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HEARING MORE NATURALLY WITH BOTH EARS
Direct Hearing and the laboratories that manufacture hearing instruments have a
common goal: to provide you with a better quality of life through better
hearing. The best way to accomplish this goal and get the most benefit from
amplified sound is to take advantage of your ears' natural ability to process
sound. Obviously, the most natural way to hear is with two ears. This is called
'binaural hearing'. Simply put, it means that you have sounds being received and
processed by both ears.
Notice eyeglasses: there are two lenses, correct? The part of your
brain that mixes sight gives its best performance when it gets messages from
both eyes. The same holds true for your hearing system. That is, the hearing
parts of your brain that receive sounds from the ears works best when it
receives sound from both ears. If you have hearing loss in both ears then the
hearing needs to be corrected in both ears to attain maximum hearing
performance.
Below are nine benefits that binaural hearing instrument wearers report:
- Better understanding in noisy places.
By wearing two hearing instruments, rather than just one, selective
listening is more easily achieved. This means your brain can focus on the
conversation you want to hear and reduce the amount of unwanted background
noises more easily.
- Binaural hearing allows you to better identify the direction of sound.
This is called localization. In a social gathering, for example,
localization allows you to hear from which direction someone is speaking to
you. Also, localization helps you determine from which direction traffic is
coming from or where your children or grandchildren are playing. Simply put,
with binaural hearing, you will better detect where sounds are coming from.
- Binaural hearing creates better sound quality.
When you listen to a stereo sound system, you use both speakers to get the
smoothest, sharpest, most natural sound quality. The same can be said of
hearing instruments. By wearing an instrument in each ear you increase your
hearing range from 180 degrees with just one ear to 360 degrees with both.
This greater range provides a better sense of sound balance and quality.
- Binaural hearing creates smoother tone quality.
Wearing two hearing instruments generally requires less volume than one
instrument alone. This results in less distortion and better reproduction of
amplified sound.
- Binaural hearing allows for better sound identification.
Often, with just one hearing instrument, many noises and words sound alike.
But hearing with instruments in both ears, sounds are generally more
distinguishable.
- Binaural hearing keeps both of the ears active.
Research has shown that when only one hearing instrument is worn and there
is hearing loss in both ears, the unaided ear tends to lose its ability to
understand. Whereas, those wearing two hearing instruments keep both ears
active and receiving sound.
- Binaural hearing is less tiring and, therefore makes listening a more
pleasant experience.
Many binaural hearing instrument wearers report that listening in
conversations is more enjoyable. They find listening with two ears less
stressful than listening with just one ear. Thus, binaural hearing can help
make life more relaxing.
- Binaural hearing creates a feeling of "balance".
Two-eared hearing results in a feeling of balanced reception of sound, also
known as the "stereo effect". One ear hearing creates an unusual
feeling of having a "dead" side.
- Binaural hearing instruments are more comfortable when loud sounds
occur.
A lower volume setting is required with each of two hearing instruments than
with just one, resulting in better tolerance of loud noises.
Direct Hearing will advise you as to the advantages of binaural hearing for
your particular hearing loss after the hearing test. It may be that due to
dissimilar hearing losses in each ear, a monaural fitting (one hearing aid)
would be adequate to provide you with the hearing you require for your
circumstances.
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