What are digital hearing aids?

Digital means that a computer chip performs arithmetic calculations to change the sound before it's amplified. Unfortunately, the word 'digital' is often meaningless: many 'digital' hearing aids can have poor sound quality. Many 'digitals' are not even computer adjustable! Good digital hearing aids utilize high-fidelity components and offer features that can reduce background noise, automatically adjust volume for different sounds, and, ultimately, help the patient get a high level of hearing performance in speech understanding.  more

This is the newest (and best) hearing aid technology available today. You may have heard of the word "digital" in other areas of electronics recently. There are digital cell phones, digital television, digital records, digital movies, etc. And now there are digital hearing aids! 100% digital means that the sound is actually changed into numbers (digits) once it enters the hearing aid. The sound can then be manipulated and processed digitally and the hearing aid receives its operating instructions digitally. We use "smart" technology; the aid can actually be programmed to make decisions about what is amplified and what is suppressed! When sound is digitized, it is broken down into its smallest parts and then manipulated to make sound more audible and understandable. The resulting amplification is a truer representation of sound as it is sent to your ear and brain for processing. This can be done without adding any more noise to the system and without distorting the original sound. ...  more

The term DIGITAL is used so often today, it can be confusing. When the term "digital" is used when referring to hearing aids, it generally means the hearing aid is 100% digital. In other words, the hearing aid is indeed a "complete computer". 100% digital hearing aids have been commercially available since the mid-1990s and they are wonders of modern technology. 100% digital hearing aids can process sound using incredibly fast speeds. Interestingly, most 100% digital hearing aids have some analog components, such as the microphone and the receiver. 100% digital hearing aids transform analog information into a digital signal and process the sound to maximize the speech information you want to hear, while minimizing the amplification of sounds you do not want to hear. Digital technology is tremendous and it allows the audiologist maximal control over the sound quality and loudness of the hearing aid. Importantly, digital technology allows the audiologist to tailor or customize the ...  more

Are they really better than analog aids? What can I expect from a digital aid? January 2003 - Digital hearing aids are clearly taking over the market. But are they really better than your old analog aids. Here are Dr. Mark Ross' thoughts on digital hearing aids. January 2003 - For some interesting comments on Dr. Ross' article, please see Rick Ledbetter's response. February 2003 - Interested in some actual research concerning the value of improved hearing aid technology. Here's a report on a study of three technology levels. September 2006 - India's CDAC develops $20 digital programmable hearing aid December 2007 - The History of Digital Hearing Aids February 2008 - Indian Company Develops $50 Digital Hearing Aid March 2008 - Premium Digital Hearing Aids ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Blinded Comparison of Three Levels of Hearing Aid Technology February 2003 You've probably seen an article or two examining the advantages of newer hearing aids over old, digital over analog. It seems everyone has ...  more

Digital aids convert sound waves into numerical codes, similar to the binary code of a computer, before amplifying them. Because the code also includes information about a sound's pitch or loudness, the aid can be specially programmed to amplify some frequencies more than others. Digital circuitry gives a hearing aid specialist more flexibility in adjustng the aid to a user's needs and to cetain listening environments. These aids can be programmed to focus on sounds coming from a specific direction. Digital circuitry can be used in all types of hearing aids.  more

Most of today's electronics (TV, radios, telephones, etc.) are available using digital circuitry. Digital circuitry is becoming more available in all areas of electronics. In many cases, digital is better and less expensive than analog circuitries. "Analog" sound processing basically means that the movements in the air which make up sound are translated into one unified, but complex, electrical current by a microphone. Analog sound is like making a photocopy - the sound is registered and you get an overall picture. But processing sound is like recopying a photocopy: it can be only be done to a certain extent because it causes a deterioration of the original imprint. "Digital" sound processing means that the sound is registered mathematically. It is encoded as a series of numbers that measure its pitch and volume at a given instant in time. Processing the sound bit by bit is much more precise, and certain details can be changed without affecting the general picture. And because it is ...  more

A. Digital hearing aids are the most advanced devices that are available, having a miniature computer processor as the heart of their circuitry. Sound that enters the microphone of a digital hearing aids is transformed into a series of numbers by the processor. These numbers can then be manipulated to affect an almost unlimited number of parameters that change the response for the hearing aid for a patient's particular hearing loss. After this processing, the numbers are then transformed back into sound for perception by the ear. And of course, all of this is done in real time so that the user does not notice a discrepancy between sound perception and the visual aspects of speech. Though attachment to a computer, all of the parameters of a digital hearing aid can be programmed. The software that is used to modify programmable devices literally provides for a limitless set of changes that can be imprinted into the hearing aid. Furthermore, as the patient's hearing or hearing ...  more