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New
technologies
Hearing
aid technology has come a long way in the last few years, thanks
to the computer microchip and digital circuitry. Here are some
of the latest innovations.
Digital
technology
Why does music from a cd sound more crisp, clear, and distortion-free
than music from a record or tape? The answer, at least in part,
is the difference between analog and digital sound processing.
Digital
hearing aids have one or more microchip processors inside
them that convert analog sound waves into the zeros and ones of
computer language. Sound in this format can be processed more
quickly and more efficiently than analog sound waves; in fact,
incoming sounds are sampled at a rate of a million or more times
per second. The digital aid’s circuitry analyzes these sound levels
and frequencies, manipulating them to provide a more efficient
match to an individual’s hearing profile.
For
example, a person with hearing loss may have trouble hearing soft
sounds, but when some sounds are amplified even a small amount,
they become uncomfortably loud. Hearing aids with digital compression
circuitry are able to stratify incoming sounds, detect those that
need amplification from those that don’t, and process the sound
accordingly.
Programmable
technology
Digitally programmable hearing aids, which are different from
fully digital aids in that they’re not equipped to process all
incoming sound digitally, offer the very useful benefit of being
able to sculpt sound to fit a particular individual’s unique hearing
profile, and can be reprogrammed if there are changes in hearing
loss. Programmable aids can be set up with multiple channels,
enabling you to preset and store several different programs, each
sculpted to a particular set of sound environments. You can then
select the appropriate program using a button or remote control
unit: normal conversation, concert hall, office, or telephone,
for example.
Feedback
reduction technology
Feedback has long been a problem for hearing aid wearers. Now
we know a lot more about feedback, and have developed ways to
deal with it. Feedback happens when amplified sound waves escape
back out through the ear canal and are then re-amplified by the
hearing aid—resulting in the high-pitched squeals that set your
teeth on edge. Smaller, in-the-canal styles of hearing aids place
components closer to the eardrum, preventing sound waves from
escaping, thereby reducing, and often eliminating, feedback. Some
new aids are also able to detect these sounds before they become
audible and cancel them out, greatly reducing this frustrating
problem.
This
article courtesy of Starkey
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