A guide by: Pure Hearing
The 5 Most Import Things To Know Before Buying Hearing Aids.
This is not an article written by or for robots so that our website ranks better in search engines. Those articles tend to be like most (if not all) politicians who talk a lot but say absolutely nothing. So read on if you're looking for quick, helpful information gleaned from my last 16 years of experience as a hearing healthcare professional.
Never buy a hearing aid without understanding these five key points.
Best Hearing Aids Brands
Let's elaborate on point number one. First, I will list the top eight most reputable manufacturers and briefly describe each company. Only buy a hearing aid that is made by one of these brands.
Then, I will give you my personal experience with each one and share our favorites. Please remember that we are an independently owned, family-run company with no loans and no contracts with any hearing aid manufacturer, giving you an unbiased opinion.
Starkey Hearing Technologies
Is a privately held company that was founded in 1967. It is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and it has operations in over 120 countries. Starkey is one of the largest hearing aid manufacturers in the world, and it offers a wide range of products for people with all levels of hearing loss.
My Opinion: Starkey has the best marketing department in the industry, but the R&D team struggles to keep up with the promises made in their brochures.
Oticon
Is a Danish company that was founded in 1904. It is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, and it has operations in over 100 countries. Oticon is known for its innovative hearing aid technology, and it was the first company to introduce a digital hearing aid.
My Opinion: Oticon is a solid company with excellent hearing aids; however, they are overpriced. Your doctor will almost always recommend an Oticon hearing aid, but this is because they pocket an extra $2,000 per set. You can get the same (if not better) features and hearing for much less.
Widex
is a Danish company that was founded in 1956. It is headquartered in Taastrup, Denmark, and it has operations in over 100 countries. Widex is known for its comfortable hearing aids, and it was the first company to introduce a hearing aid that could be controlled by a remote control.
My Opinion: Widex is a solid brand. They have good technology and consistent reliability. We don't offer them in our store because I haven't seen anything extraordinarily different, and we can get the same or better results with Signia.
Phonak
is a Swiss company that was founded in 1947. It is headquartered in Stäfa, Switzerland, and it has operations in over 100 countries. Phonak is known for its high-quality hearing aids, and it was the first company to introduce a rechargeable hearing aid.
My Opinion: Phonak is one of my very favorite companies. They typically underclaim and over-deliver. They are expensive but always worth the investment.
GN ReSound
is a Danish company that was formed in 2015 by the merger of GN Hearing and ReSound. It is headquartered in Ballerup, Denmark, and it has operations in over 100 countries. GN ReSound is known for its innovative hearing aid technology, and it offers a wide range of products for people with all levels of hearing loss.
My Opinion: GN ReSound's latest product, the Omnia, blew me away. It comes in a rechargeable ITE (the best one on the market) and as a rechargeable RIC. We just had to offer it to our customers.
Signia
is a German company that was founded in 1954. It is headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, and it has operations in over 100 countries. Signia is known for its high-quality hearing aids, and it offers a wide range of products for people with all levels of hearing loss.
My Opinion: Signia (formally Siemens) has a long history of providing high-quality products with little hype. They have partnered with many insurance companies to provide excellent value. We are proud to offer Signia hearing aids in our store.
Unitron
is a Canadian company that was founded in 1964. It is headquartered in Belleville, Ontario, Canada, and it has operations in over 60 countries. Unitron is known for its wireless hearing aid technology, and it offers a wide range of products for people with all levels of hearing loss.
My Opinion: Unitron and Phonak are owned by Sonova, making them sister companies. They share much of the same technology and some unique innovations. Unitron offers the most stable gain of any manufacturer, making them a perfect fit for hard-to-fit hearing losses. We love and offer Unitron hearing aids.
Bernafon
Is a Swiss company that was founded in 1946. It is headquartered in Allschwil, Switzerland, and it has operations in over 70 countries. Bernafon is known for its comfortable hearing aids, and it offers a wide range of products for people with all levels of hearing loss.
My Opinion: I haven't really used Bernafon hearing aids in my career, so I don't have too much to say about them. I've listened to their hearing aids at conventions, and they seemed fine, but nothing made me want to offer them in our store.
Hearing Aids We Love
Hearing Aids We Love
What type of hearing aid works best for your hearing loss
The style of hearing aid that will work best for your hearing loss is relatively simple. If you have mainly high-frequency hearing loss, a RIC (receiver-in-canal, a smaller hearing aid that fits behind your ear with a wire that runs into your canal) is a perfect fit. On the other hand, if you have a loss in the lower tones and the higher ones, then an ITE (in-the-ear) or a RIC works well.
Finally, if you have very severe hearing loss, a BTE (behind-the-ear, large aid behind the ear with a tube that goes into a custom ear mold) is usually a perfect fit. Generally speaking, the RIC hearing aid is the most versatile hearing style that will accommodate most hearing losses and is very cosmetic. Feel free to send us your hearing test or take our online test, and we'll help guide you on which style would work best for you.
What the most current hearing aids models are
You need to know the current models to know if you are buying old products on the shelf or the latest and greatest. Because this is a constantly moving target, I can't list the current models from each manufacturer in this article because it could change tomorrow. So instead, you need to find a good resource that constantly updates its products to the newest models.
Lucky for you, Pure Hearing does that! If you are looking for a Phonak, Unitron, ReSound, or Signia hearing aids, check out purehearing.com to see the newest models and detailed descriptions of the different technology levels and their prices. If you see it in our store, it is the latest product, and if you don't see a particular model, it's because it is an old version we don't offer.
The features that are important to you.
Knowing the features that are important to you will help you narrow down which hearing aid models will work best for you. We’ve provided a chart of the most commonly asked about features from our four favorite manufacturers.
These, of course, are some of the bells and whistles features. If you want a deeper dive into hearing features, you'll need to check out each of the latest products listed on Purehearing.com. Of course, you are always welcome to text, call, or email with any specific questions, and we are happy to help.
Reputation of the company
The reputation of the company you are doing business with is critical. Anyone can create a nice-looking brochure or website, but will they back up their claims? Will they nickel and dime every time you need something? Will they stand behind their product 10 years from now? Will you be a number in a database, or will you be able to build a relationship with a team who actually cares? A good company that is honest and easy to work with will be your mentor on your journey to your best possible hearing.
Check and double-check Google reviews, how long they have been in business, and do they have any awards from their local community. If the locals like them, then you probably will too.
May I humbly suggest working with Pure Hearing. We have an excellent reputation with over 13 years in business, an A+ rating with the BBB, multiple awards from our local community, and a 4.9 star rating on google. You’ll receive personalized care with attention to detail and a warm customer experience whether you choose to do business with Pure Hearing online or in our local store.
Use your Insurance Benefit to Purchase with Pure Hearing
Let US find out if YOUR insurance covers hearing aids and how much they’ll pay for you.
We are in-network with most insurance companies.
If we aren’t in-network we often times can match your in-network benefit.
We handle the paperwork, phone calls, and hold music so you don’t have to.
We are the EASIEST way to use your hearing aid insurance benefit.
