What is the best hearing aid on the market today?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

There are many hearing aids on the market, but I believe the Cochlear hearing aid implant is the best.

Cochlear Implant & Hearing Aid
How does a cochlear implant work?
A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Hearing aids amplify sound. Cochlear implants compensate for damaged or non-working parts of the inner ear. When hearing is functioning normally, complicated parts of the inner ear convert sound waves in the air into electrical impulses. These impulses are then sent to the brain, where a hearing person recognizes them as sound. A cochlear implant works in a similar manner. It electronically finds useful sounds and then sends them to the brain. Hearing through an implant may sound different from normal hearing, but it allows many people to communicate fully with oral communication in person and over the phone.

Who gets cochlear implants?
Different types of deaf and severely hard of hearing people choose cochlear implants. Both children and adults can be candidates for implants. According to the Food and Drug Administration 2002 data, approximately 59,000 people worldwide have received implants. In the United States, about 13,000 adults have cochlear implants and nearly 10,000 children have received them.

Adults who have lost all or most of their hearing later in life can often benefit from cochlear implants. These older candidates can often associate the sounds made through an implant with sounds they remember. This may help them to understand speech without visual cues or systems such as lipreading or sign language.

Young children can also be candidates for implants. Cochlear implants, coupled with intensive post-implantation therapy, can help young children to acquire speech, language, developmental, and social skills. The best age for implantation is still being debated, but most children who receive implants are between 2 and 6 years old. Earlier implantation seems to perform better.

Source(s):

http://www.habibintl.com/cochlear-implan…
http://www.cochlearamericas.com/index.as…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_im…

Answer 2

Belltone Digital

Answer 3

aubrey

Source(s):

http://www.cutepiggy.com/Aubrey_de_grey_…

Answer 4

Belltone is the oldest I think. Dosen't mean there necessarly the best, and I'd say probably not. Are U F------ serious? 15 years ago it was called U-2 plane. No, that is not a local rock group. From 56 mi. in the outer limits, just this side of the stratiusfere, we could home in 2 U home @ a pesfick bedroom if wanted,. just coords. no on ground help nesseary. think thats scary, that was 15 years ago. O OOOO were we talking about Aids? Herring Aids. yea, U get that from lissing 2 butt holes like me.

Answer 5

That is a difficult question to answer. It is sort of like asking, "which car is better, Ford or General Motors" - everyone will have their own opinion, and it's hard to argue if anyone is right/wrong.

There are about a dozen different manufacturers of hearing aids. Some of the largest manufacturers (and those who are on the forefront of research) are GNResound, Phonak, Siemens, Oticon, Starkey, and Widex. There are many other manufacturers as well who also make good, reliable products.

Many people are familiar with the names, Beltone and Miracle Ear. Both of these places are franchises - only Beltone dealers can sell Beltone products, and the same with Miracle Ear. These names are well known because they spend a tremendous amount on marketing - much more than most other manufacturers. Someone has to pay for all the advertising, right? Enough said.

My recommendation would be to see an independent audiologist, not a "franchise" hearing aid dispenser. As I said, there any many different manufacturers, and by going to an independent audiologist, he/she will have access to all of these different product lines - they are typically not "locked" into using only one manufacturer.

Most manufactuers have a range of products, from very basic aids to high-end digital aids. Some of the best high-end products I've used are the Phonak Savia, Unitron Element 16, Siemens Centra, and others. The type of hearing aid you need depends on a combination of factors including your hearing loss, cost, and your listening lifestlye. Hearing aids today are much better than they were even a few years ago. They are able to help reduce unwanted background noise, reduce wind noise when outdoors, help control sudden loud noises, automatically control volume, etc.

Just tell your audiologist what your needs are, what price range you are looking for, and he/she will be able to guide you to a good decision.

If you need to find an audiologist, you can go here:
http://webportal.audiology.org/Custom/FindAnAudiologist.aspx