Guides · Hearing aids · 6 min read
Choosing your first hearing aids, without the jargon
Style, tech level, batteries or rechargeable. What each choice changes day to day, and which one matters most.
By the Hearwick audiologists ·
Most people come to their first fitting having read a dozen comparison sites and understood very little of it. Here is what actually changes when you pick one option over another.
Style: where it sits
There are three families. Behind-the-ear aids sit behind the ear and are the strongest and easiest to handle. In-the-ear aids are made to the shape of your ear and leave nothing behind it, which helps glasses wearers. Rechargeable receiver-in-canal aids are small cases behind the ear with a tiny speaker in the canal, charged overnight in a case.
The right style depends mostly on your hearing loss, your fingers and your eyesight. We let you hold each one before you choose.
Tech level: how well it copes with noise
This is where the price differences come from. All three levels make quiet speech louder and clearer. The difference is in how they deal with noise.
- Essential suits quiet homes, one-to-one talk and television.
- Advanced switches automatically between settings and focuses on speech in cafés and cars.
- Premium follows the person talking in a busy room and copes with wind and sudden noise.
A good question to ask yourself: where do you most want to hear better? If the answer is “at home with my partner”, Essential may be all you need. If it is “at work meetings”, look at Premium.
Batteries or rechargeable
Rechargeable aids are more popular every year, and for good reason: nothing to change, and a full day from one charge. Disposable batteries still suit people who travel a lot without power, or who prefer not to depend on a charger.
The part that matters most
The fitting and aftercare matter more than the badge on the case. An Essential aid fitted carefully with real-ear measurement, and adjusted at follow-ups, will often outperform a Premium aid left on its default settings. That is why our prices include aftercare and why we see you at two and six weeks.
Try the hearing-aid finder to see prices for your choices, then book a test and try a pair at home for up to 30 days.
Not sure where you stand?
The online check takes about eight minutes with headphones. The full test in clinic is free and takes an hour.
