Best Hearing Aids

The loss of any one of our senses is a big deal to us and although to a certain extent we need to accept that our senses really do wear faster than we do, we go to great lengths to cover it up. Even a simple thing like gray hair that is a sign of old age is quickly covered up. How much more important is it to us then to cover our failing senses.

While earlier glasses used to be the accepted norm for those with failing eyesight, nowadays people wear contact lenses. In the same way while people used to accept that they grew hard of hearing in their old age, nowadays we go to great lengths to ensure that we do something about it without it showing. This is where the hearing aid comes in.

The hearing aid as such is not a new instrument. In the old days, people used to have ear trumpets that was just like a miniature trumpet that helped in collecting sound waves and magnifying it so that people could hear them better. The only problem was that apart from being unwieldy, it was also not permanent. You had to hold it up to your ear if you wanted to use it.

Later with advancements in both electronics as well as plastics, smaller units that you could put into your ear were developed. These ones worked by having a small cigarette box sized unit that was the amplification unit. This was connected to a earplug through which the sound waves were transmitted into the eardrum.

Although very conspicuous to wear, it had one main advantage and that was that it left your arms free which meant that you could wear it all the time. Of course the sound quality was not that great because the amplification unit transmitted the sound through an acoustic tube from the unit worn on the belt or the pocket.

Over time the base unit became much smaller so that it could be worn behind the ear which came to be called the BTE. These units are the ones that are used today with the preceding ones all but having gone out of the market.

The advantage of the BTE’s is that they are inconspicuous. Usually they cannot be seen if you stand in front of the person wearing it, although it does become visible when you see them in profile. These BTE’s are of various kinds starting from the usual ones that fit behind the ear going up to the ones that are implanted deep into the ear canal. Of course there is a price difference so we have divided all hearing aids into three categories depending on their price.

There is a huge variation in the price of hearing aids with the cheapest ones starting at just around $30 and the more expensive ones topping $2500. The different categories are:

Budget Hearing Aids

The low end hearing aids are those that cost less than $150. Most of the ones sold in this segment are the really cheap ones that you just place over your ear and does not require anything else. The price difference basically depends on just two things, how comfortable they are to wear them, and how noticeable they are.

Most of them are made of skin colored plastic, but then it is really difficult to cater to the exact shade of the skin which means that they do become noticeable, especially when you are side on. Apart from this they work pretty fine, and most of them come with the ear mould (the part that goes into the ear) separate from the amplification unit. This means that if the ear mould does get clogged with wax or stops functioning for some reason, you can just replace the mould alone while continuing to use the amplification unit.

The other advantage of these units are that they last for a long time. If you keep them in good condition, they can last you years, and all it requires is that you change the batteries when they fail. They work pretty well and the only problem that they have is that the sound quality is not as good as the more upmarket ones.

This “problem” is however not only understandable, it is expected considering that the upmarket ones are that much more expensive.

1. Acoustitone Pro hearing aid

This is a very simple BTE unit that has an on off switch as well as a volume control. It is also not that noticeable as it is elongated in shape so that usually it is the colorless auditory tube that gives it away. In fact from the side too as long as you do not turn to expose the back of your ear, it is really not that noticeable.

It also does not have an ear piece which means that there is very little to no maintenance apart from changing the batteries. This unit is however not very good for those with severe hearing loss because the lack of the ear piece prevents the sound from being transmitted directly to the ear, thus reducing its efficiency.

At $179 it is also not that expensive when compared to other hearing aids. Of course you do get much cheaper ones, but then none of them will be as comfortable to wear because all of them come with an ear piece that has not been made to your ear size. Prolonged wearing of these ones will only give you an ear ache. This unit may not be good for those who are really hard of hearing, but then most of us are not in that state anyway. A very good model which is why it is the top seller across all categories.

2. Whisper rechargeable BTE

This unit is one of the lowest end ones that you can find. It is a no frills model and gives you a simple amplification unit that you keep behind your ear with an ear plug that you insert into your ear. It is more conspicuous than the previous model but then at $40 you really can’t complain about anything.

It is simple, it works, and it is cheap, an unbeatable combination; probably why it is second on the list of top sellers. The added advantage of it coming with rechargeable batteries is just icing on the cake.

3. MD Hearing aid

This model is similar to the previous one except that it is a little better designed. This makes it a little less noticeable than the Whisper although because it still has an ear piece it does become noticeable at all angles except the front on.

This model gives you the same basic functionality, but costs $90. They are therefore not as popular as the previous two models although those who feel that this one gives them a little better comfort because the ear piece is made of softer and more pliable plastic do go for it.

Economy Hearing Aids

The mid range ones are the ones that cost between $200 and $500. Most of the models in this range do not give any additional functionality than the previous category. All they do is concentrate on giving you reduced visibility, with regards to being conspicuous that is. Of course the machines are better designed, and very often are very sleek so that once you fit them behind your ear, it remains almost invisible except from directly behind. Plus there is a small upgrade in terms of technology that is nonetheless huge.

While earlier models will have both the amplifier as well as the speaker in the same BTE unit with the ear-piece just something to channel the sound waves into the ear, most of these models come with the speaker in the ear piece. This results in lower distortion, and better clarity of sound. Plus everything is made of better plastic so that it is more comfortable to wear.

1. Lee Major’s Bionic rechargeable hearing aid

This model is the most popular because it does not have any BTE unit at all. Everything is contained into one small ear piece that you insert into the ear canal. Of course you cannot push it very far inside, but then the visible portion is just restricted to the area where the ear canal opens out into the pinna.

Similar models are only available in other more upmarket brands and they cost more than $1000 which makes this a very good proposition indeed, especially since it costs around $260. Of course it does not come with the same comfort that the more expensive ones do because those are made to order specifically for you. Yet as a simple, cheap (relatively that is) and good hearing aid, this one is far ahead of the rest. In fact it is the second top seller across all categories and comes behind the Acoustitone in terms of popularity.

Added to all this comes the comfort of having a rechargeable battery inside the earplug which means that you just plug it in when you go to sleep and within a few hours it is as good as new.

2. Nexear 800 hearing aid

This model is typical of the mid range units. The amplification unit is sleek and the speaker is inside the ear-piece. The advantage of this kind of a system is that the tube connecting the amplification unit to the ear plug is very thin because it has to conceal only one wire. The wire is so thin that in many cases people do not even notice it, even when they are looking at you side on.

The ear plug is made of soft plastic so that it is comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and you can in fact push it into your ear canal and not feel any discomfort. Unfortunately it is also much more expensive and at $482 is very expensive.

The advantage of this unit is that it is very comfortable to wear and gives you the option of replacing batteries and continuing to use them for years as long as you treat it well.

3. Rexton arena 1 S BTE hearing aid

This model does not come with an ear piece at all. In fact even the auditory tube is very short and is just big enough to fit over your ear. If you wear slightly longer sideburns, this unit is almost totally invisible, especially considering that the base unit is very thin and hardly noticeable except from directly behind.

This model works by amplifying the sound and allowing your natural ear to pick it up making hearing much easier. It is a very good design, especially for those who are not that hard of hearing and is much more comfortable to wear than anything else.

At $350 it is rather expensive for what is in effect something that does not do much, but then, there is no other similar model in the market, and if you want something that is really comfortable to wear, this is the only option for you.

Top End Hearing Aids

These haring aids are those that cost more than $500. There is a wide variation in the price here and there are machines that cost starting $500 and those that cost in the thousands. Even the low end machines are fully digital which means that the output is digital giving you excellent sound clarity. Plus they are all made keeping aesthetics in mind so that even though they look very conspicuous when you see them on the counter, when you wear them, they are hardly noticeable, even from behind.

This is because their design makes them sit right at the bottom of the ear where the lobe is biggest, giving better concealment. Of course you get the added benefits of having something that is really comfortable to wear, but that goes without saying here.

There are much more expensive ones that are not reviewed here, simply because they do not appear in the top three in the best sellers. There are units that you can pretty much insert into your ear, and no one would be any the wiser unless they actually did a ear exam. All of them unfortunately do not sell in large numbers simply because they are so expensive. Plus because of their small size, they are pretty much disposable which means that once the battery within runs down, you will have to replace them.

Considering that most machines do not last more than 3 months on one battery this means replacing them every quarter. Of course if you can afford to spend a couple of thousands every 3 months there is nothing like them, but most of us cannot. Read below to find the top sellers in this category.

1. Nexear 900 hearing aid

The Nexear 900 is not that different from the Nexear 800 except for one thing and that is that it has a digital output and includes a vent. A vent is nothing but a tube that relieves pressure build up inside your ear, but it also functions very well to remove any disturbances that crop up.

Barring this there is very little different, and they even look the same. The sound quality is of course very different which is why it costs $695. It is however a very good unit and if you have worn any other one before you will appreciate this one. It is sleek enough to be almost completely hidden, and gives you almost stereo like sound quality. It has an external battery that is very easily changed and you cam pretty much use it for years without any trouble. As long as you do not allow any moisture to touch it, you are pretty much assured of it working on and on.

2. GHI simply slim premier digital mini canal

This hearing aid is actually so small, and the color is so close to real skin that it is hardly visible. Most of it goes into your ear canal, and it leaves just a little bit outside that looks more like a small ear plug than anything else.

This model is popular even though it is very similar to the Lee Major’s simply because of the comfort factor. If you wear something for hours on end, it is not so much the looks as the comfort that matters and this one is much much more comfortable.

The plastic is of very good quality, and unlike most other hearing aids, it comes as a set of two. This makes them akin to purchasing two and at $940 each one is only as much as a mid range unit. It also comes with a replaceable battery option so its life pretty much depends on the usage. You also get a number of extras like preset memory settings that you can toggle between so that you can have a louder setting outside while toggle to a lower sound setting when inside the home or at work.

3. Siemens Life 301 Hearing Aid

The Siemens Life costs around $1000. At this price it is still popular because it is a well rounded instrument. Surprisingly it is not an inside the ear canal model, and is more akin to the mid range ones. It is however very small and fits neatly into the space under your ear, making them virtually invisible except to people standing really close behind. Even then all you have to do is to ware glasses and no one would even notice it.

It is however popular for other reasons, it gives you automatic noise adaption so that it adapts automatically to noisy environments without you having to do anything. It also gives you a directional microphone which means that you can make out which direction the sound is coming from, something that the other aids do not give you. Added to this come the various user settings, soft comfortable plastic, and the ability to connect wirelessly to your music player or ipod and you have a multipurpose hearing aid that is very hard to beat.

Of course at this price, it is just too expensive for most of us, but as long as you keep it properly Siemens will last you a lifetime without any issues.

When it comes to hearing aid, it cannot be called an appliance. It is something that improves the quality of our life and money is therefore secondary to good quality. This can be seen in the bestseller list because more often than not the top sellers would be something that gives you good comfort with being less conspicuous. Of course it will still have to be affordable which is probably the only reason why the Siemens is not higher up in the numbers.