Hearing Aid Styles
Hearing aids have become more discreet and comfortable than ever. Beyond the options available through the NHS, there is a wide range of advanced hearing aids to choose from, including many that feature rechargeable batteries, eliminating the need for handling small disposable ones.
At Hear Aberystwyth, our audiology professionals are here to help. They will recommend the style that best suits your hearing needs and collaborate with you to ensure your complete satisfaction.
Behind The Ear Hearing Aid (BTE)
Behind the ear hearing aids sit behind your ear and connect, via a thin tube to a mould or dome, which sits inside your ear.
Whilst not the most discrete, behind the ear hearing aids are the most powerful and can help the most severe hearing losses.
Behind the ear – Receiver in the canal Hearing Aid (RIC)
Receiver in the canal hearing aids are one of the most popular styles due to their sleek design and versatility. Through keeping the ear canal open, receiver in the canal hearing aids have a very natural sound.
These hearing aids have a speaker that sits inside the ear canal and is connected via a very thin wire, to a small hearing aid unit that sits behind the ear.
Receiver in the canal hearing aids are suitable for most hearing losses.
In the ear (ITE)
Our in the ear hearing aids are built in the exact shape of your ear and sit within the ear or ear canal. These hearing aids house all the components, so that nothing is visible behind the ear.
They come in Full Shell, Half Shell and Canal sizes. The larger ones offering solutions for those with limited dexterity and where space allows, can offer noise reduction features such as directional microphones and Bluetooth technology.
In the ear hearing aids are suitable for most hearing losses.
Completely in the canal (CIC)
Like other in the ear aids, these hearing aids also sit inside the ear canal but are smaller and sit slightly further down the ear canal.
Completely in the canal hearing aids are suitable for mild to moderate hearing losses.
Invisible in the canal (IIC)
Invisible in the canal hearing aids are the most discrete hearing aid option available.
These devices are tiny and sit right inside the ear canal. They feature with a small wire that allows you to extract the device from your ear.
Due to their smaller size, invisible in the canal devices are suitable for mild to moderate hearing losses and generally do not offer wireless connectivity.