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Short cut to:- Advanced Technology Digital Conventional Hearing CircuitsThe conventional hearing aid has been around for decades and includes a wide range of quality and flexibility. Analogue hearing aids have a microphone that picks up sound so that the hearing aid can convert it to small electrical signals. These signals vary according to the pattern of the sound. The signals are then amplified and changed to fit the needs of the hearing aid user – for example, their tone may be changed to fit in with the user’s hearing loss – before being fed to the earphone so that they can be heard. These 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. In the past a hearing aid user may have complained that sounds, such as doors shutting, cutlery rattling, and water rushing were uncomfortably loud. Furthermore, sounds that were naturally loud such as live music or someone shouting, sounded distorted. Unfortunately this was a product of conventional-analogue technology. 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 their 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. Advanced Technology CircuitsThe advanced or programmable hearing aid was then introduced improving the preceding listening situations dramatically. Loud sounds were no longer distorted and common background sounds were no longer amplified to an uncomfortable level. This technology was also better at combating background noise compared to the conventional level. 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 aids. DigitalFinally the 100% digital hearing aid was released in April of 1996. Digital aids work in a different way. They take the sound from the microphone and convert it to ‘bits’ of data – numbers that a computer can understand. This data can be manipulated by a tiny computer in the hearing aid, allowing digital aids much more flexibility for processing sounds than analogue aids. They not only keeps sounds within a comfortable range for the listener but also has a clear and natural sound quality. Due to its amazing processing power the digital hearing aid constantly and automatically adjusts to changing environments. The 100% digital hearing instrument is also far superior than its predecessors in the background noise setting. Digital hearing instruments represent the most advanced technology available today. 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 allows 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. The 'IN' word is 'DIGITAL' and much advertising claims to 'get-rid' of
background noise - this is not possible - however, with the processing power of
digital hearing aids, they are able to recognize background noise and maintain
your ability to hear speech better in that environment. 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. If you have any questions please contact us mail@directhearing.co.uk or go to Enquiry. |
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