The Truth About Cheap “Hearing Aids”

The term “cheap” has dual meanings. For anyone on a small budget, it means “affordability”. Conversely, it implies low-quality, turning an apparently economical purchase into a not-so-smart decision, epitomized by the adage “You get what you pay for”.

Unfortunately, determining whether you’re getting a great deal from whether you’re buying a very low-quality device can be difficult. This is particularly true in the realm of hearing aids.

With hearing aids, the axiom “you get what you pay for” rings especially valid. This doesn’t necessarily imply opting for the top-tier option, but rather, scrutinizing offerings that boast a price tag too enticing to be genuine. Consumers need to recognize that essential information is frequently excluded from the marketing campaigns of cheap hearing aids.

Cheaper hearing aids are basically only amplifiers

Amplifying the overall volume is usually the only thing cheap “hearing aids” are capable of. If you boost the volume to hear the TV better, you’ll also pick up background noises including the dishwasher, a fan in another room, a barking dog, or the sound of your house slippers moving across the floor.

The purpose of having a hearing aid is totally defeated if it also amplifies unwanted sound.

A contemporary state-of-the-art hearing aid, in comparison, does a lot more than just turn the volume up. It reduces background sound while skillfully managing sound and improving clarity. Authentic hearing aids are tuned to your specific hearing requirements, closely simulating natural hearing with better accuracy.

Hearing aids vs. PSAPs

There are stringent rules about what an advertiser can call a hearing aid as written by the Food and Drug Administration.

Sadly, there are many devices out there that are advertised as hearing aids when they are actually personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), named this because they can only amplify sound.

There are lots of legitimate and reputable companies that comply with proper marketing. But there are some sellers, particularly online, that may be misinformed about what defines the difference between hearing aids and PSAPs, and as a result, they put out misleading statements about their products. Some even inaccurately advertise that they are FDA-approved.

They’re not helpful for most kinds of hearing loss

The majority of people who lose their hearing will gradually lose specific frequencies of sound before others. For example, you may have no problems hearing a man with a low voice, but struggle with a woman’s or child’s voice, finding it challenging to understand.

A cheap hearing device usually results in overall volume amplification. But, if you have trouble with certain frequencies, just boosting the volume will be insufficient. Furthermore, turning up the volume significantly to catch the sound of your granddaughter playing on the floor might lead to your adult son’s speech sounding like a roar, possibly contributing to hearing loss if exposed to high volumes for prolonged periods.

High-quality hearing aids provide a solution by being programmable to make up for the loss of particular frequencies. They provide a more personalized hearing experience by shifting frequencies you can’t hear very well to frequencies you hear better.

You may get a lot of feedback

You won’t get a custom fit with cheap hearing aids. Without that custom fit, you’ll generate a feedback loop. The microphone picks up the sound from the speaker in your ear as it jiggles around. What does this sound like? An ear-shattering screech.

They usually don’t have cellphone support

When people are looking for a budget-friendly device, they often sacrifice functionality like Bluetooth capability. When thinking about phone connectivity, the lack of Bluetooth is a huge hurdle. With cheaper hearing devices, when you attempt to amplify phone calls, your device will amplify every little sound, like your lips or ears rubbing on the phone, or clothing and hair.

On the other hand, digital hearing aids utilize telecoil or Bluetooth technology, establishing a wireless connection between your hearing aid and the phone. This state-of-the-art feature ensures that when your daughter speaks on the other end, her voice is transmitted directly into your hearing aids, improving clarity and overall communication.

They were never intended to treat hearing loss

The majority of individuals would most likely be surprised by this. PSAPs were never made for individuals with hearing loss. They were designed to amplify sound for individuals who have relatively good hearing.

If you have very slight hearing loss then cheap devices may help a little. But they won’t be of much help for people who actually need hearing aids.

Where can you get quality affordable hearing aids?

Getting affordable quality hearing aids isn’t hard. Insurance or other third parties might cover them. There are also affordable brands, leasing programs, and financing possibilities. The first step is to get a hearing test if you think you might have hearing loss. Schedule an appointment with us so we can help you find the best and most affordable hearing aids for your degree and type of hearing loss.