All About BTE Digital Hearing Aids

People who are in the market for hearing aids can get aids that fit in and on different parts of the ear.  They can obtain hearing aids that have different kinds of circuitry.  BTE digital hearing aids combine a common type of hearing device with the latest circuitry. 

For years, there was no such thing as digital processing.  Then, when there was, it was too big and bulky to be feasible to be used.  Even when it became possible to use, it still wasn't practical until the technology came along to make the circuits tiny like they are today.  BTE digital hearing aids are one type of hearing aid that uses this technology. 

What Is So Special About BTE Digital Hearing Aids?

BTE stands for behind the ear.  BTE digital hearing aids have the same basic structure as ordinary BTE aids.  They have an ear mold that fits into the ear.  This is connected to the hearing aid, which sets behind the ear, by a tube called the tone hook.  A microphone sits atop the hearing aid to channel sound into the aid.  The BTE aid is durable, powerful, and has easy to use controls. 

BTE digital hearing aids are capable of so much more than the analog variety.  If you've ever listened to a vinyl record album and then a CD, then you are aware of the difference digital sound can make.  However, that's only the beginning of what a BTE digital hearing aid can do. 

BTE digital hearing aids function by converting the sound that is gathered by the microphone into bits, computer bits that is.  These bits are processed at an amazingly fast rate.  They are used in a processor known in the hearing aid industry as a DSP, or digital signal processor. 

These DSP's are capable of sorting sounds into channels of frequencies.  This is important because certain speech sounds are higher in pitch and other sounds are lower.  If you don't have the full range of audible frequencies, speech will sound jumbled to you because you are not hearing all the sounds.  BTE digital hearing aids also have more power for amplification to make it even easier to distinguish voices. 

BTE digital hearing aids can treat continuous noise differently that they process short duration noises.  It only makes sense that, for instance, you would be more interested in the sound of the doorbell than in the sound of the air conditioner running.  They also minimize feedback by both their circuitry and by the way the ear mold fits into the ear. 

Another problem BTE digital hearing aids correct is recruitment.  This is when a person with hearing loss has trouble because soft noises sound too soft and loud noises sound too loud.  The digital processing of sound diminishes this problem.  Some BTE digital hearing aids offer two microphones to focus on what is in front of the wearer.  This is called directionality.  It allows for less distraction from the surrounding environment. 

BTE digital hearing aids offer the both worlds.  They are rugged and easy for even a child to use.  They also have the advantages of digital sound processing.  For many, it's an easy choice.