Hearing Aid Technology

At ENT Specialists of Arizona, we have a wide array of styles to offer. Our hearing instruments range from behind-the-ear, or in-the-ear, to completely-in-the canal designs. When choosing a hearing instrument, the look and style is an important personal decision. However, it is important to remember that hearing instrument styles will vary depending on the severity and type of your hearing loss. The technology of the hearing instrument is another important decision in regards to how sound is processed through the hearing instrument. Now, with new advances in hearing aid technology, digital hearing instruments are our primary focus.

This technology features the digital circuit. This circuit is powered by more than one million transistors contained in a tiny computer chip. Fully digital hearing instruments are capable of processing 150 million operations per second, and are available with approximately 52 different adjustments used to fine-tune the instrument. This allows for a more precise prescriptive fit. In addition, by using digital sound processing, digital circuits are capable of analyzing incoming information for speech content. It is able to identify speech-like sounds and amplify the frequencies or pitches where this information is detected. At the same time the circuit is able to reduce the frequencies or pitches that contain non-speech information.

Digital hearing instruments have many advantages over analog hearing instruments. Digital hearing instruments are automatic, which eliminates the need for a manual volume control. This also helps to alleviate the "whistling" that is often encountered when wearing traditional analog hearing instruments. Another advantage is a low battery indicator which informs you when a battery needs to be replaced.

Microphone technology is another option available in hearing instruments. The directional microphone has been significantly improved, which has resulted in increased satisfaction when hearing speech in the presence of background noise.

Individual success with hearing instruments will vary depending on the type and severity of your hearing loss. It is important to realize that although a hearing aid cannot restore your hearing, our staff will be able to help you to hear the sounds you have been missing out on. We want you to be able to do the things in life that you enjoy doing, without the frustration of dealing with a hearing loss. To chose which type of hearing aid will best fit your individual needs, please feel free to contact our office and set up an appointment with one of our audiologists.