The market is flooded with numerous hearing aids. Brands like GN Resound Air Plus and Rexton Calibra 1 PRO are among the best brands available today. However, depending on your requirement and budget, selecting the best from so many brands is somewhat difficult. This HealthHearty article shall give you an insight into the best brands prevailing in the market.
The most obvious reasons for people suffering from hearing problems are blockage of the ear canal, exposure of the ear to ototoxic drugs, ear infections, etc. Such people, who are hard of hearing, wear a hearing aid for proper perception of sounds. The device is attached from behind the ear, and it extends slightly inside the ear canal to ensure adequate grip and hearing. The speakers are placed inside the ear canal.
Scientifically, it is described as an electroacoustic body, consisting of different components of circuits for the amplification of sound. Different types of brands of these devices are available, and it should be noted that the brand also plays a major role in the efficiency of the device.
Users normally suffer from an annoying problem known as occlusion effect. Regular brands give a sensation to the ear, of being plugged and the voice resounds, as if the person is talking inside a barrel. The devices of inferior quality, produce this effect and the ear canals get frequent blockage, due to the occlusion effect. The other problem of conventional devices is their bigger size. However, today, various new hearing devices are designed with latest computer microchips and digital circuitry.
List of Brands
From the core shapes of ‘ear trumpet’, sophisticated designs of hearing devices have evolved. Before purchasing a device, you should do a comparison, in order to know the types and quality of the brands. For your knowledge, let us first understand the classification of these devices based on technology. They are analog, digital, and programmable hearing aids. The most advanced form is the programmable aid, as it can be re-programmed by an audiologist, in case, there is any change in your level of hearing capacity or hearing loss.
According to styles, hearing aids are of four types. They are:
- Completely In The Canal (CIC)
- In The Canal (ITC)
- In The Ear (ITE)
- Behind The Ear (BTE)
CIC is the smallest type of device that is almost invisible. As compared to CIC, the battery size of ITC is a bit bigger. ITE is normally preferred by old people, as they are comparatively larger in size with bigger sound amplifiers. BTE is the best hearing device for children, as it has a robust design and full bodied casing. Whatever your selection criterion is, you must opt for the best brand to get the best results.
If you take a look at the reviews of these devices, you will see that people have rated some brands very well, because of their quality. The following brands of hearing devices hold the best position in the market as of today:
- GN Resound Air Plus
- Oticon Dual Connect V
- Phonak Exelia Art
- Rexton Calibra 1 PRO
A few other good brands are Starkey S 11 BTE-ITC, Sonic I Touch 12, Unitron Element 16, and Widex Aikia. The list below shall give you the comprehensive details of the brand names.
- MicroTech Axio
- Oticon Agil Pro
- MicroTech Hear Lens
- Phonak Exelia Art
- Phonak Naida IX
- Phonak Audeo IX
- ReSound Live 9
- ReSound Dot 30 Squared
- ReSound Dot 30
- Resound Azure
- Siemens Motion 500/501
- Sonic Innovations Velocity 12
- Siemens Pure 500/501
- Starkey Zon .7
- Starkey Destiny 1600
- Unitron Next 16
- Widex Mind 330
- Widex Inteo
- Unitron Passport
- Widex Passion 115
- Unitron Latitude 16
- MicroTech Axio 16 ST
- MicroTech Vector 16
- MicroTech Curve m5
- Microtech Radius 1200
- Oticon Dual W
- Oticon Epoq W
- Phonak Certena
- Rexton Bridge 12
- Rexton Gem 12
- Oticon Dual m7
- Microtech Radius 800
- MicroTech Vector iM12
- Phonak Naida III
- Siemens Nitro
- Sonic Innovations Velocity 6
- Unitron Latitude 4
- Rexton Gem 12
The starting price of a good quality hearing aid is about US $1600. Depending upon the brand name and quality, the cost can soar up to US $3500. It is always better to take necessary advice from a reputed audiologist before making a choice between the premium quality of hearing aids brands.
