How digital Hearing Aids work

In a very rough sense, the digital hearing aid has five major components: the microphone, the analog to digital converter, the core, the digital to analog converter, and the receiver. Sound waves hit the hearing instrument microphone where they are converted to an electrical signal (analog). The signal then passes through an Analog to Digital converter (A/D converter) where it is changed to a sequence of 1s and 0s. This sequence is sent to the "core" where it is filtered into bands and channels, then manipulated according to the programmed settings for the specific hearing loss. Each hearing aid manufacturer may have its own proprietary set of rules that it applies to the digital speech envelope. The manipulated signal is then channeled through a Digital to Analog converter (D/A) where the end result is an analog signal that has been manipulated according to the hearing loss and proprietary chip logic. This signal then travels to the receiver where it is converted back to an acoustic signal that the user then hears. In other words, the digital hearing aid has a tiny computer chip in it that can manipulate the sound according to specific frequency (pitch) and specific volume level to deliver a clear sound set precisely to the user's hearing loss. The dispenser or audiologist then has the ability to manipulate many aspects of the digital processor, like gain, compression (control the loudness of sounds), and acoustical feedback (whistling noise) through the computer interface. The result is a more precisely fit hearing instrument and a happier hearing aid user. Find out more information on the cost of digital hearing aids.