Guide to Hearing Aid Technology

An important factor that influences the cost of hearing aids is the level of processing technology.

 

Hearing aid technology describes the performance of hearing aids. Higher-performing hearing aids tend to provide more customizability and power to support people with more profound hearing loss. The technology tends to be the main factor that influences the cost of hearing aids.

 

Devices of all technology levels are available with popular features that improve the usability and convenience of hearing aids – such as Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable batteries and discreet styles. So, selecting the optimal level of technology is among the most crucial factor when choosing new hearing aids.

 

At Hearing Care Clinic, we rely on the results of your hearing test to inform the recommended technology level. Book an appointment for a hearing test in Victoria, Chemainus or Mill Bay.

 

How Hearing Aids Work

Hearing aids improve the abilities of the ears and brain to collect and process sounds. Hearing loss occurs either when sound waves are unable to enter the ear, parts of the ear are damaged or when the auditory nerve is unable to send signals to the brain.

 

All of these result in the brain not having quality information to interpret as sound. Hearing aids help by improving how sounds are collected and filtered – all according to your individual hearing loss.

 

There are five main components of hearing aids:

 

  1. Power Source: Powers the device with a disposable or rechargeable battery.
  2. Microphone: Collects sound.
  3. Amplifier: Amplifies and converts sound waves into electrical signals. 
  4. Processor: Enhances or adjusts the electrical signals based on the frequencies that you can hear well (or not hear well) while minimizing unwanted noises.
  5. Speaker: Outputs the optimized sounds.

 

In recent years, most of the technological advancements in hearing technology have related to the processor. These invisible innovations have contributed to hearing aids that sound ] natural and are more effective at managing hearing loss.

 

Types of Hearing Aids

There are four main factors for distinguishing between hearing aids.

 

Style

The style refers to how the hearing aid fits in (or on) your ear. It is the most common categorization of hearing aids.

 

  1. Mini Receiver in the Ear: The majority of the electronic components sit in a small case outside the ear, with a small receiver sitting on the inside.
  2. Invisible in the Canal: These are the smallest hearing aids available and are virtually invisible because the entire device fits in the ear canal.
  3. Completely in the Canal: They are slightly more visible than the invisible in the canal option. The electronics are housed in a case that sits inside the ear canal, and there is a wide range of skin tone colours available.
  4. In the Canal: These devices are custom fit for each user and come in a wide range of skin tones. They can have multiple microphones to deliver precise sound directionality.
  5. In the Ear: These hearing aids have batteries that sit in the visible part of the external ear.
  6. Behind the Ear: The electronic components sit outside the ear, with a small tube and custom-fit earpiece entering the ear.

 

Cosmetics

Hearing aids are available in various colours to suit your personal taste or preferences. Typically, cosmetic options don’t impact the cost.

 

Features

Hearing aid features improve the usability, experience or comfort of the devices. Wind noise reduction and feedback suppression help to prevent unwanted noises. Bluetooth connectivity and telecoil options allow your devices to automatically connect to personal or public accessibility devices. You can also get rechargeable batteries for convenient all-day power.

 

Level of Technology

The level of technology in hearing aids describes the capabilities to process sounds. Below is a description of the various technology levels and what to expect from each one.

 

Hearing Aid Technology Levels

Hearing aid technology levels describe the sophistication of the miniature computer found in the hearing aid. Similar to your personal computer, more advanced technology can run more complex software.

 

Advanced Technology

Advanced hearing aids process a wider range of sounds more precisely. Since they can better adapt in different environments or situations, and they tend to be b  

 

  1. Speech understanding: The ability to strengthen sounds that are essential for understanding speech while filtering out sounds that are not important.
  2. Sound quality: Optimize sounds according to the present conditions to provide balanced sounds in more environments and situations.
  3. Processing channels: More processing channels mean that a broader range of frequencies can be independently analyzed and processed. This improves the accuracy of the output and allows the hearing aids to better match an individual’s hearing profile.
  4. Listening comfort: Improved protection against unexpected noises, like loud sounds and wind.
  5. More personalization: Advanced hearing aids can be fine-tuned, and they have additional features like tinnitus support.

 

Basic and Intermediate Technologies

Basic and intermediate hearing aids often look the same as their advanced counterparts, but they don’t have all the same processing capabilities. Some may not have as many processing channels, while others may not have tinnitus support.

 

As hearing aid technology moves from advanced to basic, more and more capabilities are removed. Still, many basic hearing aids are still available in different styles and have features like telecoil connectivity. They just don’t have the same degree of precision or processing capabilities.

 

How to Select Hearing Aids

Selecting the optimal hearing aids is similar to selecting a lunch off of an à la carte

menu. You can choose the style, features and processing capabilities that you prefer and will make the biggest difference in your life. Not everyone will benefit from some advanced capabilities, similar to how not everyone needs a steak for lunch. The key is understanding your hearing and how various processing capabilities will benefit your hearing.

 

At Hearing Care Clinic, our focus is on comprehensive testing and consultations. We will use the results of your hearing test to inform which capabilities you should consider. Most importantly, we will explain what to expect from different levels of technology so you can make an informed decision.

 

Our goal is to match you with a hearing aid that will provide the most benefits – so you will look forward to using your devices. Book an appointment for a hearing test at Hearing Care Clinic to get started.

Two men are standing next to a dog in a waiting room.
By Carson Tiede July 5, 2025
The Gift of Hearing: Rediscovering Life Through Sound Being able to clearly hear the world around you is a gift that becomes even more treasured as it diminishes. Many of us take for granted the ability to clearly hear all the elements of a song or to hear what a friend says the first time around. However, once these abilities fade, we realize just how lucky we were to have a fully functional sense of sound. At Hearing Care Clinic, we understand just how critical being able to hear is, which is why we’ve developed the Gift of Hearing program to help bring donated hearing aids to those in the community who may otherwise be unable to obtain them. Even more powerful, though, is seeing all the areas of someone’s life—both physical and mental—that improve when they are fitted with a hearing aid. Kenneth R. was fit with a hearing aid, and after one month, we checked in to see just how his life has improved—it’s no surprise that it’s not just his hearing that was affected. Easier Communication Gone are the days of asking people to repeat themselves. Not only did Kenneth note that his improved hearing, thanks to the hearing aid, is easier on those he converses with, but it also allows him to feel less embarrassed. By knowing who is talking and what is being said, he feels less ‘on edge’ when talking to others, leading to more relaxed conversations and greater self-confidence. We rely heavily on our senses, so when your hearing starts to worsen, you can experience strain in an area that once came easy to you. With a hearing aid, however, the ease of conversing returns, and Kenneth says that he feels as though he’s “10 years younger with a new lease on life.” Beyond the self-confidence boost, Kenneth notes, “There’s less of a chance of miscommunication.” By knowing what is said, Kenneth is now able to give a direct response whereas, before, he would guess at what was said and, more often than not, give a wrong answer. Re-Discovering Everyday Sounds Hearing diminishes gradually over years, which means you may not recognize just how much you’re missing out on. Kenneth, though, realized just how many layers of sound he had been missing once his hearing was restored. He was able to re-discover everyday sounds that had passed him by before, such as the musical instruments used in a song. Rather than hear only the melody, he can now hear all the instruments. This translates to his time spent at church, where he can now hear the minister and the response. “It used to come across as ‘wawa,’ like Charlie Brown,” he explains, referencing the monotonous tone used by adults in the cartoon, “But now I can hear.” Rejoining the Community Poor hearing can be isolating, but with the help of a hearing aid, Kenneth no longer feels separated from everyone else due to difficulty joining in with a conversation. For Kenneth, the hearing aid, and the subsequent restoration of his hearing, feels like a Godsent. On the Fence About a Hearing Test? Kenneth’s Advice For those who are on the fence about undergoing a hearing test, Kenneth recommends going to get tested—don’t wait. He wishes that he had gone sooner rather than spend years living with the stress of hearing challenges. The sooner you go, he notes, the sooner you can have better and fuller days, like his are now. As for where to go, Kenneth recommends seeing a proper professional. “I am so happy to have found a professional that is a small, family-run business. I feel as though they have taken the time to test and explain what’s going on.” Our thorough care left Kenneth impressed, and we’re sure to leave you just as satisfied. Reach out today to schedule a no-pressure hearing test and discover just how much of a gift hearing well truly is.
By Carson Tiede May 31, 2025
Can you hear everything you should be able to? That can be a hard question to answer. Hearing loss is typically a gradual decline, meaning we don’t often notice that we’re having a harder time hearing. It’s different from breaking a bone where you can very quickly see the difference before and after the break—with hearing loss, your hearing declines over years, making it hard to compare your hearing level today to what it was a decade ago. Even more, once you get a hearing aid, you may find that you can hear better, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re hearing at the level you should be at. This is why we prioritize hearing aid verification at the Hearing Care Clinic : to ensure you’re hearing all the sounds you should be able to hear. Signs You Should Get Your Hearing Checked You may not be able to tell how bad your hearing has gotten—that’s what our job is—but there are some signs to keep in mind that it might be time for a hearing test . It sounds like people are mumbling or not speaking clearly House guests comment on the loud volume of your TV Your friends or family get annoyed because you mishear them It’s a challenge to understand conversations You often have to ask people to repeat themselves It’s hard for you to hear if there’s a lot of background noise (such as traffic or restaurant chatter) Another sign that you may benefit from a hearing test is if you hear a persistent ringing, roaring, or buzzing sound, which could be tinnitus . This phantom sound could be a sign of hearing loss. If you suspect that you have hearing loss, our no-pressure hearing tests can help you validate your concerns and offer guidance for your next steps to restore this key sense, whether it’s wax removal or a hearing aid. How Do I Know If My Hearing Aid is Working? Having a hearing aid is one thing, but having a hearing aid that truly restores your hearing is something else—we understand the difference at Hearing Care Clinic, which is why we take the time to verify hearing aid settings for every hearing aid we install. We use the Verifit® 2 system from Audioscan to verify all the hearing aids we place, which comes with many features and benefits. The hearing aid installation process begins with the placement of a tube, also known as a probe, into your ear. The probe is used to obtain real-ear measurements, which measure what is coming out of the hearing aid at the level of the eardrum—it’s a way to verify that what you should hear is truly what you’re receiving as an input. Once the tube is in place, the hearing aid is inserted on top. From there, we test the hearing aid to ensure it’s working as expected. Speechmap® The Verifit 2 offers Speechmap, a guided workflow that aids hearing instrument verification by verifying how well you can hear certain sounds and how comfortable it is for you to hear these sounds. With this information, we can adjust the hearing aid as needed to confirm you’re hearing what you should be hearing and that the sound coming through the hearing aid isn’t uncomfortable. By taking the time to make these adjustments, we ensure that your hearing aid is something you continue to use and are completely satisfied with. What Happens If I Still Can’t Hear with a Hearing Aid? You’ve had your hearing aid fit, and all the tests have been completed, but maybe a few months down the line, you’re starting to feel like everyone around you is mumbling again. Maybe not as bad as before you received a hearing aid, but enough so that you are still asking people to repeat themselves. Things can change over time. A hearing aid with settings that worked perfectly before may need adjustments to keep up, and that’s okay. In some cases, you may become acclimated to the hearing aid, so you need to change the programming as time goes on. At Hearing Care Clinic, we understand that hearing aid care is not a one-and-done operation—it’s something that can take multiple adjustments . Maybe you felt that the hearing aid was at a comfortable setting in the clinic, but after a few weeks, something doesn’t seem right. Or, perhaps after a few months, your hearing has worsened, and so you need to make adjustments. Sometimes, the hearing aid might malfunction altogether, requiring a replacement or repair. In each of these cases, your course of action should be the same—reach out to the clinic where you received your hearing aid. At Hearing Care Clinic, we will undergo the verification and validation process for the hearing aid again and make adjustments until you’re back to feeling like the hearing aid is working as it should. Needing these adjustments is normal, especially as you get used to having a hearing aid, so don’t hesitate to reach out so that we can make sure your hearing aid is operating as it should . Do You Hear That? It’s Your Sign to Get Started. If you feel as though your hearing has declined over the years and find yourself asking people to repeat themselves more often than not, it may be time to inquire about a hearing aid. Call Hearing Care Clinic today to schedule a no-pressure hearing test . We’ll see where your hearing levels are and then offer unbiased recommendations on where to go from there. In the end, the decision to take care of your hearing, and how you want to go about that, is up to you. References  Jorgensen LE; and; Novak M. Verification and Validation: Just the Standards. Semin Hear. 2022 Jul 26;43(2):85-93. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-1749208. PMID: 35903074; PMCID: PMC9325086. Jorgensen LE. Verification and validation of hearing aids: Opportunity not an obstacle. J Otol. 2016 Jun;11(2):57-62. doi: 10.1016/j.joto.2016.05.001. Epub 2016 May 14. PMID: 29937811; PMCID: PMC6002586.
By Carson Tiede March 17, 2022
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