Hearing Aid Products and Technology

Photo of man on sailboat Hearing aids are designed in a variety of physical sizes to minimize visibility, plus Ocean State Hearing offers the latest technology for even more choices.

When you consider your needs, you can distinguish between various aids by the technology, or circuitry, used to amplify sound and how the aid is modified to your hearing requirements. Advances in technology allow maximum performance with improved size.

Below is a comparison by size and fit, and then details by technology.

Guide by Size

The following graphics illustrate by size the 4 basic designs provided by Ocean State Hearing. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions page for technical details and charts on hearing loss, and recommended solutons by degree of severity.

Photo of hearing aids

Technology Guide

Advanced Digital
A category of hearing aids utilizing digital conversions for signal processing. This type of technology allows for more sophisticated processing or controlling of the sound inside the hearing aid to allow for clearer reception of sounds, especially in noisy environments. Advanced digital hearing aids generally adjust automatically and almost instantaneously to the type of environment the listener is in. Some models have feedback control, directional microphones, special noise reduction circuits and several memories. These are the most technologically advanced hearing aids at this time.

Basic Digital
A category of hearing aids utilizing digital conversions for signal processing. Basic digital hearing aids adjust automatically to the type of environment the listener is in. These hearing aids do not have the advanced features of the advanced digital hearing aids such as; directional microphones, feedback control and multiple memories.

Advanced Programmable
(Advanced digitally programmable) a category of hearing aids that have analog circuits, but are programmed digitally on a computer to match the listener's audiogram. Some advanced programmable hearing aids have directional microphones, several memories for listening in quiet and noisy situations and remote controls to access these features.

Programmable
(Digitally programmable) A category of hearing aids that have analog circuits, but are programmed digitally on a computer to match the listeners audiogram. These hearing aids do not have multiple memories or directional microphones.

Conventional
Conventional analog hearing aids amplify speech and noise alike. These hearing aids have a volume control that can adjust the sound, but they still make loud sounds and background noise louder. Although minor adjustments can be made in the office, the hearing aid usually has to be returned to the manufacturer for most adjustments. This type of aid is the least expensive, but it cannot be reprogrammed if your hearing changes over time.