Consumer's Guide to Hearing Aids > Advanced Hearing Aids > Digital

Digital hearing aids are currently the highest technology available. These hearing aids actually have a small computer chip inside. The computer chip samples incoming sounds millions of times per second. As sound occurs in the environment, the computer chip will determine if the signal it is receiving is a speech frequency or noise. It will make every effort to focus on speech while reducing noise. This ability comes from the fact that digital hearing aids process sound mathematically.

"How do these digital hearing aids work?" Well, let us take you through the process, step by step.

1. The microphone receives an incoming signal and converts the sound into electricity

2. The electrical signal passes through a filter, where frequencies we can't hear are omitted.

3. This filtered signal is passed through an analog (regular sound) to digital (mathematical sound) converter, which changes it to numbers (0s and 1s). The digital signal can then be manipulated by the hearing aid.

4. When you are fitted with digital hearing aids, the chip inside each hearing aid is programmed by our computer to fit your individual hearing loss. The chip is also programmed to reduce noise, filter sounds, and control feedback (whistling).

5. The chip manipulates the signal within milliseconds; then converts the signal into an audible sound for the listener to hear. This occurs within the hearing aid's computer and results in lower distortion, high quality sound, and high reliability. Digital hearing aids are fitted to the patient using an adaptation process. Because so many new sounds will be introduced to you, we work you up, usually in three steps, so you gradually become accustomed to hearing all the sounds you have been missing. Otherwise you may be overwhelmed.

Using our computer we are able to connect to the computer inside the hearing aids (while they are in your ears). This provides verification that the hearing aid's computer is meeting your unique needs.

User Group:

• New or experienced users
  
• Any degree of hearing loss
  
• Unsuccessful users of advanced, conventional and programmable hearing aids
  
• Those wanting the most precise fitting available for their hearing loss

Advantages:

• Computerized
• More volume for soft sounds and less volume for loud sounds
• The ability to re-program your hearing aids if your hearing changes
  

Digital Hearing Aids (like digital anything) are the Wave of the Future!

• Digital hearing instruments have come closer than any device in medical history to replacing the natural series of functions that the brain and ear perform in a normal hearing person.
  
• No hearing instrument is able to eliminate unwanted background noises; however, digital instruments have the ability to FOCUS more on speech than on unwanted noise.

How do digital hearing aids differ from conventional hearing aids?

• Digital instruments have a computer chip (processor) much like a home computer whereas a conventional instrument has filters, transistors, capacitors and resistors.
  
• Digital instruments are able to make soft sounds loud enough for you to be able to hear them-but soft enough for you to be able to still perceive the sound as soft.
  All sounds between soft and loud are adjusted to fall at the correct place within your hearing profile or hearing loss pattern.
  Conventional instruments are able to make soft sounds louder-however, if a soft sound gets amplified, but not enough, you will not be able to hear it.
  
• Digital instruments are able to keep loud sounds from causing pain-yet loud enough for you to be able to still perceive the sound as loud.
  
• Digital instruments allow the audiologist the ability to specifically adjust the hearing instrument to fit the user's individual hearing profile or hearing loss. Conventional instruments are able, on a limited basis, to keep loud sounds from getting painfully loud-but the sound may still be too loud.
  
• Digital instruments come closer than any other medical device in history to being able to "focus" on speech signals while trying to LIMIT background noises. NO HEARING INSTRUMENT is able to ELIMINATE background noises-only the brain is able to "tune-out" what it does not want to listen to. The digital instrument does do a better job than any other instrument.
  
• Many digital instruments are fully automatic. All the user must do is replace the battery-the hearing aid adjusts to varying sound levels automatically. Most conventional instruments have volume controls. While volume controls are helpful, the loud or soft sound is usually gone before the user can turn the volume to the desired level.
  
• Digital instruments produce a much clearer and crisper sound than do conventional instruments. Digital instruments turn incoming sound into numbers. The numbers are then manipulated mathematically and turned back into sound. The result is a perfect replica of the original sound with adjustments made for your personal hearing loss.
  Conventional instruments send the original sound through a series of filters, etc. to try and "shape" the sound to fit the user's hearing loss. Often, the result is like a copy…, of a copy…, of a copy. Each time the sound passes through another part (or manipulation) in the circuit some of the sound is distorted or changed.
  
• Digital instruments are able to pick up a broader frequency range allowing the user to pick up more pieces of the hearing puzzle. The more information that is available-the more speech understanding the user will have.