What’s the difference between analogue and digital hearing aids?
‘Analogue’ and ‘digital’ refer to the way that sound is amplified or made louder by a hearing aid. Traditional hearing aids are now known as analogue aids, following the development and introduction of digital aids. An analogue hearing aid picks up sound with a microphone and changes the sound into electrical signals. These signals are then changed, or processed, by the hardware (transistors) inside the aid, according to the switches set by the audiologist. The electrical signals are converted back to sound and sent into the ear through the earmould. A digital hearing aid contains a mini-computer which amplifies the sound. The sounds picked up by the microphone are converted into electrical signals, as with an analogue aid. These signals are then converted into data. The hearing aid is programmed to change the data, or certain bits of the data. This is similar to the way a computer processes information. The data is then converted back into sound and sent out through the ear mould.
