Here at Pacific Hearing, Inc., we are often asked which hearing aids we recommend our patients buy.
But we can’t.
Even though we’re known by many as the “National Center of Excellence for Audiology,” there is no single “best” hearing aid. However, there is a best hearing aid for you.
The best hearing aid is the one that best fits your wants and needs.
Asking someone else which hearing aid you should buy is like asking which house you should buy. You’re going to buy your home based on a number of different factors that fit with your practical needs and what you like rather than just go with what’s popular.
In this article, I hope to help you understand everything that goes into choosing a hearing aid that fits best with your lifestyle, budget, and hearing needs. I’ll also explain what to do once you’ve made your decision.
Choosing The Right Hearing Aid Manufacturer
Going back to choosing a home, which choice makes sense?
Would you rather have a 1930s house on a hill or a modern steel and glass mix condo downtown? It all boils down to your personal preferences and practical needs.
Choosing a hearing aid manufacturer is the same.
You have your own preferences.
At Pacific Hearing, Inc., you’re partnering with the best hearing care experts in Los Angeles. To date, we have helped more than 10,000 patients achieve better hearing, thanks, in part, to our partnering with hearing aid manufacturers we trust — Widex, Signia, Oticon, Phonak, ReSound, and Starkey — as well as some of the smaller manufacturers that are owned by the big six.
Ninety-six percent of all hearing aids worldwide are sold by these six major hearing aid manufacturers for good reason.
They provide high-quality devices with cutting-edge technology and features for all types of hearing loss and lifestyle. They are consistently improving their hearing devices in every way.
Each manufacturer processes sounds slightly differently based on their chosen algorithms, which helps us narrow down the absolute best hearing aid for our clients’ needs.
Whatever your type of hearing loss — mild, moderate, or severe — and hearing environments: quiet, background noise, TV, phone, religious services, work, etc., we can help you to decide on the best hearing aid for you.
Our goal is to fit you with the company that will best match your wants and needs in a hearing aid.
Main Factors To Consider When Choosing A Specific Hearing Device
The primary need to consider when choosing a hearing aid is how it will heighten your hearing of sounds. You won’t be able to assess this aspect until you have the results of a thorough hearing evaluation done by a hearing expert.
Other considerations are as follows:
- Visibility – Are you comfortable with your hearing aid being seen or would you rather have it hidden?
- Sleep – Would you prefer to sleep without your hearing aid in?
- Sports and outdoors – Would you like to wear your hearing aids while playing sports? Do they need to be waterproof?
- Sounds processed – What sound environments are you usually in? How will it process speech, media sounds, and sounds at work?
- Type of hearing loss – Is your hearing loss mild, moderate, or severe? Each manufacturer performs better for certain types.
- Technology – There are numerous accessories or built-in features that help to stream music, TV, phone calls, computer audio, live theater, movie theaters, etc. wirelessly to the hearing aids.
- Batteries – Are you okay with replacing batteries regularly or would you rather have a rechargeable hearing aid?
- Dexterity – Is it easy for you to manually work the controls on a hearing aid or would you rather change the settings on a phone app?
- Budget – We have purchase options for any budget.
Our hearing expert team has a “Hear as Good as You’ll Ever Hear” guarantee. You can be sure we will do all we can to achieve what we promise, and that includes helping you to choose the best hearing aids for you.
Choosing The Best Hearing Aids For You
As you can see, we simply can’t say that any one hearing aid manufacturer is the best, but there are many you can choose from based on your needs.
The most important factor is choosing an audiologist with a master’s or doctorate in audiology who has the expertise, experience and training to make sure you are evaluated and fit properly.
Our Pacific Hearing team of hearing experts is ready to help you narrow down your choice of hearing aid. Because we partner with all “big six” manufacturers, you’ll feel no pressure from us to pick any one manufacturer, and you can take as long as you need to decide.
If you are in Los Angeles and suspect you or a loved one has a hearing loss, we would love to help. We can do a hearing test to evaluate your exact hearing needs and answer any of your questions about hearing aid options.
To schedule your appointment, contact us through the website or call us. We’re looking forward to helping you.
