Buying hearing aids online
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Read moreWhich hearing aid is right for me?
The world of hearing aids can be quite a confusing place, especially when you’re getting your first set. Let’s see if we can make things a little clearer for you!
There are different styles of hearing aids available – from tiny in-the-ear ones, all the way to the other end of the spectrum with larger behind-the-ear models, which have a tube and ear mould. Usually (not always), larger hearing aids are for people with more severe hearing loss that need more power or people with dexterity issues so that it’s easier for them to hold and manage the device.
There are many different hearing aid styles available but one of the most popular is the RIC (receiver in the canal) style, which consists of the hearing aid unit sitting behind the ear and a thin wire that runs down the ear and into the ear canal. This type of device is generally suitable for mild to severe hearing loss. With RIC hearing aids, the speaker is at the end of a thin electrical wire which is connected to the hearing aid unit. With a normal behind-the-ear hearing aid, the speaker is in the hearing aid unit itself.
Here at Online Hearing Care, we only offer the very latest range of technology from Phonak, in particular the ‘Paradise’ range, which is available in RIC form.
The pros of RIC hearing aids:
- With an open fitting, more natural sound is experienced by the wearer
- The open fitting also results in the wearer’s voice sounding more natural
- Typically, an RIC style is smaller than a BTE (behind the ear model)
- The hearing aid unit fits nicely behind the ear and is well hidden
- The size of the unit means that it can house more features such as Bluetooth and rechargeable options
Now that we’ve looked at RICs and the benefits they offer, all you need to do is decide on the level of technology you want from your Phonak ‘Paradise’ hearing aids. They will all look exactly the same and are all rechargeable – you just need to choose a colour and a level of technology to suit you. There are 7 different colours to choose from and 4 different technology levels.
The Phonak paradise p90 is the top of the range model and the p30 is the entry level. All offer great quality of sound and as you progress with your technology levels, the amount of automatic settings and sound quality in more noisy environments increases. It’s not so much based on your hearing loss but more on what noise environments you find yourself in and where you’d like to be able to hear better.
For example, the p90 has 3 features that the other models don’t have, such as: ‘speech in the car’, ‘speech in loud noise’ and ‘comfort in echo’. This means that the hearing aids will automatically detect these noise environments and adjust automatically, giving you the best quality of speech for sharper listening. Overall, the p90 has 7 automatic listening environments, whereas the p30 has 2. The p30 has the automatic settings of ‘speech in quiet’ and ‘speech in noise’.
Take a look at our hearing aid page and click ‘compare models’.
If you have any questions or need a bit more help, we are happy to advise. Please call us on 0800 054 1138 or email [email protected]
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