What is the Best Hearing Aid for First Time Users?

If you need a hearing aid, you may be feeling at a bit of a loss. After all, there are so many different hearing devices to choose from. If you do a quick search online, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed. However, there really is no need to worry. This is what hearing instrument specialists are here for.

They will help you to ensure you end up with the right hearing device for you. Nevertheless, it is certainly a good idea to have an understanding of your options. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the different factors you need to consider when looking for the best hearing aid for your first use. 

The first factor that you need to consider is what sort of style of hearing aid you’re going to purchase. Below, we will take a look at some of the most common hearing aid devices available today:

• Behind the ear (BTE): The first style of hearing aid that you may want to consider is the BTE hearing device. This is a hearing aid that will hook over the top of your ear, resting behind your ear. With this, the tube will connect the hearing device to a custom earpiece, which is known as an earmold, and fits into the canal of your ear. This sort of hearing device is suitable for people of all ages and virtually any type of hearing loss. Traditionally, this is the biggest type of hearing device, though there are some newer, smaller designs, which are streamlined and hardly visible. When compared with other styles, this hearing aid could potentially pick up greater wind noise when compared with other device types, yet it is capable of more amplification when compared with other styles as well. 
• In the ear (ITE): An in-the-ear (ITE) hearing device is custom made into two different styles. The first is one that will only fit the lower part of your ear, whereas the other will fill most of your outer ear, and is known as a full shell. Both styles are suitable for people that have mild-to-severe hearing loss. With this style of hearing device, you will often find several different features that you don’t get with smaller hearing aid styles and volume control. These hearing aids are also easier to handle and they have a bigger battery, which means longer battery life. However, some of the downsides of this hearing aid include them being more visible in the ear than smaller devices, they may pick up more wind noise, and they may be susceptible to earwax clogging in the speaker. 
• In the canal (ITC): Finally, an ITC hearing aid will fit partly into the ear canal and it is custom molded. This style of hearing device is suitable for people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. An ITC hearing aid could also be susceptible to earwax getting clogged in the speaker. However, one of the main benefits that are associated with this style of hearing aid is the fact that it is less visible when compared with other styles that are available. 

Aside from thinking about the different styles of hearing aids that are available, you also need to consider what sort of features you want to be included with your hearing device. After all, the hearing aids that are available today tend to come with a number of options features that are designed to enhance your hearing in certain situations.

This includes the likes of directional microphones and noise reduction. Another feature you may want to consider is telecoils. These are designed to make it a lot more straightforward when it comes to talking on a telephone, which is telecoil-compatible, of course. This means that the sounds from your environment will be eliminated and only the sounds from the telephone are going to be picked up. Other features you may be interested in including remote controls, wireless connectivity, rechargeable batteries and direct audio input.

Contact Sound Choice Hearing today for more information

If you would like to find the perfect hearing aid for you, you need a hearing instrument specialist with plenty of experience that can help you to find the perfect hearing device for your requirement. We have a wide range of hearing aids available at Sound Choice Hearing, and we can make sure that you get the right device for your needs. For more information, all you need to do is give us a call today at (505) 565-7960.