Whats the difference between analogue and digital hearing aids?
Like analogue hearing aids, digital hearing aids have a microphone to pick up the sound and a receiver to deliver it into the ear. However, instead of the sound simply being amplified, it is processed by a digital sound processor or tiny computer. The analogue sound signal is filtered, sampled and converted into a series of numbers. The computer performs specific operations to filter or compress the sound, then processes these codes. The processed digital signal is then converted back into an analogue signal which is fed into the receiver. Unlike a traditional analogue hearing aid, digital hearing aids can be programmed to the users’ specific requirements using a computer. This means that they can be tailored very precisely to a patient’s individual hearing loss.
Hearing aids are described as either digital or analogue. Digital aids look very similar to analogue aids but they have a tiny computer inside to process sounds. This makes it possible to customise the aid to suit your hearing loss very precisely. Many digital aids can be programmed with different settings for different sound environments; for example, a quiet living room or a noisy restaurant. Your audiologist or hearing aid dispenser can advise you on the most suitable type for you. For more information see our leaflet “All about hearing aids” or find out more about different types of hearing aid.
