Common hearing aid styles

3 levels of hearing aid technology

There are essentially three levels of hearing aid technology: analog, digitally programmable, and digital.
ANALOG technology has been around for many decades. Analog technology is basic technology and offers limited adjustment capability. It is the least expensive and the least flexible, though it's hard to beat for high power. Most manufacturers are moving away from analog. We predict that in 2-3 years analog instruments will be hard to find.


DIGITALLY PROGRAMMABLE technology is the "middle grade" technology. Digitally programmable units are actually analog technology, but they are digitally controlled by the computer in the office to adjust the sounds of the hearing aid.


DIGITAL technology is the most sophisticated hearing aid technology. Digital technology gives the audiologist maximum control over sound quality and sound processing characteristics. There are qualitative and quantitative indications that digital instruments do outperform digitally programmable and analog hearing aids. This does not make them, however, the panacea that some people have come to expect: does not make them an adequate replacement for a normally functioning ear; does not block out background noise, as some people have been led to believe. These are amazing gadgets, however. Some can perform more operations and faster than the desktop computer I'm composing this on. The science is staggering, but we have to remember we're coupling this wonder to a neurologically damaged ear with its own internal limits. This class represents our best, and they are remarkable. As a professional, however, I just wish the advertisers would ratchet down a notch...

There are many styles of hearing aids. The type and degree of hearing loss, power requirements and options, manual dexterity abilities, cost factors, and cosmetic concerns are some of the factors that will determine the exact hearing aid style the patient will use. The most common styles are listed below:

ITE: In-The-Ear units are generally the least expensive and the easiest to operate. They are also the largest of the custom made styles.








ITC: In-The-Canal units are generally a little more expensive than ITEs. They require good dexterity to control the volume wheels and other controls on the faceplate and they are smaller than ITEs.








MC: Mini-Canals are the size between ITC and CIC. A mini canal is a good choice when you want the smallest possible instrument with manual control capability.







CIC: Completely-In-the-Canal units are the tiniest hearing aids made. They usually require a "removal string" due to their small size and the fact that they fit deeply into the ear canal. CICs can be difficult to remove without the pull string. CICs do not usually have manual controls attached to them because they are too small.








BTE: Behind-The-Ear hearing aids are the largest hearing aids and they are very reliable. BTEs have the most circuit options and they typically offer much more power than custom made units. BTEs are the units that rest on the back of your ear. They are connected to the ear canal via custom-made plastic tubing. The tubing is part of the earmold. The earmold is custom made from an ear impression to perfectly replicate the size and shape of your ear.









PAC: Post-auricular-canal instrument. This is a new hearing aid design which physically separates the processor from the receiver/speaker. This design offers comfort and acoustic options as the tiny processor is placed behind the ear, and the receiver/speaker is placed deep in the ear canal.