Wayne's World

Looking Back on How Digital Hearing Aids Came to Be   Today, finding an analog hearing aid is difficult – that is, unless one rummages through boxes of hearing aids manufactured prior to about 1966, or a few years following. Hearing aid engineers had been speculating about the possibility of a digital hearing aid in the early 1980s.  At that time,

Who in the U.S. Hearing Aid Market is Purchasing Hearing Aids?   It is common knowledge that hearing aid manufacturers, especially the Big Six, have been purchasing and operating their own hearing aid sales stores, significantly reducing the numbers operated by independent dispensers.  The market consists of both a private (approximately 79%) and public sector (approximately 21%), with the public sector dominated by

What Would be a Preferred Hearing Aid Performance?   Would a consumer select the same hearing aid performance as was recommended by an audiologist if given a choice among different signal processing schemes? The topic of a preferred hearing aid has been the topic of this series of posts over the last three weeks. Results show that there is not

Hearing Aid Selection: Consumer vs Hearing Aid Dispenser    This post is a continuation of articles on this site the last two weeks related to hearing aid selection. It is directed at answering the question: would a consumer select the same hearing aid signal processing algorithm as was recommended by an audiologist? A signal processing algorithm refers to a completely different type of

Consumer Preferred Hearing Aid Signal Processing Scheme vs. Audiologists’ Recommendations Last week’s post wondered about how satisfactory a hearing aid fitting was for consumers when they leave the dispenser’s office. Was it the optimum fitting, or would some other hearing aid signal processing scheme (also herein referred to as algorithms) have been more acceptable? Would there be any differences in

Or, Would You Select a Different Hearing Aid Setting if the Choice Was Yours?    How satisfactory is the hearing aid setting for consumers when they leave the dispenser’s office? Is it the optimum fitting, or would some other setting have been more acceptable? Would there be any differences in the final selection if the consumer were allowed to select the

  by Jeremy K. Jones, M.A., Sivantos, Inc. Looking for a new job can be a stressful experience for anyone.  But when you also have hearing loss, the task at hand may seem even more challenging.  Although it is premature to say that the stigma attached to hearing loss is no longer an issue in the workplace, succeeding in Corporate America

HyperSound   Preface:  New entries into the hearing rehabilitation discipline occur on a regular basis.  Many are improvements to existing applications/systems, and those who are hearing impaired and/or work with them are grateful for improvements. Occasionally, something “different” is introduced, and when from outside the “customary” channels, it exposes the discipline of hearing to alternate marketing opportunities.  Such is the

Early Hominin and the Auditory System Studying the sensory mechanism fossil remains of past hominin (members of the family of humans as described herein) life forms has offered some interesting insights into ancient ears, based on their anatomical structures.  This is especially true for the sense of hearing. How this occurs relates to the physical properties of the fossil physical

Deep Fitting Ear Canal Device Physical Comfort   A plethora of products are worn in the ear canal – some more deeply than others.  Regardless, not all devices that fit into the ear canal are comfortable.  Physical comfort depends on at least the following factors: Ear canal sensitivity Size, as in volume, of the device being inserted relative to the