What are the classifications of hearing aid installations?

What are the classifications of hearing aid installations?

1. Box hearing aid:

Also known as body-worn or pocket-type hearing aids. The shape is like a small radio-sized rectangular box in which the microphone, amplifier and battery of the hearing aid are assembled, and a long wire is connected to the earphone and earplug or a special ear mold. Usually placed in a pocket of a garment or in a special pouch, it looks like you are listening to the radio with headphones.

advantage:

◆ The power is large. Compared with other types of hearing aids, the box hearing aid is the most powerful hearing aid. It is suitable for the hearing impaired people with severe hearing loss and the elderly with less hand activity;

◆ The receiver of the hearing aid is far away from the microphone and is not easy to generate feedback;

◆ The adjustment knob is large in size and easy to use.

Disadvantages:

◎ Friction with clothing produces noise;

◎ Linear amplification, simple lines, indistinguishable speech and noise, and poor definition;

◎ Due to being worn in front, the range of sound collected is limited;

◎ It is inconvenient to wear, too large in size and wire, and it is not convenient to answer the phone; it is not beautiful.

2. Behind hearing aids:

Also known as a behind-the-ear or ear-hooked hearing aid, it relies on a curved, semi-circular, hard plastic ear hook that hangs behind the ear. The microphone, amplifier, and receiver are all assembled inside the machine, and the patient can manipulate the external settings. Includes switches, volume knobs, etc. on the outside of the machine. The amplified sound is transmitted through the ear hook through a sound tube into the sound hole of the ear mold.

advantage:

◆ It has the widest range of objects to be used, from mild to very severely disabled people;

◆ Since the volume is large enough, an inductor, a multi-microphone, etc. can be added to help improve the definition;

◆ Can be connected to the sound boots, easy to listen to children with speech training;

◆ Battery, knob, etc. are easy to operate;

◆ Suitable for children, ear canal growth, only need to change the ear mold regularly, it is more convenient;

◆ No need to make a custom, you can wear it on the same day, saving the matching time.

Disadvantages:

◎ Because it is worn above the auricle, it is easily eroded by sweat, rain, etc., causing hearing aid failure;

◎ Compared with the in-ear hearing aid, the ear-back type is too large and unsightly;

◎ The hearing aid is located behind the ear, and the switch and volume control are inconvenient to adjust;

◎ The distance between the microphone and the receiver is close to each other, which is easy to cause the acoustic feedback to whistle, so the high-powered behind-the-ear hearing aid must be customized with the ear mold;

◎ Wearing the ear mold is prone to the effect of blocking the ear.

3. Ear cavity hearing aidITE:

It is the earliest customized hearing aid developed and applied. Anatomically speaking, it is also called ear-type hearing aid. The outer casing is customized according to the shape of the ear cavity of the hearing impaired person. The microphone, amplifier and receiver are all placed in a customized casing, and no wires or hoses are needed outside. Can be placed in the ear canal, ear cavity and external auditory canal, more concealed, lighter

advantage:

◆ Compared with the ear-back machine, its appearance concealment is greatly improved;

◆ Large output power, suitable for hearing lossITE,ITC宽；

◆ Additional components such as dual microphones and pickup coils can be installed;

◆ Replace the battery, adjust the volume, etc.ITC,CICIt’s easier.

Disadvantages:

◎ The shape is still too large, not beautiful enough, and the ear blocking effect is obvious;

◎ The receiver is easily blocked by cockroaches;

◎ For the elderly and those who are not flexible enough, it is not convenient to change the battery and adjust the volume.

4. Ear canal hearing aidITC:

It is slightly smaller than the ear cavity type hearing aid and is one of the more popular hearing aids.ITCIt can be placed deeper into the ear canal, closer to the tympanic membrane, and can produce more gain.

advantage:

◆ The shape is small, which basically meets the requirements of the patient’s aesthetics;

◆ The computer programming hearing aid has many adjustable parameters, is not affected by the volume, and has good sound quality;

◆ It is more comfortable to wear and the ear blocking effect is reduced;

◆ The normal auricle function is preserved to help improve sound gain and sound source localization.

Disadvantages:

◎ A hearing impaired person who is only suitable for mild or moderate to severe hearing loss;

◎ Ear canal hearing aid battery, volume adjuster, etc.ITESmaller, so it is more difficult to operate;

◎ It is not easy to install accessories such as dual microphones and inductors;

◎ The receiver is easily blocked by cockroaches.

5. Deep ear canal hearing aidCIC:

It is currently the smallest type of hearing aid, and it is not easy to be seen even when viewed from the side. It penetrates deeper into the ear canal and reaches or exceeds the second physiological curvature of the external auditory canal, very close to the tympanic membrane, and its amplification characteristics are closer to the physiological characteristics of the normal human ear. Wear for patients with the same hearing lossCICThan wearingITCCan save5~10dBThe gain (especially for the high frequency part) can achieve the same hearing amplification effect.

advantage:

◆ The distance between the receiver and the eardrum is increased, and the gain is increased, especially the high frequency sound gain;

◆ Reduced the blocking effect;

◆ The normal physiological function of the auricle is preserved, and the sound source localization is improved;

◆ The amplified sound acts directly on the tympanic membrane, reducing distortion and making the sound quality more natural and beautiful;

◆ Small size, concealed and beautiful;

◆ Comfortable to wear, not easy to fall off;

◆ Because of the small influence of sweat and dust in the depth of the ear canal, there are fewer chances of accidental injury;

◆ It is convenient to answer the call;

◆ Eliminates the noise caused by the wind.

Disadvantages:

◎ Limited output power, not suitable for severely hearing and above;

◎ Due to its small size, it is not possible to configure accessories such as directional microphones or inductor coils;

◎ If there is no remote control, you cannot adjust the volume and multi-program;

◎ The receiver is easily blocked by cockroaches.