Analog vs. Digital hearing aids

Today’s quality hearing aids are digital; however, people who have worn hearing aids—or known someone who has—for many years, may be familiar with analog hearing aids.

All hearing aids receive sound through a microphone and transmit it into the ear through a speaker. However, they process sounds in different ways. Analog hearing aids convert sound waves into electrical signals which then get amplified. They’re custom built and programmed by the manufacturer based on recommendations from an audiologist or licensed hearing aid dispenser.

Digital hearing aids, on the other hand, convert sound waves into number codes (like a computer) before they get amplified. This helps to make sounds clearer as well as louder, and it gives the hearing health professional more options to program and adjust the aid to your needs and environments.