There are basically 2 things to consider when thinking about hearing enhancers:

• Hearing enhancer/aid type and
• Hearing enahncer/aid style

Hearing Enhancer Type

Think of the type of hearing aid as the engine in a car, the part you cannot see, but determines how the machine will perform. Just as the performance and price of a car go up according to its features, so the performance and price of hearing enhancers increases according to their features.For some people, although they might like to drive a Cadillac, a VW Beetle might be adequate. Yet for others, a higher performance car is a necessity, for example someone living in the Colorado Rockies probably needs a powerful 8-cylinder, 4X4 utility vehicle (quite expensive!).The same analogy might be used with types of hearing enhancers. Some people might do just fine with less sophisticated instruments, but others might need instruments that can handle more challenging hearing losses and/or environments. Although you can still find conventional and programmable hearing aids, most hearing aids sold today are digital and very sophisticated, hence the new name, digital hearing enhancers. Sound quality and versatility are greatly improved.Digital hearing enhancers have been around for about 9 years. Their life expectancy is variable, depending on the circuit. Many digital hearing enhancers have an "open platform"; this means that changes and upgrades may be done via software. Hearing enhancers with true digital processing offer the most versatility and quality. There are different levels of digital performance; from economy to premium.

• Economy level hearing enhancers are the least expensive, ranging in price from about $600.00 to $900.00. They usually have one or two channels with digital processing but offer no extra features.
• Mid-level hearing enhancers offer more channels, better sound processing and some level of noise reduction and digital feedback management (whistle stopper) and directional microphones. These aids range in price from $1000.00 to $1300.00.
• High-performance hearing enhancers have more sophisticated features such as dynamic noise suppression, speech enhancement, feedback management, more powerful circuits, directional microphones and more. They range in price from $1400.00 to $2000.00
• Elite level hearing enhancers offer from 9 to 56 channels, multi-level, dynamic, fully automatic noise reduction, speech enhancement, digital feedback suppression, directional microphones and more. These aids range in price from $2000.00 to $3000.00.

Discuss all the possible styles and types of hearing enhancers available to you with your hearing care professional.

Hearing Enhancer Style

Think of the different styles of hearing enhancers as you would think about different body-types in cars: There are 4-door sedans, sports cars, convertibles, utility cars, etc. Just like some people would be able to get any style of car they wanted, some styles are better suited for certain people. For example a 2-seater sports car would be inappropriate for a family of 5, but a single young man could equally drive a 2-seater than a station wagon (maybe :)). There are roughly 6 styles of hearing enhancers:

• BTE or behind-the-ear hearing enhancer
• ITE or in-the-ear
• ITC or in-the-canal
• CIC or completely-in-the-canal
• OTE or over-the-ear (open fit)
• RIC or receiver-in-the-canal (similar to the OTE but the speaker is in the canal)
• IIC invisible in the canal (brand new from Starkey)

All things being equal, the smaller the hearing aid (enhancer), the higher the price. Each style of aid has its advantages and disadvantages, your audiologist will discuss these with you.