“Cheap Hearing Aids” What You Should Know

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

Unfortunately, deciding if you’re getting a great deal from whether you’re buying a really low-quality device can be tricky. With regard to hearing aids, this couldn’t be more relevant.

With hearing aids, the axiom “you get what you pay for” rings particularly true. This doesn’t necessarily imply picking the top-tier option, but instead, looking closely at products that boast a price tag too tempting to be genuine. Consumers need to be aware that essential information is frequently left out of the marketing campaigns of cheap hearing aids.

Cheaper hearing aids are basically only amplifiers

Cheap “hearing aids” typically provide minimal functionality, primarily amplifying or reducing overall volume. If you amplify the volume to hear the TV better, you’ll also pick up background noises like the dishwasher, a fan in another room, a barking dog, or the sound of your house slippers going across the floor.

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

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

PSAPs vs. Hearing Aids

The Food and Drug Administration has written guidelines for those who sell hearing devices and have stringent rules as to what can be labeled hearing aids.

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

There are lots of legitimate and reputable companies that comply with appropriate marketing. But there are some sellers, particularly online, that might be misinformed about what characterizes the difference between hearing aids and PSAPs, and as a result, they put out misleading claims about their products. You might even find some that claim that they are FDA-approved when that’s actually not true.

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

The majority of individuals who lose their hearing will slowly lose particular frequencies of sound before others. For example, you may have no trouble hearing a man with a low voice, but struggle with a woman’s or child’s voice, finding it difficult to comprehend.

You get overall amplification with cheap hearing aids. But just turning up the total volume will not be adequate for people who have a difficult time hearing specific frequencies. And turning up the overall volume could lead to additional damage to your hearing because the frequencies you don’t have trouble with will be booming in your ears.

High-quality hearing aids can be programmed to increase selected frequencies offering a much better solution. They can automatically adjust the frequency you struggle to hear to one that is more audible, delivering a more customized and reliable hearing experience.

Feedback can be an issue

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. This will generate a deafening screech.

They normally won’t help you on your cellphone

When individuals are looking for a budget-friendly device, they often sacrifice functionality like Bluetooth connectivity. The lack of Bluetooth becomes crucial when considering phone connectivity. Trying to amplify a cheap hearing aid while on the phone leads to capturing not only the caller’s voice but also the sounds of your ear, lips, clothing, and hair rubbing against the phone, making it even more challenging to hear the person on the other end.

In comparison, digital hearing aids utilize 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’re not designed for people with hearing loss

Most people would most likely be surprised by this. These amplifiers were never intended to treat hearing loss. They were designed to help individuals who have fairly good hearing hear things a little louder.

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

Where can you get quality affordable hearing aids?

There are many ways to get hearing aids affordably. Insurance or other third parties may cover them. There are also affordable brands, leasing programs, and financing options. The first step is to get a hearing assessment if you think you may have hearing loss. Make an appointment with us so we can help you get the best and most affordable hearing aids for your level and type of hearing loss.