We’re often asked the question: “What makes digital hearing aids so good?” Where in the world do we even begin?!
Every single hearing aid is made up of four parts, or components: microphone, amplifier, receiver and battery. When we say the word “digital” we’re referring to the amplifier. Sound is made louder by the amplifier. With “analog” technologies, the only thing the amplifier could do is make sounds louder.
The amplifier is essentially a tiny computer within a digital hearing aid - a very tiny, very powerful computer. This extremely small computer does way more than just amplify sound - it enables it many more capabilities to take place within a very tiny hearing aid! Some of the features can be a little confusing, so we’ll explain each of them below.
Feedback cancellation: You may be familiar with those old hearing aids that make whistling noises. These noises are called feedback. With analog hearing aids, this could only be controlled by plugging up the ear or removing loudness for soft high frequency speech sounds. Digital hearing aids are able to eradicate the feedback before you hear it, while still making sure soft speech sounds have the ability of being heard.
Directional Microphones: Directional microphones are components on a hearing aid that assist in focusing on voices you want to hear and lower the other sounds around you. In the past, with analog hearing aids, you’d have to actually push a button to turn this feature on. With a digital hearing aid, it can adapt and read your surroundings and automatically turn on these microphones. Occasionally, the digital aid and microphones can even tell which direction noises are traveling from.
Music Programs: Music and speech are very different from each other. Early versions of digital hearing aids and analog hearing aids treated all sounds the same. The new digital hearing aids have the ability to tell the difference between music and speech, treating the music differently. For the true music lover and/or audio geek, digital hearing aids now offer custom memory or programs designed for the unique sounds of music.
Noise Management: Designed to help individuals be more comfortable in a variety of environments, this broad category is mainly required in busy listening environments, where we’d like to understand and follow certain conversations. Also, other types of noises that are helpful to manage are the soft, yet annoying sounds, like a fridge running or the humming sound of a computer fan.
Analog hearing aids don’t have the ability to do much in either of the previous situations - they typically treat all sounds the same. The soft, normal and louder sounds all were amplified. Actually, most people have that very perception of hearing aids - that they make everything louder, even the loud noises.
Everything changed with the introduction of digital hearing aids. Advances in digital technology have made control and customization better than ever before! Since the tiny, but powerful computer has been added, hearing aids are now like “smart” hearing aids. Now your hearing aids can do different things for different sounds. The softer, more environmental sounds may only get small amounts or even no amplification, while still having the ability to turn the amplification down in loud and noisy environments. During conversations digital hearing aids are able to make it much easier to focus on what’s being discussed.
Connectivity: This definitely is a word that’s used a lot in today’s world. This means the ability of a hearing aid to connect to other devices. Analog aids are very limited in this area. The most common way analog aids could connect is by a cord that plugged into the hearing aid and a headphone jack on the device. Digital hearing aids can connect to many things wirelessly, eliminating the need for cords! Of course, today, the most common use is connecting with cell phones. You can hear your phone calls directly through your hearing aids. The ability to listen to TV, music and other media through your hearing aids is also a fantastic advantage of the new digital hearing aids.
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Livio Edge AI hearing aids are our most versatile technology. They deliver sound quality that can make it easier to hear people who are wearing face masks or distancing six feet away. Thanks to AI technology, these hearing aids deliver life-changing healthable features such as body and brain tracking, fall detection and so much more.
You have to try them for yourself
The bottom line is that digital hearing aids are far from your grandfather’s hearing aids. If someone with old technology is giving you hearing aid advice, stop listening. Everything has changed significantly. Digital hearing aids both sound great and can do a lot more for you without you actually having to do anything at all! Try the latest hearing technology today by contacting a hearing professional in your area - call (888) 919-6824 or click here.