There has been a large increase in the number of hearing aids that are digital this past decade. Much of these digital hearing aids are now in their 4th generation of updates, so they are armed with tried and tested features. With over 20 makers of these devices with close to 100 different models, digital hearing aids have rapidly become the standard hearing aid for individuals who need things to just be a little louder. However, some people are wary of digital hearings aids and still use earlier analog models. Is a digital hearing aid the best option for you?

Digital hearing aids arrived on the marketplace around 1987; however, these models were bulky and used large amounts of battery power, making them difficult to use. Many hated these, waiting another ten years until the next, more refined line of digital hearing aids came out.

Digital hearing aids are not separated devices. They take the analog sound it picks up and turns it into binary code, which can then be processed. However, some analog devices can provide a improved sound than some digital devices. It all depends on the elements used in the manufacturing process. There are some aspects of digital hearing aids that make it superior to most analog devices.

· gain processing
· digital feedback reduction
· digital noise reduction
· digital speech enhancement
· directional microphones.

Gain Processing

The gain of a sound, otherwise known as level or rough volume, is often refined in digital hearing aids, making voices much easier to be heard. Also common in music recording studios, this processing has two parts, compression and expansion. When you listen to a CD of modern music recorded in a studio, every vocal part has been processed with compression. This modifies some of the frequencies of a sound or voice to give it a more pleasing and easy to listen to quality. Expansion is the opposite process, raising some of the frequencies of a sound or voice. This can also filter out undesired background noise.

Directional Microphones
This is an older, more traditional method of maximising the effectiveness of digital hearing aids. By focusing the range of sounds that will be included into the ear, directional microphones will pick up and produce a much more focused and tight signal than omnidirectional microphones. Usually, hearing aid users want to be able to understand one or two sources of sound, not fifty. Thus, directional microphones are typically the best option for hearing aid wearers.

Brief Description of Digital Hearing Aid Models

· Behind the Ear. These hearing aids have an ear mold that rests behind the ear of the user. A plastic tube then comes down into the ear. Other behind the ear hearing aids have no ear mold, in order to give the device a much more tactful look.

· In the Ear, In the Canal, Completely in the Canal. In the ear hearing aids rest inside the outer ear, and provide excellent sound for the user. Hearing aids classified as in the canal, rest inside the ear canal of the outer ear. They provide a more discreet appearance while maintaining high quality sound. Completely in the canal hearing aids are very challenging for outside people to notice. They fit completely inside the ear canal. However, they are usually not ideal for those with profound hearing loss.

· Body Worn Hearing Aids. Thankfully, these devices which comprise of a microphone and working components in a box that you put on your person, have been updated with the aforementioned digital hearing aids. These still may be appropriate for elderly users who have difficulty operating small devices such the buttons and wheels of a hearing aid.

Modern digital hearing aids are useful devices which have evolved into tiny but powerful solutions for those whose hearing has reduced over the years.