Conventional Hearing Aids
Conventional
hearing aids are the most basic type of hearing instruments.
A conventional (or traditional) hearing aid is different from
a programmable analog aid because the sound of the instrument
is not easily adjusted by a computer program. A conventional
aid is different from a digital aid because it has an analog
circuit that cannot react as quickly and precisely as the computer
chip in a digital instrument.
While not computer programmable,
conventional hearing aids are equipped with some features that
allow a hearing professional or audiologist to make limited adjustments
based on your needs.
Conventional hearing aids
- introduction
When ordering a conventional hearing aid, the
professional selects a hearing aid response that best matches
the patient's hearing loss at that time. Adjustments can be made
to this response by increasing or decreasing the volume manually.
If sounds are soft, the patient "turns
up" the
volume control. If sounds are loud, the patient "turns down" the
volume control.
If a person needs minor changes to the sound
of the hearing aid, limited adjustments can be made by the hearing
health care profession. If major changes are needed; or if the
patient's hearing loss changes, the hearing aid must be sent
back to the manufacturer so that the response can be altered.
This usually involves a charge from the manufacturer.
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How conventional
hearing aids work
Conventional hearing aids have a microphone
that gathers sound, an amplifier that increases the volume of
sound and a receiver that transmits this amplified sound to your
ear. These instruments have a manual volume control for the user.
They usually have screw-set controls mounted onto the hearing
aids for the hearing health care professional to adjust. These
controls handle the amplification (i.e., general loudness) and
frequency/tonality response (i.e., amount of bass, mid-range
or treble emphasis), and are adjusted with a jeweler's screwdriver
by your audiologist or dispenser.
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Selecting a conventional hearing aid
There
are several factors to think about when selecting a conventional
hearing aid, but only your audiologist can help you select a conventional
hearing aid best suited for you. Your audiologist considers:
- low tone cut (for
speech clarity)
- acoustic
venting (for speech clarity and less barrel or "occlusion" effect)
- high
tone cut (to control the hearing aid from producing feedback,
or "whistling"
- compression
(to make amplification more comfortable)
- push-pull amplifier
(to boost amplification for persons with severe loss)
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Costs of
conventional hearing aids
Conventional hearing aids are a good
choice when finances are the most important concern. They range
from $395 to $900, depending on the manufacturer, warranty and
options.
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For more information
about hearing loss and hearing aid help, please contact us at
1-800-866-6240 or
email us.
