Advantages and disadvantages of different types of hearing aids

In-ear hearing aids are called ITEs. These hearing aids are custom made. The hearing care professional takes an impression of your ear canal and it is sent to the hearing aid manufacturer. Every brand has in-ear hearing aids. An in-the-ear hearing aid is located in the ear and is minimally visible to the outside world. The in-ear headphones are also available in an extremely small size. When there is enough space in your ear, they can make a hearing aid very small and very deep in your ear. There is then a pull cord with which you can easily remove the device from the ear. They call this CIC. Complete in the canal. An example of such a hearing aid is the Widex Evoke 330 micro .

Benefits in the ear:

• Cosmetically beautiful / less visible
• Sound is close to your eardrum, which gives a natural sound
• You won’t be bothered if you wear glasses
• You prevent irritation behind the ear shell
• Less wind noise

Disadvantages in the ear:

• An in-ear hearing aid can malfunction a bit faster because all electronics are built in a shell and therefore a bit more vulnerable.
• It is often very small so maintenance can be difficult when you have less feeling in your fingers
• If you create a lot of wax, the filter is quickly clogged and you need to replace it regularly.
• The small hearing aid has a small battery that will drain faster

The RIC devices are also hearing aids that are partly behind your ear. However, there is no connecting hose attached to it, but a thin electronic wire. We will first explain this to you properly.

Lesson in between! In order to bring sound to your ear canal, and then let you hear it properly, it is necessary that the sound that is received by the hearing aid (behind the ear) is transported to your ear canal. With BTE hearing aids, this is done through the connection piece. This is a tube through which sound can pass. The sound then passes through the tube to the custom-made earmold and is then released into your ear canal near your eardrum. The RIC hearing aids are also located behind your ear but have a different way of transporting sound. This is attached to another connector. A so-called loudspeaker. You should see a RIC device as a sound system with speakers. The hearing aid is the sound system and the wire to your ears is the box that reproduces the sound in your ear. An example of an in-ear receiver is the Starkey Livio ai 2400 ric .

Advantages of RIC devices:

• No loss of sound
• The hearing aids are often very small
• The hearing aids are available in a rechargeable version
• The RIC devices can now also be adapted for severe hearing losses
• There are countless possibilities when it comes to connectivity with your mobile phone
• The wearing comfort is experienced as very pleasant

Disadvantages RIC devices:

• The speaker that disappears in the ear can sometimes become clogged with earwax.
• The RIC devices are often a bit small, so you have to be able to handle them well