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DIGITAL
Digital hearing instruments represent the most advanced technology available today. These instruments actually contain a computer chip that is programmed by a computer. This offers the best way currently available to match a particular hearing loss with the most prescriptive amplification needed. Complete flexibility and amazing fine-tuning capability are among the many benefits. This unique technology separates the incoming sound into bands and channels; and processes each band and channel independently. This class of hearing instruments utilizes separate circuit paths to independently process different frequency regions of sound. This is the most advanced technology that allows the most precise prescriptive fitting available today.
PROGRAMMABLE
Programmable hearing instruments represent a more advanced technology than conventional. These instruments are programmed by a computer, allowing a better way to accommodate a given patient's amplification needs, thus allowing greater flexibility and fine-tuning capability. Most of the technology in these types of instruments are basically analog conventional circuits that are set and controlled by a computer.
CONVENTIONAL
Hearing aids, which use conventional electronics, have been the mainstay of the hearing aid industry for 40 years. Conventional hearing aid electronics use basic analog technology to provide quality, amplification to patients with a wide range of hearing losses. These hearing aids have as their defining feature the characteristic of adding the same amount of amplification to all levels of sound intensity. Thus, low bass type sounds will be amplified with the same amount of volume as high treble sounds. For this reason, some patients may find that conventional electronic hearing aids provide either too little sound or to much sound to comfortably reach a listening level for the particular hearing loss. When this is the case, the patient should consider a prescription circuit instrument of the programmable or digital type. Priced at the lower end of the cost scale, conventional electronics represent the most basic type of amplification and are a good choice when finances are the major concern.
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