The benefits of hearing aids with frequency compression
In the past, hearing aids were little more than amplifiers and worked by collecting sound and providing a louder version directly to a listener’s ear. Modern hearing aids are now able to perform an astonishing variety of functions using a tiny computer chip inside the device. These chips can do much more than simply make sounds louder; they can selectively increase the volume of particular tones and improve hearing conditions based on your current surroundings.
One of the most amazing functions of today’s hearing aids is called frequency compression. For those suffering from certain types of hearing loss, frequency compression can reveal sounds that could not otherwise be heard at any volume level. To understand how this works–and whether you can benefit from this technology–it helps to understand what’s been missing.
The Missing Notes
Sounds travel to our ears along waves, and how fast these waves move is called the sounds frequency. Sound waves that have a high frequency are higher in pitch and usually the most difficult for the human ear to hear–especially for those who are suffering from hearing loss as high frequencies are usually the first to go. Some examples of these high frequency sounds include chirping birds, a small child’s voice, or a ringing bell–sounds that can be a prominent part of everyday life.
Low frequency sounds are often easier to hear, and include things like a bass drum, a deep male voice, or rumbling thunder. For many people with hearing loss, the low frequency sounds remain audible while the high frequency sounds simply disappear. Fixing the situation is not a matter of simple amplification; this would only make the low frequency sounds even louder while the higher pitched sounds remain inaccessible. The solution requires a technology a bit more complex and flexible.
Dropping the Pitch – How Frequency Compression Works
When high frequency hearing becomes diminished, boosting the amplification can sometimes turn these high frequency sounds into uncomfortable or distorted sounds. The best way to overcome this challenge is with dynamic technology that can “listen” for certain sounds and either change them or amplify them as needed based on individual ranges of hearing loss.
Frequency compression can help those who cannot hear high frequency sounds by changing them into lower frequency sounds. Rather than simply making a sound louder, frequency compression alters the original sound and delivers a new one at a lower frequency. Compression technology can also filter the sound and adjust the delivered sound according to different patterns.
For example, you may want to hear higher frequency sounds during a conversation, but not have high frequency background noise clarified and amplified at the same time. The result is a personalized solution based on your particular levels of hearing loss, and a pattern of sound that is tailored to fit in the range where you can hear the best.
How Frequency Compression Can Help You
Although frequency compression will change the nature of the sound, it also opens the door to sounds that have been completely missing to you. It can provide a better, more comfortable experience for anyone suffering from a severe high frequency hearing loss and makes everyday activities like conversations, listening to music, and watching television easier and more enjoyable. It can give you back simple pleasures like listening to birds chirp on a spring morning or enjoying lectures with speakers at a far-off podium.
Hearing Aids with Frequency Compression in Tucson, AZ
Each person’s type and degree of hearing loss is unique and should be treated with a personalized solution. Our Arizona licensed hearing specialists will understand the loss you are experiencing and can help you determine if frequency compression technology is right for you. It may not be the best solution for everyone, but for those suffering from complex hearing loss, it can be a life-changing advancement.
At Lifestyle Hearing Solutions of Tucson, we offer advanced hearing aid technology with frequency compression from leading manufacturers including Starkey and Siemens. We invite you to contact our practice today to schedule a no-obligation hearing test and hearing aid consultation to find out if frequency compression is right for you.
Lifestyle Hearing Solutions of Tucson
6425 E. Broadway
Tucson, AZ 85710
(520) 323-0099