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Hearing aids 101: How they work and Kim’s top tech pick
Last year, my husband Barry got sick. We thought it was just a cold, but then, the strangest thing happened: He lost hearing in one ear because of a virus. After months of waiting, endless consultations and a lot of research, we learned how common this is.
About 1.5 billion people suffer from some kind of hearing loss, and viral infections are a major cause. That whole time, we struggled to talk to each other. Barry couldn’t hear me, and he didn’t want to try hearing aids.
One conversation changed that. “I use glasses to see. What’s different about using hearing aids to hear better?” He agreed to try them if I could find a good option he wouldn’t feel uncomfortable wearing. I got to work and found one I wanted to share with you, too.
First, how do hearing aids work?
The old clunky models you probably think of did one thing: Amplify sound. The microphone captures sound, the amplifier makes it louder and the speaker delivers it to your ear. Done.
Some of today’s hearing aids have an added high-tech component: Tiny processors that analyze the sound around you.
This means they don’t just make everything louder; they focus on the sounds you want to hear, like your friend’s voice in a loud restaurant. They even reduce annoying background noise.
Here’s where it gets cool
New hearing aids are packed with features you’d expect in a pair of high-end earbuds:
- Bluetooth connectivity: Stream music, podcasts or phone calls directly to your hearing aids. It’s your own personal sound system.
- Directional microphones: These focus on sound coming from specific directions, like zeroing in on a conversation and muting the chatter around you.
- Automatic adjustments: Some models can detect if you’re in a quiet library or a bustling restaurant and adjust their settings accordingly.
- Feedback suppression: No more awful high-pitched whistling.
Not all models are created equal
Barry asked for the best, and I took that seriously. Now, AirPods can work if your hearing loss is mild to moderate, but for anything more severe, you need tech built for the job. I looked into a lot of brands and found hear.com.
Their Horizon IX hearing aids pack not just one but two state-of-the-art computer chips for dual-processing. They process speech and background noise independently, then recombine them for the clearest possible sound, even in busy, loud places.
The Horizon IX’s lithium-ion batteries are rechargeable, and they’re practically invisible and comfortable, even if you wear glasses. You can see a doctor near you, and if you’re not happy, you can get a full refund.
So, what does Barry think?
He told me he wished he’d gotten them sooner. That’s what readers and listeners who email me about the Horizon IX say, too.
Reader Ross wrote in to tell me, “This was one of my best purchases.” That makes me so happy!
✅ Hit this link to see if you qualify for a 45-day no-risk trial now, while you’re thinking about it.
Tags: lithium-ion batteries, settings
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