If you’ve recently been diagnosed with hearing loss, you may feel overwhelmed by the number of options in front of you. You’ve had a hearing test, and you know that investing in a set of hearing devices will greatly improve your quality of life. But there are so many types of hearing aids available, and so many hearing aid manufacturers and models available, that it can be hard to know where to start! Read on for a quick guide that will help you make sense of the hearing aid brands you may be offered.

Almost all hearing aids that are currently manufactured are digital hearing aids. They take in sound with small microphones, process it to reduce noise and enhance speech, amplify the frequency regions that you need based on your type of hearing loss, and deliver it to your ear canal using a small speaker. While they all work the same way, there are different types of hearing aids that are appropriate for different people. These are the common styles available:

• Behind-the-ear (BTE): These are placed behind the ear and connect to the ear canal using a clear tube. They often require a custom-made earmold to be attached. These days, behind-the-ear hearing aids are mostly used for severe hearing losses and for pediatric fittings.
• Receiver-in-canal (RIC): These hearing aids are small and discreet. They sit behind the ear but connect to the speaker in the ear canal using a thin, nearly invisible wire. They usually contain the most cutting-edge technology available from a given manufacturer, and these days, they almost always use rechargeable batteries.
• In-the-ear (ITE): These are the custom-fitted hearing aids that fit in the ear canal. They require an in-person visit with a hearing care professional to take molds of your ears to send to the manufacturer. They are less popular these days but can be the best choice for certain people with hearing loss. 
• Completely-in-canal (CIC): These are a smaller version of the ITE. They are also custom-fitted by a hearing care professional, but they use a smaller battery and lack features such as manual volume control or Bluetooth connectivity so they can be made smaller.

The hearing aid industry is dominated by six major players. All six are large international corporations, and all six make equally high-quality hearing aids in every style listed above. Hearing aid technology changes rapidly, and the companies are in very close competition with one another. This is good for the consumer because it means hearing aid pricing, features, and quality stay competitive. The Big Six, in no particular order, are as follows:

1. Signia (previously known as Siemens)
2. Resound 
3. Oticon
4. Phonak
5. Starkey
6. Widex

Of course, there are many other hearing aid manufacturers out there. Some of them are smaller companies that offer equally high quality as the big companies do, but some of them are cheap knock-offs that will only make things loud and unclear. If you choose to purchase a lesser-known brand of hearing aid, do your research. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is! Our position is that the most reliable way to ensure you’re purchasing a quality hearing aid is to stick with the Big Six.

If you visit a hearing clinic, you will find that each hearing care professional likely has one or two favorite hearing aid brands. If you visit multiple hearing clinics, you may get multiple recommendations; this is normal and perfectly fine! Remember that if you’re purchasing a quality set of hearing aids, quality care should come along with them, and part of what you’re paying for is your hearing care professional’s expertise. If they have a preferred brand or two, that means they know those brands inside and out, and that expertise will matter more to you, the consumer, than an individual brand’s bells and whistles. What you should focus on in your own decision-making is the technology tier – whether you choose the flagship hearing aid model a particular brand offers, the mid-tier, or the entry level, which is a decision driven by budget and lifestyle factors – and whether your purchase includes the care and expertise of a professional you trust. 

Earlux is not a hearing aid brand; we’re a virtual hearing clinic. All the hearing care professionals at Earlux are experienced with all six of the major hearing aid brands. We primarily choose to work with Resound and Signia at this time, but can offer all six brands when needed. There are no cheap knock-offs or over-the-counter devices here. We offer the receiver-in-canal (RIC) style, because our remote care model (no clinic! No waiting room!) is most compatible with this style. We will sit down with you – virtually, of course, in the comfort of your own home – and work together to choose the best hearing aid model for you, and then to get the fit and programming perfectly dialed in to your individual hearing needs. The care and expertise of your hearing professional is always just a phone call (or text) away. Questions? The best way to get started is to give us a call at 1-833-4-EARLUX (833-432-7589). We’d love to talk with you!