Types of hearing aids
Behind the Ear Hearing Aids
The BTE hearing aid fits behind the ear with a thin plastic tube connecting to a custom-made section that fits into the entrance to the ear.

BTE hearing aids have a main shell section, an earmold and a connecting tube, the main shell containing the electronics and the battery. On the latest hearing aids, the tube that runs from the shell to the ear-piece is very thin and almost invisible to the casual observer.

Behind the ear hearing aids can be used for mild to profound hearing loss, and are especially suited to children because of their durability, less likely to get lost and can be used in conjunction with assistive listening devices such as classroom FM systems.

Take a look at the Metrix by GN Resound and the Bravissimo range by Widex - offering a wide range of colours - if you are fashion-conscious or favour a particular colour-scheme - with no compromise on sound quality and hearing aid technology.

-In the Canal (ITC) Hearing Aids
Like the CIC, these also fit inside the ear canal, but are slightly larger and are therefore partly visible outside the canal. The Inteo by Widex, plus recently launched Epoq and Azure by Oticon and GN Resound respectively offer ITC hearing aids within their range for those with slight to moderate levels of hearing impairment.

-In the Ear Hearing Aids
This hearing aid type holds a larger amplification and more features. Easy to adjust, they suit a wide range of hearing loss.

The Aikia (Widex), Eleva (Phonak), and the new "Mind" also by Widex should be considered if you prefer this fitting. The latter is brand new on the market and offers many brand new features to match.

-Receiver in the Canal (RIC) Hearing Aids
The Audeo by Phonak, Widex Passion and the Epoq XW by Oticon are popular hearing aids within this category. Each come with additional features and options to ensure they deliver high performance alongside patient preferences for an aesthetically acceptable device when worn.

A thin plastic coated wire connects the fitted tip to the main hearing aid case located behind-the-ear. The "receiver-in-the-ear" is a speaker outlet within the ear canal. In contrast to those hearing aids that use an open tube fitting, these RIC devices lead to improved sound response. For that reason they suit patients with more advanced hearing impairment.


Likelihood of feedback in the form of whistling is also reduced. Seasoned hearing aid wearers - particularly those from the days of analog technology - find this feature very welcome. First time users are also impressed by the speed with which this category of hearing aid can be fitted.

As with most behind-the-ear and open-fit makes and models, RIC devices also pander to contemporary fashion in terms of colour range, the need to be invisible when worn and comfort.

-Open Fit Hearing Aids (OTE)
Leading makes and models offering this fitting option are the Widex Passion, the Delta by Oticon, and GN Resound Azure.

Open fit hearing aid technology is also referred to as an open ear (hearing aid) system. Basically, they are designed to allow external sounds to be received through the hearing aid end fitting so that the wearer does not feel that his ear in completely plugged.

Those of you who may suffer only a mild to moderate hearing loss should find "open fit" to be the ideal solution - remaining discreet, whilst delivering a natural sound quality.

Open fit is an extension of behind-the-ear hearing device which fits neatly over the ear and then connected by a thin transparent tube. At the end of the tube sits a flexible silicone tip - specially made for each individual ear canal.

Natural sound is then allowed into the ear via vents within these tips. This reduces the echo effect and the sound of your own voice appearing strange. Easy to use and maintain, open fit hearing aids tend to be very comfortable to the wearer.

With many models, the outer casing of the instrument itself may be available in a variety of colours to suit your skin tone, preferred colour to match your favourite dress preference, or as a fashion statement in itself - although most open fit hearing aids in this category tend to be hard to discern by friends and family.

Although design and cosmetic features are very much the order of the day, the open fit hearing aid is still capable of delivering the highest level of performance. The natural quality demanded by those with mild to moderate hearing loss is also recognised by hearing aid manufacturers - particularly for those patients who require this latest technology to enhance quality of life without causing discomfort and the need to re-adjust.

-Receiver in the Canal (RIC) Hearing Aids
The Audeo by Phonak, Widex Passion and the Epoq XW by Oticon are popular hearing aids within this category. Each come with additional features and options to ensure they deliver high performance alongside patient preferences for an aesthetically acceptable device when worn.

A thin plastic coated wire connects the fitted tip to the main hearing aid case located behind-the-ear. The "receiver-in-the-ear" is a speaker outlet within the ear canal. In contrast to those hearing aids that use an open tube fitting, these RIC devices lead to improved sound response. For that reason they suit patients with more advanced hearing impairment.

Likelihood of feedback in the form of whistling is also reduced. Seasoned hearing aid wearers - particularly those from the days of analog technology - find this feature very welcome. First time users are also impressed by the speed with which this category of hearing aid can be fitted.

As with most behind-the-ear and open-fit makes and models, RIC devices also pander to contemporary fashion in terms of colour range, the need to be invisible when worn and comfort.

-Completely in the Canal (CIC) Hearing Aids
The custom mould ensures this hearing aid fits right inside the ear and close proximity to the eardrum gives sound a natural boost in volume.

These revolutionary devices fit deep inside the wearer's ear canal and are said to mimic the natural auditory process more closely than any other type of hearing aid. They are best suited to people with a mild to moderate hearing loss.

The primary appeal of CIC hearing aids are their acoustic advantages and are able to closely simulate environmental, speech sounds, nuances, patterns, etc. Since CIC hearing aids are worn more closely to the eardrum than other types of hearing aid, their microphones are better able to amplify and boost any residual hearing the wearer may have.

Widex produced the Flash - Oticon offers the GoPro - and GN Resound launched the Ziga with world-class technology a "given" for these quality brand CIC hearing aids within their range.

-Open Fit Hearing Aids (OTE)
Leading makes and models offering this fitting option are the Widex Passion, the Delta by Oticon, and GN Resound Azure.

Open fit hearing aid technology is also referred to as an open ear (hearing aid) system. Basically, they are designed to allow external sounds to be received through the hearing aid end fitting so that the wearer does not feel that his ear in completely plugged.

Those of you who may suffer only a mild to moderate hearing loss should find "open fit" to be the ideal solution - remaining discreet, whilst delivering a natural sound quality.

Open fit is an extension of behind-the-ear hearing device which fits neatly over the ear and then connected by a thin transparent tube. At the end of the tube sits a flexible silicone tip - specially made for each individual ear canal.

Natural sound is then allowed into the ear via vents within these tips. This reduces the echo effect and the sound of your own voice appearing strange. Easy to use and maintain, open fit hearing aids tend to be very comfortable to the wearer.

With many models, the outer casing of the instrument itself may be available in a variety of colours to suit your skin tone, preferred colour to match your favourite dress preference, or as a fashion statement in itself - although most open fit hearing aids in this category tend to be hard to discern by friends and family.

Although design and cosmetic features are very much the order of the day, the open fit hearing aid is still capable of delivering the highest level of performance. The natural quality demanded by those with mild to moderate hearing loss is also recognised by hearing aid manufacturers - particularly for those patients who require this latest technology to enhance quality of life without causing discomfort and the need to re-adjust.

-Full-Shell and Half-Shell Hearing Aids
Full-shell fills the concha of the patient. Being the largest of the in-the-ear hearing aids it is more suitable for severe hearing loss - principally because it can reduce the likelihood of feedback from the hearing device. This is because it fills not only the canal, but also the concha of the external ear.

Conversely, the half-shell fills only the concha cavum and the canal. It is about half the size of a full-shell hearing aid. Because it is smaller, some find it preferable on cosmetic grounds and it is suitable for moderate hearing difficulties but can also cope with more serious hearing impairment.
Terms

Making A Purchase Hearing aids cannot be purchased online. They can only be supplied fitted by a qualified hearing aid audiologist appointed by clearhearingaids.co.uk.

Freephone: ******** to make an appointment with a hearing aid audiologist (dispenser) - at a time and place to suit you. You will be entitled to a free HEARING TEST with no obligation to make a purchase.

If you do decide to proceed with a purchase, the price will be agreed and confirmed before fitting, together with confirmation of all the free services within the total purchase package.

Although we can sometimes complete the fitting after the hearing test, we may need to order and supply specially where a mould has to be manufactured for you. This takes a week or two. In either case a 30-day money-back guarantee applies.

Supply and Fitting Hearing aids take just a week or two to be delivered, where not available immediately from stock, or where a special fitting is required.

The full hearing aid package
Free batteries - for life As well as the best price on your hearing aid package, we also provide FREE BATTERIES FOR LIFE, as long as you continue to wear the hearing aids we fitted, and enjoy our free after-care service plan.

Free aftercare As part of your hearing aid purchase "package" you enjoy a free service agreement for as long as you continue to wear the instruments you have purchased from us. You can book in for an annual check up to ensure peak performance.

In between your service points you still receive full telephone support - Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm - on Freephone: ************.

Peace of mind Take the worry over unexpected repair bills. Enjoy a FOUR-YEAR warranty with all purchases of new hearing aids.

Guarantee After you have been fitted, you then have our 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee to ensure you are totally satisfied.

Patients Charter
Fully Qualified Hearing Aid Audiologists
Our dispensers are all registered with the Hearing Aid Council - with RHAD after their name.

World-class Digital Hearing Aids only specialise in branded makes and models such as Widex, GN Resound, Oticon, Phonak and we do not supply budget own-brand hearing systems.

What we ask in return So that we can recommend the right hearing aid, you do have to make an appointment for a full hearing test - at a time and place to suit you. Freephone************* to arrange this. It's your right - and we cannot supply hearing aids without a full test.

Guarantee We guarantee your satisfaction. All of our hearing aids come with a 30 day no quibble guarantee and a 4-year manufacturer warranty * (unless stated otherwise*).

Contacting Us If you need to reach us, please email us using the link on the Contact Us page. Alternatively Freephone************ or write to us *******************


You can be fitted with a Behind-the-Ear (BTE), Eyeglass Aid, In-the-Ear (ITE), Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) or the new smallest hearing aids which fit deep in the canal, the MicroCanal.

Behind-the-Ear, (BTE) hearing aids are still a good choice for many users. They are easier to use if the user has any difficulty handling small objects. Also, there are new Mega-Power BTEs which are able to give the user up to 80 dbs peak gain and 140 db peak SSPL 90. These are new units which has only been on the market since 1997. Many users who have a profound hearing loss have been told that they can't be helped, but with these new instruments they are able to gain at least some level of hearing. You can also take advantage of dual microphones, which are able to help many people in noise situations. Very few people wear eyeglass hearing aids and the industry is not concentrating much research on this size of hearing aids. The focus in the last few years is to decrease the size of hearing instruments and improve the quality of the sound delivered by the circuit.

One popular model of hearing aid is the In-the-Ear (ITE) or In-the-Canal (ITC). This aid was developed in the 1970's and is custom made to fit your ear canal. The ITE fills the entire outer bowl (concha) of the ear with the instrumentation contained in the case placed into the ear canal. Nearly every patient can benefit from this type of hearing aid. These instruments can also have dual microphones. The ITC is smaller and usually only fills about 1/2 of the concha bowl of the ear. They also fit a little deeper into the ear canal. The problem you can experience with either of these models is the difficulty of using a telephone with the aid in your ear due to the feedback noise you get when you hold anything too close to the microphone. You can also get a lot of wind noise with these aids. Since they are larger than the next model we will talk about, they are able to hold larger, power circuits. The size of the hearing aid still puts some restrictions on the amount of power we are able to place in the instrument.

The Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) hearing aids are also custom made and fit completely in the canal. The MicroCanal aids are even smaller and fit deeper in the ear canal. They have a nylon string attached to extract them from the canal. These two hearing aids are the most popular aids on the market today. You will be able to use the telephone with the instrument in your ear and should not have any feedback noise. Also, since the CIC can be placed further down the ear canal we are able to give the client better understanding without needing as much power. The less power you need the less chance you have for the sounds to become distorted. Most CICs do not have any user controlled volume controls, the circuit within the hearing aid controls volume through compression circuits. Some of them do have toggle switches or you can use a remote control to change volume. None of them have dual microphones since they are too small and fit too far into the ear canal to benefit from dual microphones.

You are the one who should choose which size of hearing aid is best for your life style. The only limitation you will have is whether your hearing loss can be fit by the size you choose. Each manufacturer has defined the dynamic range which can be fit by each size of hearing aid. If you have a severe hearing loss you will probably have to use the BTE model since the circuit you need is larger. If you have problems handling small objects you may not be able to use the CIC models. If you like using volume controls, you will get the larger hearing aids, unless you want to purchase one of the programmable circuits and use a handheld remote control.

If you wear glasses the BTEs can be bothersome. If you have a very active life-style you will probably be more comfortable with a CIC if you hearing loss can be fit by one. They are much easier to use when you are active or on the phone a lot. You don't have to adjust the volume control, since most circuits placed in the CICs control volume by the use of compression. The fit on the CIC is very critical. So if they aren't fitting correctly be sure to return to your fitting professional for adjustments or a complete remake.

Also, you must remember that the size of the instrument has nothing to do with the circuit within the instrument. The only difference is that larger circuits can produce more volume and you might need a larger hearing aid, due to that factor. As the hearing industry is changing and manufacturing new circuits almost monthly, these restrictions will disappear. We are able to get so much more sound with a much smaller circuit.

You need to be aware of what circuit you are getting in your hearing aid. The size is just the package. Size is not the most important part of the hearing aid. It is the circuit which makes the greatest difference in how you will understand human speech in the different environments you live in.

Hearing Aid Circuits

Any hearing aid you purchase today can have a Class A, Class B, Class D, for Class H, or Digital circuit. These circuits should be combined with a number of other circuits, (gain circuits, noise reduction circuits, input compression, and many more). If you have been given a complete hearing test, the hearing specialist will be better able to fit you with the instrument and the circuits you need for your situation. If you want more details about hearing aid circuits check out Details on Circuits.

Today, with the new circuits, we are able to fit the hearing aid to your hearing loss. Most people have what is called a "high frequency" hearing loss. This means that they can hear relatively well in the lower bass sounds. They have trouble hearing beginning at 2000 or 3000 HZ. Therefore, these users don't need magnification at the lower frequencies, they just need the high frequencies increased to obtain level hearing at all ranges of sound.

With the new circuits we are able to adjust the hearing aid to give the user the level of sound they need in the different frequencies. We can also adjust the instrument so that no sound will enter the hearing aid louder than the user is able to tolerate. Some circuits are able to reprocess the sound until it is undistorted. Some circuits have as little as .01% distortion, most older hearing aids have as much as 10% distortion of sound.

If you have been wearing a hearing aid which is older than 1994, you would benefit greatly with these new circuits. There is new equipment which enable you to compare the sound of your current hearing instrument with the sound of the new circuits. You should visit your hearing instrument specialist and ask him to allow you to hear the difference in the new hearing instruments and explain more about the new circuits available.

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The New Circuits
Conventional Hearing Circuits

Conventional hearing aid electronics use basic analog Class A technology to provide quality, linear-type amplification. Class A amplifiers have the characteristic of adding the same amount of amplification to all levels of sound intensity. Therefore, low bass sounds will be amplified with the same amount of volume as high treble sounds.

Some patients may find that conventional electronic hearings aids provide either too little sound or too much sound to comfortably reach a listening level for the particular hearing loss. This is especially so if you have an high frequency hearing loss. Conventional electronics represent the most basic type of amplification and are a good choice when finances are the major concern. They also are adequate if the user is mainly in quiet situtations and only talks to two or less persons at a time. Many who are house bound can be helped with this type of circuit which is very reasonably priced.

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Advanced Technology Circuits

Advanced Technology Hearing Aid circuitries employ a more recent scientific development in amplification electronics known as non-linear or compression amplification. The result is a hearing aid with the ability to limit the level of incoming sound volume. This delivers a more natural loudness throughout the patient's entire listening range, without getting too loud or too quiet as can be the case with conventional hearing aids. Amplifiers used in advanced technology hearing aids are predominantly from the Class D family with the benefit of longer battery life and lower distortion.

Circuit designs used in instruments can include: automatic signal processing, base increases at low levels; automatic signal processing for gain control input or gain control output. Advanced technology hearing aids can also employ multi-channel technology, multiple directional microphone technology and variable release compression.

Patients with a mild to moderate-severe hearing loss, those with a high frequency loss and those with reduced tolerance to loud sounds benefit well from these circuits. The sounds heard are more balanced and natural soundings. There is less distortion of sounds. This circuits are available in all the different sizes of hearing aid shells.

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Miniaturized Technology

Micro miniaturization of circuitries has reached the ultimate in small size within the past years. Tiny hearing aid shells called Deep Canal, MicroCanal or CIC (completely-in-the-canal) have been developed. The majority of these instruments use Class D or K-AMP circuitry. Class D amplifiers offer longer battery life and lower distortion, while K-AMP amplifiers are designed to amplify soft sounds.

These components are placed to take the least amount of space in the shell. This allows the instrument to be inserted deeply into the ear's canal. This makes the hearing aid virtually impossible to see.

Patients who don't want to be seen wearing a hearing aid benefit greatly from the micro-technology. Also patients with an active lifestyle benefit greatly, since there is almost no "wind noise," and the wearer is able to talk on the telephone without any feedback noise. The wearer is also able to exercise and do vigorous work without losing the hearing aid. You are able to wear the aid during sleep, thus the patient can continue to hear important sounds such as speech or alarms. Also less power is needed because of the instrument's close position near the eardrum.

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Digital & Programmable Instruments

Programmable hearing instruments are a great technology advancement. These instruments contain a computer chip which can be programmed by the hearing specialist using a computer. This offers a better way to accommodate a given patient's amplification needs because it allow the greatest flexibility and most fine-tuning capability. This unique technology separates the incoming sound into bands and processes each band independently. This class of hearing instruments utilizes separate circuit paths to independently process different frequency regions of sounds. Most of the programmable hearing aids feature variable volume, adaptable frequency response, adjustable and optional input or output compression.

These hearing aids automatically achieve more volume for the soft, high frequency sounds and less volume for the more intense, low frequency sounds. The major advantage is that the instruments can be adjusted if the patients hearing changes over time, therefore you should not have to buy another new hearing aid as frequently.

The Digital Sound Processing circuits are truly the greatest advancement in the hearing industry. The analog sound is changed into a digital format. This is where all the sound processing is done. The digital circuits also do "sound sampling", which means they listen for steady state noise and are able to dampen some of the background noise and enhance the speech sounds. You can notice this feature when you are around machine noise, or when traveling in a car the road noise should be less of a problem. Most digital processing circuits have multiple channels, so that your hearing specialist will have a much better ability to fit your hearing loss. You can learn more about some of the digital circuits on our digital circuits comparison page.

Today there is a wide range of choice for the hearing aid user and also a wide range of price. We can't explain all there is to know about current technology on this page. But we hope this short paper will help you realize how important hearing is and the importance of a proper hearing test and fitting. If you have any questions just send us E-Mail.