“Cheap Hearing Aids” What You Should Know

The word “cheap” has dual meanings. For anyone on a small budget, it means “affordability”. But we’ve all heard the phrase “You get what you pay for”, and in this case, the word “cheap” implies low-quality hearing aids.

Regrettably, distinguishing between a thrifty purchase and an item of minimal value is often tricky. This is particularly true in terms of hearing aids.

With hearing aids, the axiom “you get what you pay for” is especially relevant. This means weeding out the devices that are priced in the “too good to be true” zone, not necessarily opting for the most expensive choice. Companies marketing inexpensive hearing devices frequently leave out essential details about their products that customers should know about.

They often just amplify sound

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

If everything is louder, it totally defeats the purpose of using a hearing aid.

Contrastingly, a high-quality, contemporary hearing aid goes beyond mere volume adjustment. It decreases background noise while skillfully managing sound and maximizing clarity. Authentic hearing aids mimic natural hearing with great accuracy and are custom tuned to your particular hearing needs.

Hearing aids vs. PSAPs

There are stringent rules about what an advertiser can call a hearing aid as written by the Food and Drug Administration.

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

There are many legitimate and reputable companies that comply with proper marketing. But there are some sellers, especially online, that might be misinformed about what defines the difference between hearing aids and PSAPs, and consequently, they put out misleading claims about their products. Some even inaccurately advertise that they are FDA-approved.

They’re not helpful for the majority of types of hearing loss

The progressive loss of hearing often involves trouble hearing particular frequencies instead of an abrupt complete loss. You may have a hard time understanding a little kid or a woman, for instance, but you have no issue understanding a man with a low voice.

You get total amplification with cheap hearing aids. But, if you have trouble with certain frequencies, just increasing the volume will be insufficient. Furthermore, turning up the volume considerably to catch the sound of your granddaughter playing on the floor may result in your adult son’s speech sounding like a roar, possibly adding to hearing loss if subjected to high volumes for prolonged periods.

High-quality hearing aids offer a solution by being programmable to compensate for the loss of specific frequencies. They can automatically adjust the frequency you struggle to hear to one that is more audible, providing a more customized and reliable hearing experience.

Feedback can be a problem

You won’t get a custom fit with cheap hearing aids. A feedback loop is frequently the outcome of poorly fitting hearing aids. The microphone picks up the sound from the speaker in your ear as it jiggles around. What does this sound like? An ear-shattering screech.

They typically won’t help you on your cellphone

Functionality is frequently sacrificed when opting for budget devices, and this holds true for many inexpensive hearing aids lacking Bluetooth connectivity. When considering phone connectivity, the absence of Bluetooth is a huge hurdle. Attempting to amplify a cheap hearing aid while on the phone leads to capturing not just 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.

In contrast, digital hearing aids use telecoil or Bluetooth technology, creating a wireless connection between your hearing aid and the phone. This advanced feature ensures that when your daughter speaks on the other end, her voice is sent directly into your hearing aids, enhancing clarity and overall communication.

They were never intended to treat hearing loss

This might come as a shock because so many people think otherwise. PSAPs were never designed for people with hearing loss. They were designed to help individuals who have fairly good hearing hear things a bit louder.

Cheap devices might help a little if you only have slight hearing loss. But individuals who actually need hearing aids won’t find these cheaper devices very useful.

Where can you get quality affordable hearing aids?

Getting affordable quality hearing aids isn’t hard. Insurance or other third parties might cover them. There are also affordable brands, leasing programs, and financing options. If you think you have hearing loss, begin by getting checked out. Call us today for a consultation, we can help decide what’s best for you, depending on your amount and type of hearing loss, and make certain you get a pair that won’t break the bank!