Hearing aids vs hearing amplifiers? Well, in this video I’ll talk about the key
differences between these devices so that you can get the help you need. Coming up!
Hi, I'm Dr. Derek - audiologist, audio engineer, and musician with Pro Fit
Hearing.com bringing you the best insight in today's latest hearing aids, headphones,
and audio technology to improve your life. If you have concerns about your hearing,
always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
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and check out my free eBook “How to Buy Hearing Aids” in the pinned comment and description below.
Today, I’m talking about hearing aids vs hearing amplifiers.
Let’s start with hearing amplifiers. Hearing amplifiers are not intended to treat hearing
loss. A hearing amplifier is also known as a personal sound amplification product or PSAP.
They can be used to amplify environmental sounds or to hear people from a far distance. You may
use a hearing amplifier to increase the volume for sounds for hunting, bird watching, or while
listening to a presenter speak. They are intended to be used by people with normal hearing.
A hearing amplifier might be very basic with a volume control up and down.
Some hearing amplifiers might be more sophisticated with directional microphones,
Bluetooth capability, and sound presets to select from. A hearing amplifier is not customized to an
individual’s hearing levels and does not require consultation with a medical professional.
A hearing amplifier may be more of a quick fix to hear better in certain situations, however if you
have concerns about your hearing always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
Now, let’s discuss how hearing aids differ from hearing amplifiers. A hearing aid is
selected and fit by an audiologist or hearing aid dispenser and it's custom tuned to the user’s
hearing level. Hearing aids are specifically designed to treat people with hearing loss.
This custom tuning amplifies only the sounds the user has difficulty hearing.
For example, many people say that they can hear someone speaking to them but they have difficulty
understanding the words. This could be a sign of high frequency hearing loss.
A properly tuned hearing aid would boost up just those high frequency sounds to an
appropriate volume level for the user so that the words are more clear and easy to understand.
Hearing aids also provide more volume for soft sounds and less volume for loud
sounds. This feature is called compression (non-linear), and it increases the range of sounds that are audible
to the hearing aid user while also keeping the loudness levels comfortable and at a safe level.
In contrast, a hearing amplifier is much more likely to turn up soft and loud sounds equally
which can cause the sounds to get too loud possibly reaching unsafe listening levels.
Hearing aids also have directional microphones to help cancel out the background noise,
custom fit options like earmolds, iPhone/Android connectivity,
and wireless connection to other devices like a television or external microphone.
The features in hearing aids are far superior to those found in hearing amplifiers.
In summary if you have hearing loss, hearing aids will give you the best sound quality
and loud sounds will be regulated to not exceed a safe listening level.
If you don’t have hearing loss and you just want to hear better than normal in certain situations,
a hearing amplifier can provide extra volume. However, loud sounds are not
necessarily regulated by a hearing amplifier and they may exceed a safe listening level.
Avoid listening at loud levels to help prevent any noise induced hearing loss.
So for today’s question, have you ever tried a hearing amplifier?
If so, which device did you try and how was your experience? Let’s connect in the comments below!
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If you're interested in hearing aids, click on the link in the description below for my
free eBook “How to Buy Hearing Aids.” Know what to ask your audiologist or hearing aid
dispenser so that your hearing aids are easy to use and have all the features you're looking for.
Remember Pro Fit Hearing brings you the best insight in today's latest hearing aids,
headphones, and audio technology to improve your life. If you have
concerns about your hearing, always consult with your local physician or audiologist.
Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video.