Whatever the type or size of hearing aid they all work on basically the same principal, they have a built in microphone that amplifies sound from the environment which is then routed through the hearing aid to the ear canal.

The hearing aid can usually be adjusted for varying degrees of hearing loss, this is called the gain and is measure on hertz, severe hearing loss will require a higher gain level and smaller amounts will be needed for those suffering from a mild amount of hearing loss.

What Types Of Hearing Aid Are there?

Hearing aids have progressed along with the new technology available to us today and they can be categorised into three main types.

The Linear or conventional Hearing Aid

The conventional hearing aid is still a very popular choice among the hard of hearing, they amplify outside sounds only based on the amount of loss in question but they are also able to amplify moderate, soft and loud tones too by the same degree.

They are usually the cheapest in the range of hearing aids available on the market and start from $1600 to $2400 a pair which is about £800 to £1200.

Hi Technology or Programmable Hearing Aids

This type of hearing aid can either be digital or analogue and are programmed suing a computer or other digital source this technology gives access to a wider range of parameters and much more detailed precision when it comes to adjustment of the hearing aid.

The analogue hearing aid may be single or double banded which means that the audio signal processed through a single circuit path will have an affect on the entire frequency response. A multi banded one will have two or more paths which allows for frequency adjustments to be made separately.

This type of hearing aid may also be automatic which means there is no volume wheel as the hearing aid is capable of adjusting itself according to the frequency of the sounds.

This type of hearing aid may also include several different programmes for different types of sound which may be accessed through buttons on the actual hearing aid or by remote control. A hearing aid of this type will cost from between $2200 and $6000 per pair or £1170 and £3200.

Digital Hearing Aids

Sound is converted to an electrical current by the microphone through the digital hearing aid then an analogue/digital converter will turn the electrical signal into a series of binary numbers by way of positive or negative electrical voltage.

This type of hearing aid is basically a mini computer which is instructed by programming to manipulate data to the benefit of the wearer.

The digital output once computed is then converted back to analogue electrical impulses by a converter which then in turn is converted by the receiver back to sound. The digital hearing aid will cost between $4800 and $7000 per pair which is roughly £2500 and £3800.

Batteries for Hearing Aids

It takes a lot of power to run a hearing aid so Zinc air batteries are used as they are lightweight but produce a lot of energy, batteries varies from hearing aid to hearing aid depending on the manufacturer but now after customer research a universal system has been adopted. To make it easier to remember the battery sizes they are now all colour coded for a particular size.