What Is the Best Hearing Aid? An Audiologist's Guide to Choosing the Right One
Author: Dr. Sarah Johnson
Overview: There is no single best hearing aid for everyone. The right choice depends on your type and degree of hearing loss, listening environments, lifestyle, technology preferences, dexterity and budget. That's why High Tone Hearing works with multiple leading manufacturers instead of automatically recommending one brand.
If you came here hoping we'd name one hearing aid the winner, we're going to disappoint you.
There isn't one.
We work with hearing aids every day, and one of the most common questions we're asked is:
“What’s the best hearing aid?”
Our answer is usually another question:
“Best for what?”
Because the hearing aid we'd recommend for someone who spends most of the day in meetings may be different from what we'd recommend for someone whose biggest priority is hearing family at home.
There is no best hearing aid brand for everyone
At High Tone Hearing, we work with six leading hearing aid manufacturers: Phonak, Oticon, ReSound, Starkey, Widex and Signia.
And no, we don't have one brand that we automatically put everyone in.
That's intentional.
Each manufacturer approaches sound, technology and features a little differently.
Our job is to understand those differences so you don't have to become a hearing aid expert before your appointment.
What actually determines which hearing aid is best?
We look at your hearing, where you struggle, your lifestyle, your technology, your hands and vision, your preferences and your budget.
Hearing one person in a quiet living room is very different from following six people around a restaurant table.
Do you work? Travel? Attend meetings? Spend time outside? Go to sporting events? Eat out frequently?
Do you want rechargeable devices? Is connecting to your phone important? Is a very small device actually practical for you?
And you don't necessarily need the most expensive technology available. The right choice depends on the person wearing it.
What about all of the “best hearing aids” lists online?
They're fine for learning what's available.
We just wouldn't use one to choose your hearing aids.
A review site doesn't know your hearing test. It doesn't know that you eat dinner at a noisy restaurant every Friday. It doesn't know you have trouble manipulating tiny batteries. It doesn't know which sounds bother you.
And it won't be sitting across from you two weeks after your fitting when something needs adjusting.
Technology matters. The person fitting it matters too.
Should I choose Phonak, Oticon, ReSound, Starkey, Widex or Signia?
Maybe.
That's about as definitive as we can be without knowing you.
All six make sophisticated hearing technology.
There may be reasons we prefer one over another for a particular patient, but those reasons become apparent after we understand the person wearing them.
That's also one reason High Tone is independent. We like being able to choose.
What should a good hearing aid actually do?
It should help you hear better in the situations that matter to you.
It should be comfortable enough that you'll actually wear it.
It should be appropriately fit for your hearing.
You should understand how to use it.
And you should have someone to call when it isn't doing what you expected.
That's our definition of a good hearing aid.
Not the one with the longest feature list. Not necessarily the newest one. And definitely not automatically the most expensive one.
So what's the best hearing aid?
The one that's right for your hearing and the way you actually live.
That's why our hearing aid conversations don't start with a brand.
They start with you.
High Tone Hearing is an independent audiology practice in Sioux Falls offering hearing technology from Phonak, Oticon, ReSound, Starkey, Widex and Signia. Schedule an evaluation and we'll help you understand which options make sense for you.