Do you have a frequently asked question about hearing aids or hearing loss? Send us an email at marketinginfo@starkey.com, and we’ll address your question in a future post.
On this #FAQFriday, we’re answering a commonly asked question about wireless hearing aids.
Q: I keep hearing about “wireless” hearing aids, but aren’t they all wireless?
A: Most hearing aids today don’t include detectable wires, cables or cords and seem to appear “wireless”. This term actually refers to the use of internal circuitry, allowing reception and transmission of signals between two hearing aids or any other electronic devices.
Small internal radios are used with wireless hearing aids, along with Bluetooth technology, to allow two hearing aids to communicate with each other and with devices like smartphones, televisions, tablets, or special accessories. On the other hand, non-wireless hearing aids are not able to communicate with each other or use bluetooth to receive audio streamed directly from electronic devices.
Wireless hearing aids are the “new normal”
Wireless hearing aids provide countless conveniences over non-wireless hearing aids. Below are a few of the reasons wireless hearing aids are preferred by both wearers and hearing professionals alike:
- More exact and precise amplification is possible when two wireless hearing aids share information about your acoustic surroundings, and work together to elevate speech understanding and sound quality, reduce background noise, and make all listening situations enjoyable.
- Phone calls can be heard in both ears at the same time, which roughly provides a 10 to 15 percent enhancement in speech understanding compared to using only one ear.
- On-demand noise control is available with the press of a button — to make loud environments more comfortable and inviting. Our Evolv AI hearing aids feature tap control technology - with a double tap or short press, Edge Mode is activated to provide immediate sound adjustments. This feature can also be activated using the Thrive Hearing Control app.
- Custom hearing aid memories can be created by the wearer to meet the needs of unique sound environments, like your favorite spectator sport or restaurant. Click the video below to see how to create a custom memory.
- Geotagging allows the applicable memory from the hearing aid to automatically populate in the hearing aids whenever the wearer is in a designated location, like at work or a coffee shop.
- TV programs, podcasts, music, and more can also be streamed straight to the hearing aids to provide improved sound quality and eliminate the distracting effects of extraneous sound and distance.
The ability to drastically improve your level of sound quality and give a wide variety of connectivity, personalization and convenience features makes wireless hearing aid technology a great choice for any and every individual needing amplification.
For more details about wireless hearing aids — or to try one of ours — schedule an appointment a hearing professional near you. Call (888) 919-6824 or click here.