The Truth About Cheap “Hearing Aids”

There are a couple separate ways to interpret the term “cheap hearing aids”. For someone on a tight budget, it means “affordability”. On the other hand, it implies low-quality, turning an apparently economical purchase into a not-so-smart choice, epitomized by the adage “You get what you pay for”.

Unfortunately, determining whether you’re getting a great deal from whether you’re getting a very low-quality device can be challenging. When it comes to hearing aids, this couldn’t be more relevant.

The saying “you get what you pay for” is especially potent with hearing aids. This means eliminating the devices that are priced in the “too good to be true” zone, not necessarily opting for the most expensive choice. Companies marketing inexpensive hearing devices often omit important details about their products that customers should know about.

Cheaper hearing aids are basically only amplifiers

Boosting the overall volume is typically the only thing cheap “hearing aids” can handle. If you amplify the volume to hear the TV better, you’ll also get background noises including the dishwasher, a fan in a different room, a barking dog, or the sound of your house shoes moving across the floor.

If everything is louder, it completely defeats the purpose of having a hearing aid.

On the other hand, a high-quality, modern hearing aid goes beyond simple volume adjustment. It minimizes background sound while skillfully managing sound and enhancing clarity. Authentic hearing aids are tuned to your distinct hearing requirements, closely mimicking natural hearing with greater accuracy.

Hearing aids vs. PSAPs

The Food and Drug Administration has written guidelines for companies who sell hearing devices and have strict rules as to what can be labeled hearing aids.

Unfortunately, many personal sound amplification products PSAPs are inaccurately advertised as hearing aids even though they just amplify sound.

Most reputable companies comply. But you might find some uninformed salespeople or products on Amazon or eBay that deceive consumers into believing that these devices meet the definition of a hearing aid. You might even find some that claim that they’re FDA-approved when that’s actually not true.

They’re not inclusive for most types of hearing loss

The majority of individuals who lose their hearing will slowly lose specific frequencies of sound before others. You might have a difficult time understanding a little kid or a woman, for example, but you have no problem understanding a man with a low voice.

A cheap hearing device usually results in total volume amplification. However, if you struggle with particular frequencies, just boosting the volume proves inadequate. Furthermore, turning the volume up considerably to hear the sound of your granddaughter playing on the floor might lead to your adult son’s speech sounding like a roar, potentially adding to hearing loss if subjected to high volumes for prolonged periods.

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

Feedback can be a problem

Cheap hearing aids are typically not custom fit to your ears. A feedback loop is frequently the result of poorly fitting hearing aids. As the speaker in your ear jiggles around, the microphone picks up the sound. This will result in a deafening screech.

They usually don’t have cellphone support

Functionality is often sacrificed when opting for budget devices, and this holds true for many inexpensive hearing aids lacking Bluetooth capability. When considering phone connectivity, the lack of Bluetooth is a huge obstacle. With cheaper hearing devices, when you try to amplify phone calls, your device will amplify every little sound, like your ears or lips rubbing on the phone, or clothing and hair.

In contrast, digital hearing aids utilize telecoil or Bluetooth technology, establishing a wireless connection between your hearing aid and the phone. Overall communication and clarity will be enhanced so you can be sure you will hear your daughter’s voice on the phone.

They were never intended to treat hearing loss

Most people would probably 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.

Cheap devices might help a little if you only have minor hearing loss. But individuals who actually need hearing aids won’t find these cheaper devices very helpful.

Finding quality, affordable hearing aids

There are lots of ways to get hearing aids affordably. They might even be covered by insurance or other third parties. There are also affordable brands, leasing plans, and financing options. The first step is to get a hearing test if you suspect you may have hearing loss. Call us today for a consultation, we can help decide what’s best for you, depending on your level and type of hearing loss, and make sure you get a pair that won’t break the bank!