The Truth About Cheap “Hearing Aids”

There are a couple separate ways to interpret the term “cheap hearing aids”. On the one hand, it indicates affordability, a smart option for a budget-conscious individual. On the other hand, it indicates low-quality, turning an apparently economical purchase into a not-so-smart decision, epitomized by the saying “You get what you pay for”.

Unfortunately, determining whether you’re getting a great value from whether you’re getting a really low-quality device can be difficult. This is particularly true in terms of hearing aids.

With hearing aids, the saying “you get what you pay for” rings particularly relevant. This means eliminating the devices that are priced in the “too good to be true” range, not necessarily going for the most costly choice. Customers need to recognize that essential information is frequently left out of the marketing campaigns of cheap hearing aids.

Cheaper hearing aids are basically only amplifiers

Boosting the overall volume is generally the only thing cheap “hearing aids” are capable of. When you just amplify everything, the sounds you want to hear better are amplified but so are undesirable background noise you don’t want.

If everything is louder, it entirely defeats the purpose of having a hearing aid.

A contemporary state-of-the-art hearing aid, in comparison, does much more than simply turn the volume up. It skillfully manages sound, maximizing the clarity of desired sounds while tuning out background noise. Genuine hearing aids are tuned to your distinct hearing needs, closely mimicking natural hearing with better accuracy.

PSAPs vs. Hearing Aids

The Food and Drug Administration has written guidelines for companies who sell hearing devices and have stringent rules as to what can be called hearing aids.

Regrettably, there are many devices out there that market themselves as hearing aids when they’re technically personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), named such because they can only amplify sound.

There are many legit and reputable companies that comply with appropriate marketing. But there are some vendors, especially online, that may be misinformed about what defines the difference between hearing aids and PSAPs, and consequently, they put out misleading claims about their products. You might even find some that claim that they’re FDA-approved when that’s actually not true.

They’re not helpful for the majority of kinds of hearing loss

The majority of individuals who lose their hearing will gradually lose specific frequencies of sound before others. For instance, you may have no problems hearing a man with a low voice, but have difficulty with a woman’s or child’s voice, finding it challenging to comprehend.

You get overall amplification with cheap hearing aids. But, if you have trouble with particular frequencies, just boosting the volume proves insufficient. Moreover, turning the volume up considerably to catch the sound of your granddaughter playing on the floor might lead to your adult son’s voice sounding like a roar, possibly contributing to hearing loss if subjected to high volumes for extended periods.

High-quality hearing aids provide a solution by being programmable to compensate for the loss of specific frequencies. They can instantly adjust the frequency you struggle to hear to one that is more audible, delivering a more tailored and reliable hearing experience.

Feedback can be a problem

You won’t get a custom fit with cheap hearing aids. A feedback loop is often the consequence of poorly fitting hearing aids. The microphone picks up the sound from the speaker in your ear as it jiggles around. This will result in a deafening screech.

They normally don’t have cellphone support

Functionality is frequently sacrificed when opting for budget devices, and this is true for many inexpensive hearing aids lacking Bluetooth connectivity. When thinking about phone connectivity, the absence of Bluetooth is a huge hurdle. Trying to amplify a cheap hearing aid while on the phone leads to capturing not just the caller’s voice but also the sounds of your ear, lips, clothing, and hair brushing against the phone, making it even more challenging to hear the person on the other end.

More advanced hearing aids are digital and use Bluetooth connectivity to connect directly to your phone. Overall communication and clarity will be improved so you can be sure you will hear your daughter’s voice on the phone.

They were never meant to treat hearing loss

Most people would most likely be surprised by this. These amplifiers were never meant to treat hearing loss. They were made to help individuals who have fairly good hearing hear things a bit louder.

Cheap devices might help a little if you only have minor hearing loss. But people who actually need hearing aids won’t find these cheaper devices that helpful.

Finding quality, affordable hearing aids

Getting affordable quality hearing aids is not hard. Insurance or other third parties might cover them. You can also find financing possibilities, leasing plans, and more affordable brands. The first step is to get a hearing assessment if you think you may have hearing loss. Call us today for a consultation, we can help decide what’s best for you, depending on your degree and type of hearing loss, and make certain you land a pair that won’t break the bank!

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