Who makes the best hearing aids?
Hearing Aids are a confusing, expensive, and very much undesirable addition to someone’s life. There are many different types of hearing aids on the market, with companies continuously inventing newer, improved hearing aids everyday. It’s difficult to consider all the various aids at the same time and who are the best suppliers. Consult your physician for additional information:
Conventional Hearing Aids are the aids that almost everyone has. They include digital and analog, behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC), etc. – pretty much all the hearing aids most people have ever heard of.
The following companies produce conventional hearing aids:
Micro-Tech, Oticon, Rion and Sonic Innovations.
Implantable Hearing Aids are different from conventional aids in that either a portion of the aid or the entire aid are implanted within the body. They are a fairly recent addition to the hearing aid world; they provide superior hearing support for people with certain hearing loss characteristics but there are both advantages and disadvantages to them.
Suppliers of implantable aids include:
Envoy, INSONUS, Soundbridge, SOUNDTEC and TICA.
Inexpensive Aids – There are currently several attempts to provide hearing aids at a greatly reduced cost. These aids can’t generally replace conventional hearing aids, but they may be appropriate for some people with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Inexpensive and Disposable Aids – In the past several years we’ve seen the arrival of several inexpensive hearing aids that may offer an alternative to the more traditional hearing product. These tend to have restricted features and are not suitable for everyone. But they may be just the thing for those with mild to moderate hearing loss who can use them.
Songbird Hearing Inc. is an American company based out of New Jersey that is the maker of the world’s first disposable hearing aids. The battery is built into the hearing aid and after the allotted hour or time usage the user simply replaces the entire aid. The beauty of these is that you do not have to purchase batteries because as soon as the battery dies, new hearing aids are used. They are also very easy to maintain because there is no need for repairs. However they are one-size-fits-all so some people may not be able to wear them because of their ear size. They are also only suitable for those with mild hearing loss.
