Phonak hearing aids are available in various sizes and styles. The three most common types of hearing aid are behind-the-ear hearing aids (BTE), receiver-in-canal hearing aids (RIC) and in-the-ear hearing aids(ITE).
Behind-the-ear hearing aid
In a behind-the-ear hearing aid, all the technology is situated in a sturdy casing positioned behind the ear. Sounds are transmitted to the wearer’s ear directly, by means of a small tube or earpiece. For a long time, BTE hearing aids were the largest, but also the most powerful hearing aids available. These hearing aids were developed especially for people with severe hearing loss.
Over the last couple of years, hearing aids have come a long way. Whatever your degree of hearing loss – from barely noticeable to severe – a Phonak hearing aid is a perfect addition to your life. Hearing aids are available in a broad range of sizes, featuring all kinds of functionality.
The Bolero and the Naida are Phonak’s best-known BTE hearing aids. Currently, the Naida Paradise version is the newest model on the market. This hearing aid is available in both battery-powered and rechargeable versions, as well as a super power and an ultra power version (the most powerful hearing aid on the market). This hearing aid comes in four different versions: the 90, 70, 50 and 30 series – 90 being the most advanced, and 30 the least. The 70 version is a little less advanced than the 90: this hearing aid will still enable you to understand speech well in crowded settings, but this will be trickier in rooms with poor acoustics. The 50 version is specifically designed for small groups, while the 30 is mainly intended for people who often have one-on-one conversations.
Phonak also offers a beautiful line of children’s hearing aids with the Sky version, which is available in a range of cheerful colours.
Receiver-in-the-canal hearing aid (RIC)
Like BTE hearing aids, RIC hearing aids are positioned behind the outer ear. The difference is that the speaker is not included in the casing with the rest of the technology, but positioned inside an earpiece or ear tip placed in the ear. The casing is connected to the speaker by means of a wire. Because of the different way this type of hearing aid is constructed, they tend to be smaller, lighter and more discreet than BTE hearing aids, but not powerful enough for wearers with severe hearing loss. Receivers for this hearing aid are available at different power levels.
Currently, Phonak’s latest hearing aid on the market is the Audéo Paradise. This is also available in 90, 70, 50 and 30 versions. These hearing aids are also available in rechargeable as well as battery-powered versions. And this hearing aid is also available in a children’s version.
In-the-ear hearing aid (ITE)
ITE hearing aids are positioned inside your ear. Within this category, various substyles are available, ranging from slightly larger but more powerful ITC (in-the-canal) to smaller CIC (completely-in-canal) or virtually invisible IIC (invisible-in-canal) models. Currently, Phonak’s latest hearing aid on the market is the Virto Marvel, which is also available in 90, 70, 50 and 30 versions.
In addition to these digital hearing aids, Phonak also produces the Lyric. This is one of the most unique hearing aids in the world. It is positioned completely inside the ear by a Lyric specialist and is the first 100% invisible hearing aid that can be used continuously for months at a time.