.

Digital hearing aids convert sound into discreet units that can be continually adjusted by the hearing aid's computer chip. This leads to improved sound quality. Each individual sound unit is precisely adjusted, and the sound components are put back together for instant listening.

The precision adjustment of digital hearing aids is a major part of their popularity. Your audiologist can precisely tune a digital hearing aid to match and work with your specific type and degree of hearing loss. They are customized and can be ...
... reprogrammed to accommodate changes in an individual's hearing.

Digital Hearing Aids Have More and Better Features

The computer chip in digital hearing aids makes it easier for the wearer to make his or her own adjustments and take advantage of a variety of options not available with most analog hearing aids. Feedback control eliminates the sharp whistle or squawk of a hearing aid when it is used too near a telephone or other device, or when you hug someone. Digital hearing aids have fewer unpleasant sound side effects that are common with analog devices.

Digital hearing aids also make listening more comfortable and more pleasurable. They tend to have a crisper, cleaner sound quality because of such features like multiple listening bands or channels with each band addressing a particular sound pitch. This reduces the background noise or chatter that was once common with analog hearing aids. The improved sound clarity makes users much more comfortable in situations where there are a variety of noises at varying volumes and pitches.

The latest innovation in digital hearing aids is specific voice recognition. The computer chip picks out and enhances the sound of the spoken voice while tempering background noise such as music, the wind or traffic. This digital speech enhancement is one of the most exciting advances in digital hearing aids and can add to the user's understanding of conversations in crowded or noisy situations.

Digital hearing aids also use directional microphones to improve the capture and enhancement of sounds, usually speech, in a particular direction. Most directional microphones pick up the sound directly in front of the user, in order to amplify conversational speech, and reduce the sound from behind so it doesn't interfere.

If you're considering hearing aids to help you better understand what's going on around you, be sure to consider digital hearing aids for the best sound quality, clarity and range of options.

About the Author:

Adjusting to new digital hearing aids is a big deal. There are many factors that have to be considered to adjust to new digital hearing aids. This article is like a handy reference guide for getting adjusted to new hearing aids.