Independent, local, and family owned. 

Why should this matter?  

Most facilities where you would obtain hearing aids are either high volume ENT medical centers treating other ear and balance ailments, or a smaller office dedicated to hearing aid fittings, but behind the scenes it is actually owned by a major hearing aid manufacturer.  And if not owned by a manufacturer, often times there is some contractual obligation on the practice to fit a high percentage of one particular brand of hearing aid in return for lower cost of goods, or certain advertising assistance. 

In any of these events, one may wonder if the best product was suited for the situation either because the setting was too fast pace to allow for comparison, or because options were never on the table to begin with.

Hearing aids, hearing protection and other assistive listening devices come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

Also known as Receiver-In-The-Ear (RITE), these are probably the most popular style of hearing aids in the world encompassing nearly 2/3 of all new hearing aid fit in the US.  There are many reasons for their popularity. 

Some of these reasons include:

  • They can fit a wide variety of hearing losses.
  • They tend to be very comfortable to wear.
  • They tend to be very discrete.
  • Often times the hearing aid professional can demonstrate them in office immediately after your hearing evaluation.
  • Most of the newer RIC aids can now come as rechargeable and can pair wirelessly with a smartphone.
  • Most hearing aids of this style are very resilient to sweat and humidity.
  • Most of the repairs can be handled in office.

Since the parts on this style of hearing aid are smaller, often times they require a regular cleaning schedule. In addition, as with any hearing aid which have microphones behind the ear the wearer may find it difficult to hear on a landline telephone.

This style of hearing aid tends to be larger and can often times fit hearing losses of the greatest severity. They are also the most durable of all of the styles of hearing aids thus lowering the total cost of ownership over time. For those clients having difficulty with eyesight and/or hand dexterity, the larger size of the parts assists with handling the devices.

Similar to their big brother, the miniBTE hearing aids are also very durable but they normally do not fit greater severity of hearing losses. They can be very discrete to wear and since they are so durable, the total cost of ownership is also lower. The thinner tubing of miniBTE hearing aids can require more cleaning.

The smallest of all the hearing aids styles. These are custom molded to fit as deeply into the canal as possible. Depending on the size and shape of the client’s canals, the size and depth and placement of these devices is variable. Most IIC hearing aids fit deeper than the opening of the canals so that they are not seen from the outside. They are typically not rechargeable and ordering them as wireless devices to pair to a smart phone is challenging but not impossible.

Like other custom-made hearing aids, an impression of the ear is necessary and production time is normally around a week to 10 days before you can test them. Like a custom crown for a tooth, sometimes adjustments or remakes are necessary for an optimal fit. It is also important to note that the smaller the hearing aid, the smaller the battery. This style of hearing aid usually needs battery replacement every three days. The total cost of ownership tends to be a little higher as the aids sit more deeply in the canal where the humidity level is higher.

Similar to IIC hearing aids, this style is also intended to be very small and uses a very small battery lasting only roughly 3 days. Again, achieving wireless connectivity is challenging but not impossible. The CIC style is typically flush with the opening of the ear canal. One nice advantage to the CIC style is that while it is still relatively small, hearing practitioners can often times fit much more severe hearing losses.

These hearing aids are more visible from the outside, but are great for those that either have difficulty inserting a tiny hearing aid into the canal, or changing tiny batteries. The batteries for this style are a little larger and easier to handle, and the battery life is normally around five to six days. Since these aids have a little more size, there is more space available inside of the shell for wireless antennas for connection to cell phones and televisions. There is also normally space for directional microphones which helps with hearing better in a noisy environment.

This style of hearing aids is the largest of all of the in the ear models. They use the largest batteries which last around seven to nine days. Due to their larger size, they are easier for the wearer to handle as well as changing the batteries and cleaning. Wireless connectivity is almost always a guarantee as well as directional microphones for optimal hearing in noise. The ITE style is a preferred choice over behind the ear aids for clients who were thicker rimmed glasses or use an oxygen tube. In addition, whether the custom-made hearing aid is set deeply into the canal or filling the concha of the ear, all in the ear style of hearing aids are typically preferred for clients who use landline telephones as the microphone of the hearing are also in the ear.

Technology

Hearing aids are medical devices, but they are also tiny computers. And just like your home computer, tablet, or cell phone, the technological advancements move quickly.

Some hearing aids can fit as deeply as 4mm from the eardrum, many now have Bluetooth capability to wirelessly connect to your cell phone and TV, and many are rechargeable. As most major hearing aid manufacturers have partnered with Apple to develop a “Made For iPhone” hearing aid, it is now possible to control the acoustics with a cell phone app, and to even track a lost hearing aid. Every year, hearing aid manufacturers find better ways to reduce unwanted background noise and to improve sound quality. After test driving hearing aids, many of our clients report they regret they waited.

Ensuring the Best Fit

Not all hearing aid brands sound the same, no single manufacturer provides all of the solutions, and everyone’s needs and desires are different.

We can encounter two different people with the exact same hearing test results and often times they will have very different opinions on sound quality — some clients struggle more to hearing in noise, some have extreme high frequency hearing loss, some need power hearing aids that will not squeal, some want their hearing aids to be as discrete as possible, and the list goes on. 

As independent, non factory owned hearing professionals, we endeavor to provide the unique solution for each client’s needs. 

While some providers are contracted to only offer one brand, or are simply too overwhelmed in a clinical setting to even consider options, we have access to EVERY major manufacturer’s technology and let you compare them. 

Examples include but are not limited to:

Which hearing aid is right for you?

Lyric hearing aids are comfortably placed in the ear canal without the need for surgery or anesthesia. Once placed, Lyric can be worn 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for months at a time, during daily activities like sleeping, exercising and even showering.

Lyric is not appropriate for all individuals. Individual replacement needs may vary. Duration of battery life varies by patient and is subject to individual ear conditions.

Not only does Lyric’s deep placement inside the ear canal allow it to completely disappear from sight, it also helps the Lyric hearing aid to use the ear’s own anatomy to deliver exceptional sound quality. Find out how this revolutionary hearing aid can change your life without changing how you live.

Everyone that tries Lyric gets a free 30 day trial. Make an appointment with us today to determine if Lyric is right for you.

Oticon is well known among industry professionals of having an excellent sound quality.

Without knowing anything about brand and reputation, first-time hearing aid wearers and musicians tend to prefer the Oticon sound quality over other brands. They also have excellent products for transmitting audio from a TV, a landline phone, and cell phone signals directly through the hearing aids without causing excessive battery drain.

Learn More About Oticon Hearing Aids

Widex is also regarded among industry professionals, musicians and first-time hearing aid wearers as having a pleasing sound quality.

In addition to a superior sound quality, Widex also touts having excellent background noise suppression. They have a clever smart phone app which boils down a lot of would be complicated acoustic controls in a very simple user-friendly format.

Learn More About Widex Hearing Aids

Starkey products traditionally provide the most power in the smallest hearing instruments and the best feedback cancellation systems on the market.

As the largest US-owned hearing aid manufacturer, Starkey was one of the first manufacturers to partner with Apple to produce a Made for iPhone hearing aid. They are true craftsmen and take on the most challenging cases. Recently, they have hit a home run with a unique custom rechargeable hearing aid with Bluetooth capability.

Learn More About Starkey Hearing Aids

Phonak makes good all-around products, including very dependable rechargeable hearing aids. Their products have good feedback and background noise suppression, as well as a pleasing sound quality for most individuals.

While most hearing aid manufacturers have opted to partner with Apple to produce made for iPhone hearing aids, Phonak realized that most cell phone owner don’t use Apple products. For this reason, they have made their hearing aids to pair to almost any cell phone with Bluetooth capability. This includes most flip phones. They also have a near bullet proof custom deep in-ear hearing aid called Titanium. As the name implies, it is made from 3D printed medical grade titanium. And just to top it off, the Titanium is IP68 rated which means it is capable of withstanding being submerged under a meter of water for an hour.

Learn More About Phonak Hearing Aids

Signia (previously Siemens) offers wireless TV and phone solutions and has very discrete hearing instruments, plus a wider spectrum of sound (great for musicians).

They have convenient lithium ion rechargeable hearing aids which are super easy to insert in the charging station. In addition, Signia has developed a feature called Own Voice Processing (OVP) which is designed to detect and minimize the amplification of the wearers own voice.

Learn More About Signia Hearing Aids

ReSound offers a great balance of exceptional sound quality and user control via the ReSound app.

ReSound was the first manufacturer to produce a Made For iPhone hearing aid, and has led the way in connectivity to many Android phones with operating system 10 or newer. Their rechargeable hearing solutions are very dependable. They also produce an extraordinary completely-in-canal custom hearing aid that can connect directly to both iOS and Android 10 devices.

Learn More About ReSound Hearing Aids

When we are trying to meet a budget but still do not want to sacrifice sound quality, dependability, and user convenience, Unitron is high on our list.

Unitron products offer excellent value. They are a good stable all around product. Very few repairs and they perform well for those with more severe hearing losses. They make a robust rechargeable product, their wireless hearing aids can connect to almost any kind of cell phone with Bluetooth capability, and they have a very easy to use and effective accessory for direct TV steaming.

Learn More About Unitron Hearing Aids

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