So far, many people think that there is no difference between hearing aids and loudspeakers. Hearing aids are used to amplify sound. Is there really no difference between hearing aids and loudspeakers? Please read this article!
What's a Hearing Aid?
A hearing aid is a small loudspeaker that amplifies sounds that are not otherwise audible and uses the residual hearing of the hearing-impaired so that the sound can reach the brain's auditory center and sense the sound. It is mainly composed of a microphone, amplifier, headset, power supply, and volume control. According to the conduction mode, the hearing aid can be divided into the air-guided hearing aid and bone guided hearing aid. According to the usage mode, the hearing aid can be classified as box type, glasses type, hairpin type, back ear type, inner ear type, ear canal type, deep ear canal type hearing aid.
What is a Personal Sound Amplifier?
The purpose of the personal sound amplifier (audiometer) is to expand the ambient sound effect and the user does not intend to compensate for impaired hearing and therefore does not require professional debugging. Personal hearing aids include watching TV, listening to lectures, and talking to family and friends.
The Main Difference Between Them
Nowadays many people have a hearing impairment. The wearing of hearing aids is becoming more and more common. But many people think that sound amplifiers are so-called hearing aids. Both hearing aids and personal sound amplifier (hearing aids) can improve our ability to hear the sound, but their products have different uses and are therefore subject to varying degrees of regulation. We will show you the differences between them today.
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Many people think that hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are the same thing. The saying that hearing aids are equal to loudspeakers actually holds decades earlier. After all, the original design concept of hearing aids was used to amplify sound, including the current hearing aids. The principle is still to amplify sound.
The reason for this statement is that most of the hearing aids of that era were analog hearing aids, which used linear amplification, and the output of the amplifier was proportional to the input signal. On the coordinates, it is a straight line across the origin, and the function of simulating hearing aids is relatively single, which can only amplify the sound.
Today’s hearing aids are basically digital hearing aids. Although they are both hearing aids, they can be said to be completely two products. The technical content of the two is too far apart. Digital hearing aids no longer use linear amplification like old-fashioned hearing aids. It uses nonlinear amplification. It is more complicated. Everyone is different. In layman's terms, it is to amplify more at a low voice, and amplify less at a loud voice. This perfectly avoids the phenomenon that the analog hearing aid cannot hear the low sound, and the loud sound is too noisy.
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In terms of functions, digital hearing aids are much more than loudspeakers.
Digital hearing aids can achieve the function of intelligent noise reduction. When the patient is wearing it, the hearing aid will actively analyze the frequency of the signal according to the surrounding environment, and then perform the corresponding noise reduction processing. For example, you are communicating with a person next to the washing machine. In the process of speaking, the hearing aid will first reduce the noise of the washing machine, and then amplify the voice of that person, and then pass it into your ears. This is something that a loudspeaker cannot do.
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Secondly, digital hearing aids can also improve speech recognition. There is a category of sensorineural patients in deaf patients whose recognition of sound frequency is low, that is, speech recognition is low. Digital hearing aids can use spectrum enhancement technology to make vowels and vowels and The difference between the consonants is more obvious, so as to improve the patient's speech recognition.
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Digital hearing aids can also perform an audiometry function. To put it simply, the hearing aid can also become an audiometer to check the patient's hearing at any time, which is also impossible with a loudspeaker.
Conclusion
Hearing aids in the manufacturing design requirements are relatively high, plus the chip is set inside. The price is generally more expensive than a personal sound amplifier.
When the family members have hearing problems, they should go to a special hearing testing institution to check. What you need to do is not buy a listening aid at will. What you really need to do is go to a professional listening center to test your listening, start with a listening counselor, and listen to a professional listener's advice. Matching hearing aids are the best way for hearing loss patients make up for hearing loss!
