“Cheap Hearing Aids” What You Should Know

There are a couple separate ways to interpret the word “cheap hearing aids”. On the one hand, it implies affordability, a practical choice for a budget-conscious individual. Conversely, it conveys low-quality, turning a seemingly economical purchase into a not-so-smart choice, epitomized by the saying “You get what you pay for”.

Regrettably, differentiating between an economical purchase and an item of minimal value is often tricky. This is especially relevant in the realm of hearing aids.

With hearing aids, the saying “you get what you pay for” is particularly relevant. This doesn’t always imply picking the top-tier option, but rather, scrutinizing products that boast a price tag too enticing to be authentic. Companies marketing inexpensive hearing devices frequently omit important details about their products that customers should know about.

Cheaper hearing aids are basically only amplifiers

Increasing the overall volume is generally the only thing cheap “hearing aids” are capable of. When you simply amplify everything, the sounds you want to hear better are amplified but so are undesirable background noise you don’t want.

The purpose of having a hearing aid is completely defeated if it also amplifies undesirable sound.

Contrastingly, a high-quality, contemporary hearing aid goes beyond mere volume adjustment. It expertly manages sound, enhancing the clarity of desired sounds while tuning out background sound. Real hearing aids simulate natural hearing with great accuracy and are custom tuned to your specific hearing needs.

PSAPs vs. Hearing Aids

The Food and Drug Administration has drafted guidelines for those who sell hearing devices and have stringent rules as to what can be called hearing aids.

Unfortunately, many personal sound amplification products PSAPs are wrongly sold as hearing aids even though they just amplify sound.

The majority of reputable companies follow the rules. But there are some vendors, especially online, that may be misinformed about what defines the difference between hearing aids and PSAPs, and as a result, they put out misleading claims about their products. You might even find some that state that they’re FDA-approved when that’s actually false.

They aren’t helpful for most kinds of hearing loss

The majority of individuals who lose their hearing will slowly lose certain frequencies of sound before others. For example, you might have no problems hearing a man with a low voice, but struggle with a woman’s or child’s voice, finding it challenging to understand.

You get overall amplification with cheap hearing aids. But just cranking up the overall volume will not be sufficient for individuals who have a tough time hearing certain frequencies. Moreover, turning up the volume significantly to hear the sound of your granddaughter playing on the floor might result in your adult son’s voice sounding like a roar, potentially adding to hearing loss if exposed to high volumes for prolonged periods.

High-quality hearing aids offer a solution by being programmable to make up for the loss of particular frequencies. They provide a more customized hearing experience by shifting frequencies you can’t hear very well to frequencies you hear better.

You might get a lot of feedback

Cheap hearing aids are usually not custom fit to your ears. A feedback loop is frequently the consequence of poorly fitting hearing aids. As the speaker in your ear jiggles around, the microphone picks up the sound. What does this sound like? An ear-shattering screech.

They usually don’t have cellphone support

When people are looking for a budget-friendly device, they frequently sacrifice functionality like Bluetooth connectivity. When thinking about phone connectivity, the absence of Bluetooth is a major hurdle. Attempting to amplify a cheap hearing aid while on the phone leads to capturing not only the caller’s voice but also the sounds of your ear, lips, clothing, and hair brushing against the phone, making it even more challenging to hear the person on the other end.

More advanced hearing aids are digital and use Bluetooth connectivity to connect directly to your phone. Overall communication and clarity will be improved so you can be certain you will hear your daughter’s voice on the phone.

They were never intended to treat hearing loss

Most people would probably be surprised by this. PSAPs were never made for people with hearing loss. They were designed to amplify sound for individuals who have relatively good hearing.

If you have very slight hearing loss then cheap devices might help a little. But they won’t be of much use for individuals who actually need hearing aids.

Finding quality, affordable hearing aids

There are lots of ways to get hearing aids affordably. Insurance or other third parties might cover them. There are also affordable brands, leasing programs, and financing options. The first step is to get a hearing test if you think you might have hearing loss. Call us today for a consultation, we can help decide what’s best for you, depending on your level and type of hearing loss, and make certain you get a pair that won’t break the bank!