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Are you concerned that your
hearing aid will be large and cumbersome, making you stand out in a crowd? |
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Today's hearing aids are small, lightweight devices that go practically unnoticed in the
ear. Depending on the type and degree of your hearing loss, you might be able to
wear an aid
small enough that no one
will even know you're wearing one!
The Delta by Oticon is the newest technology in digital hearing aids.
Click to find out more. |
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| The pictures above show the small size of today's
hearing aids. The images are shown to scale. |
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Many of the hearing aids people wear today fit inside the
ear! The self conscious level is dramatically reduced from the big and bulky
aids from years ago. |
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As the biggest advancement in hearing aid technology in years, the digital
hearing aid has revolutionized the industry! It seems that everything electronic
is going digital- and for good reason!
Digital means that signals are converted
into a mathematical formula that uses binary digits. There is no loss like analog signals have. Cell
phones, Television signals, and hearing aids are just a few of the examples of
electronics converting to a digital signal.
What are the differences between analog and digital
hearing aids?
In all hearing aids, sound enters through a microphone, is processed and amplified, and then delivered to a receiver (loudspeaker). This
sends the output either directly to the ear canal of the user, or via
tubing to an "earmold" and into the ear canal.
In an analog hearing aid the original acoustic signal is processed as an electrical signal. In the case of a digital hearing aid, the acoustic signal
is initially converted into digits (0, 1), processed within the hearing aid, and then reconverted to an analog acoustic signal for use in the ear of
the listener.
"Analog" sound processing basically means that the movements in the air which make up sound are translated into one unified, but complex,
electrical current by a microphone. Analog sound is like making a
photocopy - the sound is registered and you get an overall picture. But processing sound is like recopying a photocopy: it can be only be done
to a certain extent because it causes a deterioration of the original
imprint.
"Digital" sound processing means that the sound is registered mathematically. It is encoded as a series of numbers that measure its
pitch and volume at a given instant in time. Processing the sound bit
by bit is much more precise, and certain details can be changed without affecting the general picture. And because it is more robust than an
analog signal, a digital signal can be repeated accurately and endlessly
without affecting the overall quality. It's like making copies of a scanned image on a software diskette: each copy is a perfect duplicate
of the original.
Digital technology provides:
- Dramatic sound enhancements
- Improved communication ability
- Unequalled flexibility to match individual user needs.
In terms of the amount and types of processing that are possible,
digital technology far surpasses the capabilities of analog processing. If you were to process an analog signal in the same manner, you would
add noise and distortion, and the speech signal would become very blurred and difficult to understand. Digital technology is used to
enhance certain aspects in a signal; but by treating the speech signal
only as it is supposed to - without adding unwanted elements - speech stays crisp and clear.
Today, digital technology is very much a part of daily life. Most households have a variety of digital products, such as telephones,
video recorders and personal computers. Digital signal processing also
lies behind the tremendous success of the compact disc player. Being easy to use and very durable, the compact disc quickly found its way
into the hearts of music enthusiasts all over the world. Researchers
spent years trying to make digital hearing instruments with Hi-Fi sound quality, and with DigiFocus from Oticon as the first of its kind - the
dream came true.
Digital hearing aid description compliments
of Oticon Corp.
To read more about the products from Oticon, visit their Web site at
Oticonus.com
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This animation demonstrates the use of a battery insertion
device used for a smaller aid. The large yellow "clip" is used
to hold the battery in place while inserting it into a smaller aid. This
makes installing the battery a cinch! |
If you'd like more information on hearing aids,
call us at (717) 653-6300 or (717) 274-3851 or click
here to contact us via email.
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