Hearing Blog

Using Hearing Instruments

Hearing aids are tiny devices with monumental benefits. Hearing aids provide improved hearing abilities for those with hearing loss, yet are so simple to use. Rarely do we stop and think about the way in which these tiny miraculous devices work.

The first hearing aids were created over one hundred years ago. Over time, these hearing instruments reduced in size and became more efficient at generating sound. The initial hearing devices were clunky and had to be carried around in the hand and provided scratchy hearing. With improvements in technology, these devices became smarter and stylish.

In today’s digital age, hearing aids are defined as tiny electronic devices that are used to obtain and enhance sound signals within the ears to help you hear well. Nowadays, thanks to digital technology, majority of the hearing aids are digital in nature. This means that your hearing aids contain a tiny processing chip that resembles that of computers. These chips examine and interpret the sound signals that come from the surroundings. After the interpretation, the processed sound is sent to your ears so that you may experience the sensation of being able to hear the sounds in your environment.

Hearing aids come in a myriad of styles and shapes, but all of them share the same components. These consist of a microphone, amplifier, a receiver, and batteries. The microphone is a device that is used to identify sound signals. The amplifier enhances these sound signals while the receiver transmits the enhanced sounds back into your ear. The hearing aids work with the use of batteries that provide the necessary power in order for your hearing aids to function.

The four different styles of hearing devices include hearing aids that are worn within the ear canal, ones that are worn entirely inside the ear canal, devices that are worn inside the outer ear, and ones that are worn behind the ears.

Hearing instruments provide similar features, such as the use of directional microphones. These help identify the specific sounds that you wish to hear while eliminating those that you do not wish to focus on. The automatic volume system helps enhance sound signals of your choosing while decreasing the volume of background noise.

Majority of hearing aids also possess telecoils, which enables you to connect your device to a hearing loop system using electromagnetic waves. This helps you to connect directly to personal audio devices and stream sounds directly into your hearing aids.

Hearing aids today also come equipped with filters to help eliminate the sound of buzzing that often accompanies the use of hearing instruments. Some hearing aids also enable you to archive certain sound settings as per your preference so that your hearing aids can automatically adjust to your surroundings when you activate these pre-saved settings.

Nowadays there are several applications available on smartphones that can help further enhance the functionality of your hearing aids. You can use Bluetooth to stream phone calls directly into your hearing aids from your smartphone. You can also watch videos or listen to music using your hearing aids. Some of the modern hearing aids even enable you to connect to the internet and stay connected with your loved ones virtually using video calls or voice chats. When it comes to hearing aids, the future is now!