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Widex - Flash |
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| Manufacturer: |
Widex - Flash |
| Fee: |
$1,699 |
| Fee Details: |
Price per fitted ear. Price should include fitting and any required follow up service to ensure your hearing aids function properly. |
| Device Description: |
| Versions: | BTE, Micro BTE, ITE, ITC, CIC | | Features: | Speech Enhancement - Noise Reduction, Feedback Cancellation |
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Hearing Aid Cost
The cost of digital hearing aids can have a wide range depending on technology level, features, accessories, and service. Below is an expected retail price range for the different technology levels. Price ranges noted are for TWO hearing aids since most people purchase one for each ear. In addition, the below price ranges include fitting and follow-up services from the Hearing Professional. Most hearing aid distributors price their hearing aids with the services included.
- Basic/Economy - $3,000 to $3,600 with a 1 or 2 year manufacturer's warranty
- Mid-Level/Advanced - $3,800 to $5,000 with a 2 year manufacturer's warranty
- Premium Technology – $5,000 and up with a 3 year manufacturer's warranty
There will always be pricing extremes on the low and high spectrum, so it's wise to get two or three opinions. |
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Digital hearing aids
Digital hearing aids have been the cause of excitement for years now. Digital hearing aids represent the most advanced technology available today allowing the most precise prescriptive fitting available. Digital hearing aids focus on bringing understanding of speech through sophisticated control of the sound signal inside the hearing aid. If you think about the sounds that you can hear and sounds that you cannot hear, these sounds differ in pitch (ex. keys on a piano) and they differ in volume/loudness. Digital hearing aid processing can shape the hearing aids’ amplification (volume and clarity of the signal which you hear through the aid) across changing pitches and changing volumes. Another example would be to imagine a graphic equalizer on a stereo and imagine how you can fine tune music to your specific listening preferences.
For most people, hearing loss is usually not the same degree across the various frequencies/pitches. Due to changing hearing levels at different frequencies, each specific frequency needs a different amount of amplification. Digital hearing aids separate the frequency response into “channels”, which can be manipulated independently by various “bands” on the Hearing Professional’s software. This customizes the hearing aid response to your specific hearing loss.
Today, other styles of hearing aids (mainly analog) are virtually obsolete. About 95% of all hearing aids sold today are digital according to industry statistics. Most hearing aid manufacturers carry several different models, and all the models can be divided into 3 technology levels - Premium, Mid-Level/Advanced, and Basic/Economy. Which level is best suited for you will depend upon your hearing loss, lifestyle/hearing needs, and budget.
Styles
- Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids fit comfortably behind-the-ear and are attached to a soft custom earmold. With BTE hearing aids, the electronics are housed in a case that fits behind the ear. Sound is directed from the hearing aid, through the tubing, and through the earmold to the eardrum. These hearing aids can be modified with connections to external sound sources such as auditory training equipment and infrared listening systems. Several models are also Bluetooth compatible. Click here for more information about Bluetooth and hearing aids.
- Open Fit Behind-the-ear (OTE) hearing aids are similar to standard behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids. The casing is noticeably smaller and the tubing is much thinner. A small tip or dome at the end of the tube is used instead of a traditional earmold. This leaves the ear "open" and reduces problems with occlusion (stuffy or barrel feeling) leading to more natural sounding amplification. This newer style of BTEs has become increasingly popular over the last 4 years and now accounts for over 50% of the hearing aid market. Although originally designed for high-frequency hearing losses, newer models can now accommodate a wider range of hearing loss. Reconfiguration of the hearing aid or using a traditional earmold can accommodate changes in a person’s hearing. New OTEs are the most cosmetically appealing style of hearing aid available today.
- ITE (in-the-ear) hearing aids can be used for a wide range of hearing losses up to a severe loss. Due to their size, ITE hearing aids allow for optional manual features such as a volume control, program button, or telephone switch. They are also much easier to handle than smaller custom aids. This type of hearing aid fills the outer ear. The hearing aid case is custom made out of a hard plastic material. The hearing aid case houses all of the miniaturized hearing aid parts. The ITE style is available with programmable and digital technology.
- ITC (in-the-canal) hearing aids fit into the ear canal. They are only slightly larger than the completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aid but smaller than the in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aid. The ITC style is available in analog and digital technology. They are less obvious than the ITE style. Due to a slightly bigger battery, battery life is longer lasting compared to a CIC style.
- Completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids are the smallest size of custom hearing aids, practically invisible to an observer. Custom designed to fit the wearer's ear, CIC hearing aids fit deep inside the ear canal. CIC hearing aids are meant for people with ear canals large enough to accommodate the insertion depth of the device into the ear. This style accommodates people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Some manufactures have power CICs for more severe losses available, although this is not yet the norm. CIC instruments can have analog or digital technology housed within their tiny casing. The microphone of a CIC instrument sits in your ear canal, simulating natural sound reception. However, research shows that directional microphones provide a greater benefit in noise reduction than the single microphone on a CIC. Due to the small size, there is not an option for directional microphones.
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