“Cheap Hearing Aids” What You Should Know

The word “cheap” has dual meanings. On the one hand, it indicates affordability, a smart choice for a budget-conscious person. 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, differentiating between an economical purchase and an item of minimal value is often tricky. With regard to hearing aids, this couldn’t be more true.

With hearing aids, the saying “you get what you pay for” is especially valid. This means weeding out the devices that are priced in the “too good to be true” range, not automatically opting for the most costly choice. Companies marketing cheap hearing devices often omit important details about their products that consumers should be aware of.

Cheaper hearing aids are basically only amplifiers

Cheap “hearing aids” typically offer limited functionality, primarily amplifying or reducing overall volume. If you amplify the volume to hear the TV better, you’ll also get background noises including the dishwasher, a fan in a different room, a barking dog, or the sound of your house slippers moving across the floor.

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

A modern state-of-the-art hearing aid, in contrast, does a lot more than simply crank up the volume. It minimizes background sound while expertly managing sound and maximizing clarity. Authentic hearing aids simulate natural hearing with great accuracy and are custom tuned to your particular hearing needs.

PSAPs vs. Hearing Aids

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

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

There are many legit and reputable providers that comply with proper marketing. But there are some sellers, particularly online, that might be misinformed about what characterizes the difference between hearing aids and PSAPs, and consequently, they put out misleading statements about their products. You might even find some that claim that they’re approved by the FDA when that’s actually false.

For the majority of kinds of hearing loss they won’t be helpful at all

The slow loss of hearing frequently involves trouble hearing particular frequencies rather than an abrupt total loss. You might have a hard time understanding a small child or a woman, for example, but you have no issue understanding a man with a low voice.

A cheap hearing device usually results in overall volume amplification. However, if you have trouble with particular frequencies, just boosting the volume will be inadequate. And turning the overall volume up could lead to additional damage to your hearing because the frequencies you don’t have trouble with will be roaring in your ears.

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.

Feedback can be a problem

Cheap hearing aids are usually not custom fit to your ears. Without that custom fit, you’ll create a feedback loop. The microphone picks up the sound from the speaker in your ear as it wiggles around. What does this sound like? An ear-shattering screech.

They normally don’t have cellphone support

Functionality is often sacrificed when choosing budget devices, and this is true for lots of inexpensive hearing aids lacking Bluetooth connectivity. When thinking about phone connectivity, the absence of Bluetooth is a huge obstacle. With cheaper hearing devices, when you attempt to amplify phone calls, your device will amplify every little sound, like your lips or ears brushing on the phone, or clothing and hair.

More sophisticated hearing aids are digital and utilize Bluetooth connectivity to connect directly to your phone. This advanced feature ensures that when your daughter talks on the other end, her voice is transmitted directly into your hearing aids, enhancing clarity and overall communication.

They aren’t made for people with hearing loss

This may come as a surprise because so many individuals think otherwise. PSAPs were never made for individuals with hearing loss. They were designed to help individuals who have fairly good hearing hear things a little louder.

Cheap devices might help a little if you only have slight hearing loss. But they won’t be of much help for people who actually need hearing aids.

Where can you get quality affordable hearing aids?

There are lots of ways to get hearing aids affordably. They might even be covered by insurance or other third parties. You can also find financing options, leasing programs, and more affordable brands. The first step is to get a hearing test if you think you may have hearing loss. Call us today for a consultation, we can help figure out 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!