Hearing aids have been a massive help in helping people with partial deafness to have improved hearing of the surrounding sounds and noises. However, traditional hearing aids came with certain limitations. For example, if you wanted to listen to music or receive a phone call using earphones, you first had to remove the hearing aids.
Bluetooth hearing aids have made the hearing experience better and more convenient with technological advancements. They allow you to connect them to your devices for an easier and more personalized hearing experience.
However, before you buy Bluetooth hearing aids, there are things you need to know about them to determine if they are the best for you.
Are Bluetooth Hearing Aids Good?
Bluetooth hearing aids eliminate having chunky hearing aids that sometimes amplify unnecessary external noise.
They also make it easier for you to listen to music without taking them out and plugging in earphones. When you removed your hearing aids to listen to music, one of the major concerns in the past was that you might not be able to hear what people around you were saying.
With Bluetooth hearing aids, the sound quality of whatever you are listening to is better, and you will still hear what people around you are saying.
Unlike traditional hearing aids, you can remotely control your Bluetooth hearing aids using a phone app. You can change the settings for better volume and sound clarity and make discrete changes without removing or pressing a button on your hearing aid.
What Does Bluetooth Do With Hearing Aids?
Bluetooth allows you to connect your hearing aids to your Bluetooth-enabled devices like phones and TV. Since they come with control settings, you can set a personalized listening experience that allows you to enjoy your music and still hear what people around you are saying.
The sound quality matches your hearing needs, and you can control the volume and sound quality in one or both ears. Bluetooth signals are stable, which helps eliminate feedback, whistling, and cutting in and out, like what sometimes happens when using cellphones.
Bluetooth also allows you to connect your hearing aids to several Bluetooth devices and switch between them easily.
Unlike traditional hearing aids, Bluetooth hearing aids allow you to hear using both ears because of the binaural hearing feature.
If one hearing aid picks a sound from one side, the Bluetooth hearing aids communicate with each other and transmit that sound to the other hearing aid, so you do not have to strain to hear, especially when using your phone.
Can You Talk On The Phone With Bluetooth Hearing Aids?
Yes. To automatically route incoming calls to your hearing aid, answer them using the multi-function button on your Bluetooth hearing aid. If you answer through the phone button, it remains on the handset, enabling the transmission.
When making calls, make them normally from your phone, and depending on your phone settings, the call will automatically be routed to your hearing aids. If not, ensure you select Bluetooth connection on your phone immediately after making the call.
You can change ongoing phone call routing between your handset and your hearing aids by simply clicking the Bluetooth to disable or enable the Bluetooth transmission.
Can I Connect My Bluetooth Hearing Aids To The TV?
If you are experiencing hearing loss or are partially deaf, one of the most annoying things is struggling to hear your TV. Unfortunately, if you turn on the TV volume, it makes dialogue with the people around hard.
Hearing loss affects different sounds differently, affecting sound volume and clarity. Therefore, you might find it hard to hear the sound coming from your TV even when the volume is high.
Hearing aids are calibrated to your specific hearing needs, which means that they amplify the sounds you can’t hear, like high-frequency sounds from the TV. You can enhance that hearing experience by connecting your TV to your Bluetooth hearing aids.
They improve sound quality and also block external noises. You can take that a notch higher by connecting assistive listening devices to your TV, and the sound plays directly on your hearing aids. They allow you to increase the volume without making it too loud for everybody else.
How Much Are Bluetooth Hearing Aids?
The cost of Bluetooth hearing aids differs from brand to brand, but the average price is between $1,500 and $7,000, which is a few hundred dollars more than traditional hearing aids without Bluetooth connectivity.
However, if you have insurance with a hearing aid benefit, it could help lower the price and make it affordable. Medicare Part B won’t usually cover hearing aids, but may for hearing exams or other expenses including cochlear impants.
Can I Listen To Music Through My Bluetooth Hearing Aids?
Yes, so long as you are listening from a Bluetooth-enabled device. Whether you are chilling in your house, jogging, or exercising in the gym, you do not have to trade hearing external sounds with listening to music.
Bluetooth hearing aids give you the best of both worlds because you can connect them to your Bluetooth stereo, speaker, television, or phone and listen to music.
You can adjust the volume and clarity of the sounds to match your needs, and you can still hear what people around you are saying. However, it helps eliminate loud external noises to help you focus on what you are listening to.
The Best Hearing Aids
Bluetooth hearing aids are not one-size-fits-all, and with so many brands, you need to ensure you get the best for your specific needs. When choosing a good Bluetooth hearing aid, the first thing you need to consider is the extent of your hearing loss. Other things you need to consider include:
Price
Bluetooth hearing aids are more expensive than traditional hearing aids. However, you still want to make sure you get a good deal. Avoid going for the cheapest when shopping because sometimes that means low quality.
You should also evaluate the quality of the hearing aids before going for highly-priced ones to ensure they are not overpriced. For example, if you have insurance that has a hearing aid benefit, consider the amount they will help you pay and see if the remainder fits your budget.
Brand Reputation
Consider the brand’s customer care, hearing aid quality, how long they have been in the business, and their rating on sources like Trustpilot and better Business Bureau.
It would help to look at customer reviews and the brand’s rating on their website and social media platforms.
Transparent marketing and clinical studies
The best hearing aids have undergone clinical trials to ascertain marketing claims. You should also look at the brand’s marketing language and ensure that they have not listed unrealistic, deceptive, and misleading claims about their product.
Your Lifestyle
There are different types of hearing aid like behind-the-ear, in-the-ear, receiver-in-canal, in-the-canal, and completely-in-canal.
Depending on the things you do, where you work, etc., you have to choose the best one for you. Some of these are small and almost invisible, perfect if you exercise a lot because they are in the ear.
Some of the best Bluetooth hearing aids in the market include:
1. Eargo Hearing Aids
This brand was established in 2012, and it has become one of the most common Bluetooth hearing aids brands primarily because of its design and enhanced sound quality.
There are four models of Eargo hearing aids, Eargo max, Eargo Neo HiFi, Eargo 5, and Eargo 6, and they all have Bluetooth capabilities. These are also rechargeable hearing aids whose batteries last the whole day after charging.
Another significant advantage is that the hearing aids are small, making them almost invisible. They also have dynamic feedback reduction and sound amplification features.
However, the Bluetooth technology is not built into them but in their charging case because of their small size.
Therefore, if you need to make any setting changes from your phone, you have to do that while they are in the case. That also means that you cannot directly receive sound from a Bluetooth device on these hearing aids. However, they are also not a good choice if you have severe hearing loss.
Eargo hearing aids cost between $1,500 and $2,950, including the portable charging case. You can buy them online without a doctor’s prescription, and they include licensed hearing professionals’ support.
2. Rexton hearing aids
Rexton has designed its hearing aids to meet your hearing needs in all environments. Rexton hearing aids give you more relaxed hearing experiences and enhanced speech using the latest technology.
Rexton hearing aids come in different styles, including receiver-in-canal, behind-the-ear, in-the-ear, invisible-in-the-canal, and completely-in-the-canal.
Rexton hearing aids come in three different product lines, each with different technologies designed to meet different hearing needs.
Mysore C8 technology allows you to stream audio from your iPhone and provides you with the natural sound of your environment. It also has a feature called My Voice, enabling you to hear your voice naturally.
Rexton utilizes the latest technology to give you a natural listening experience regardless of your environment. It comes with the Voice Ranger feature that helps enhance speech and the Music Enhancer feature for better sound quality when listening to music from your device or a live performance.
Finally, the Essential E1 that uses TruCore technology uses digital noise reduction to give you an improved listening experience in different environments.
The hearing aid accessories that you can use with Rexton hearing aids include remote control, Rexton hearing aids apps, smart connect, and smart transmitters. Like other Bluetooth hearing aids, these are also rechargeable.
Rexton hearing aids have different prices depending on the product model, technology, and features. Sometimes the costs include a consultation, hearing aid testing, and hearing aid fitting. To get Rexton hearing aids, you have to get an audiologist test first.
3. Unitron hearing aids
Unitron hearing aids are made for different levels of hearing loss. Before you get your Unitron hearing aids, you have to get a test from an audiologist or hearing health professional.
Depending on the test results, they will program the hearing aids to best fit your hearing needs. You can also choose in-the-ear, receiver-in-canal, or behind-the-ear.
Unitron has a FLEX experience that allows you to test your hearing aids before you buy them. During the trial period, the hearing aids keep performance data. Your hearing care provider will use that data and your satisfaction to give you a perfect hearing for your hearing needs and lifestyle.
Once you buy Unitron hearing aids, you can upgrade if you want hearing changes or more functionality.
Unitron hearing aids have a universal wireless solution that allows you to stream stereo audio to and from different Bluetooth-enabled devices directly.
Unitron uses machine learning technology in their hearing aids to compare the sounds around you against a database to recognize and categorize your current environment, after which they automatically adjust to give you the best listening experience.
They also come with Soundcore sound processing software that identifies and responds to different auditory environments, then automatically changes the settings to the current environment.
The Remote Plus App allows you to customize your hearing experience quickly, and the remote adjust allows you to fine-tune your hearing aids for better experiences remotely. Unitron also has a platform to get additional support, control, and options.
Other accessories that come with the hearing aids include a Moxi charger power pack, TV connector, Moxi charger, remote control, Partner mic, and IIC remote.
The prices for Unitron hearing aids differ depending on the model and features. For example, the most common Unitron hearing aids include Moxi Jump R, Moxi Fit, Stride P R, and Insera.
4. Siemens hearing aids
Siemens Audiology Solutions or Siemens Hearing Instruments was a hearing aid manufacturer until Sivatons acquired them in 2016. The new hearing aids produced by Sivatons go by Signia, but they still use the technology that Siemens previously used.
When buying Siemens hearing aids, you can choose from behind-the-ear, in-the-canal, completely-in-the-canal, in-the-ear, or receiver-in-canal, depending on your hearing needs.
There are also different product lines suited for different hearing needs. For example, people with mild to severe hearing loss should go for the Insio NX or Signia active. If you have any level of hearing loss, the good models are Pure, Motion X, and Intus 3.
If you have hearing loss in one year, CROS is the best model of Siemens hearing aids. However, if you want a discrete hearing aid, Silk X is perfect because it has different sleeve sizes.
There are three mobile apps, touch control, The Signia, and myControl, that audiologists can program to work well with different Siemens hearing aids. They are all free to download and are compatible with Android and Apple devices.
These apps help adjust hearing aid volume and balance the bass and treble from any connected devices. The functionality of the apps depends on the hearing aid you are using, your Bluetooth device, and its operating system.
You can take a free online hearing test to determine whether you require an in-person hearing exam. That helps the audiologist program a perfect hearing aid for you.
The hearing aids are also custom-fit, meaning that the hearing specialist will custom fit the hearing aid for your ear size to ensure comfort and that it does not fall out. You can find them online here.
5. Widex hearing aids
Widex has developed several phone apps and hearing aids that make it easy to connect with your devices. In addition, wireless hearing aids have high compatibility with phones and tablets, primarily those without IOS.
However, they have also developed’ made-for-iPhone’ Bluetooth hearing aids like Evoke and Beyond for IOS users.
All Widex hearing aids are water-resistant and rechargeable hearing aids, and there are corresponding apps for easier personalization and control using your phone.
One of the disadvantages is that you cannot buy Widex hearing aids online. Instead, you have to visit a hearing center and speak to the audiologist for a prescription, price, and best options for your hearing needs and lifestyle.
6. Lexie Lumen
Lexie Hearing®, an innovative game-changer in the US hearing aid market, is on a mission to make healthy hearing accessible to everyone with an all-inclusive, affordable hearing care solution that includes quality, medical-grade hearing aids. The team at Lexie is passionate about helping people improve their hearing without having to spend thousands of dollars. Too many people do not wear hearing aids because they are so expensive, which is why Lexie Hearing® is changing the industry.
What really sets Lexie Hearing® apart is its competitive pricing. By leveraging smart technology and remote care, Lexie hearing aids deliver the quality and features expected from premium hearing aids, at 80% less than the average industry cost. Customers can either purchase the hearing aids with a one-time payment of $799 online or a subscription of only $49/mo x24.
Lexie Hearing® has also partnered with Walgreens to sell Lexie hearing aids online and in select Walgreens stores across the US. We’re continuously partnering with other well-known retailers to make Lexie hearing aids accessible to a wider audience.
