How does a digital hearing aid differ from the type we are all familiar with?
In the analog type of hearing aid, sound is amplified in a strictly defined way, as determined by the spectral output of the amplifier and its various components. The user can make it louder or softer, but cannot vary the spectrum of the sound much.
In a digital processor, sound is analyzed and amplified according to the decisions made by the processor as it has been programmed to function in that situation. Its spectrum is constantly changing.

Are digitals larger than the standard type? Where do they put all the digital parts?
No, because the digital processor is smaller than an amplifier, the aids can be made smaller. There are fewer parts, which makes the aid much more stable and less likely to fail.

What about the battery life with a digital?
Battery life may be longer with the digital, as it is a much more efficient user of the battery. In some instances, with the availability of far greater flexibility in the use of these instruments, battery life may be shorter. If you ask the instrument to do a thousand more things, it will take more battery power to accomplish them. More "normal" hearing requires more power, in many cases. A battery should last two weeks in the behind the ear model (BTE), nevertheless. The instruments worn entirely in the ear, as they have the same processor as the larger ones, but use much smaller batteries, will experience a shorter battery life. The batteries for a completely in the canal (CIC) hearing aid, for example, are 1/4 the size of those required for the BTE, so they do not last as long.

Is it hard to learn how to use a digital hearing aid?
No, it is a bit easier than analog aids, because there is no volume wheel to have to learn to use. All one has to learn is how to put in the battery and to properly insert the aid into the ear.

What is the cost of a digital hearing aid?
Usually between $2500 and $3500 per instrument for the top of the line fully functional instruments. There are many options for the hard of hearing today, with more basic fully digital instruments available for as little as $1200. These do not have the full range of programming, but all of them have the advantage of wide dynamic range digital processing. This is a great advantage over the analog hearing aids of the past, for most people.

Why do digital hearing aids cost so much more than standard hearing aids?
The processor of a digital aid is similar to that found in your home computer. The amplifiers in standard aids are far less sophisticated. The training necessary to fit a digital is much more extensive than that needed to fit an analog aid.

Is special equipment required to fit a digital aid?
Yes, a computer, special cables and a bluetooth wireless programmer are all required. These are not part of the hearing aid, but are needed by the audiologist in order to program it.

What is the warranty with digitals?
A digital aid comes with a standard three year warranty. There is no charge for reprogramming. Should your hearing needs change, it will be reset accordingly.

Are there different types of digital aids?
Yes. Digital hearing aids process sound input through "channels". These channels roughly approximate the areas of the speech spectrum which are useful for the understanding of words. The number of channels different companies use for speech processing varies. The more channels, the finer the tuning capability. The better digital aids also have dual microphones, to allow the computer in the aid to reduce background noise significantly, as it compares the input from the two mikes and reduces any sound which is not speech, by comparison between them. This is a capacity which a single microphone aid does not have.