In addition to wearing a hearing aid, wearing a hearing aid alone may not be enough to fully enjoy sound. With some actions it is nice if you get extra support. Consider situations such as: better understanding of the TV, following people in a noisy room, better understanding of telephone conversations, etc. Below we give a number of tips about the hearing accessories of 2021.
Solo equipment
For hearing aid wearers, solo equipment is intended for situations that are also problematic with a hearing aid or implant, such as having conversations during meetings, on birthdays, card evenings, restaurant visits or when following lectures. Just like the TV accessory, the sound will be streamed directly to the hearing aids via the microphone of the solo equipment. The speech signal from your partner, for example, arrives immediately and will not be contaminated by all kinds of noise from the environment. You also have less problems with the reverberation that can affect speech. The signal can be transmitted to the hearing aid in several ways by solo equipment. This can be done via a special induction loop that is worn around the neck and is connected to the receiver or it is done via a special small receiver. The receiver can be built into the hearing aid or attached to the hearing aid. The sound from the solo equipment arrives at the hearing aid via the receiver. The hearing aid then makes the signal audible again as speech and other sounds. Nowadays, a link can also be made with most hearing aid streamers.
Table microphone
One of the most commonly used solo equipment systems is the table microphone. It contains several directional microphones. When you are sitting at the table with friends or family, you can switch on the table microphone (it is linked to your hearing aid). With the table microphone you can choose how many directional microphones you use. Below you will find the table microphones.
- Phonak Select
- Starkey table microphone
- Resound Micro Mic
Clip Microphone
You can “clip” this accessory onto your partner’s clothing. Your partner’s voice is picked up and sent directly to your hearing aids. This can be very nice, for example, during conversations in noisy environments or while cycling.
Phone Microphone
In addition to streaming your telephone calls, some brands have developed their own telephone microphone that transmits incoming telephone calls effortlessly. The incoming call will be heard in both ears. This is also very useful if you want to make hands-free calls, for example.
Phone apps
The hearing aid phone app should not be missing here either. Many brands have been busy developing the remote control app in recent years. In addition to controlling the volume, you can also often change the programs. For example, you can adjust low, middle or high tones, adjust noise reduction or adjust the angle of your receiver. There are of course a number of brands that excel in this. Take, for example, the latest Starkey Livio Thrive app where, in addition to your hearing, you can also keep track of your brain and body fitness, operate the device with Siri or translate spoken language. Most hearing aids that have been developed over the past year can also be adjusted remotely. You then also log in to the app. You will get in touch with your hearing care professional at the agreed time. After expressing your wishes, the hearing care professional will adjust a few things in the software and send the new settings to you. And that while you are at home!
- My Phonak App
- Starkey Thrive App
- Widex Moment App
- Resound 3d App
- Oticon ON App
Curious about the possibilities of the different accessories? Please do not hesitate to contact us!