1. Wearing Two Aids
Wearing two aids is reported to provide a much
better listening experience when the hearing loss
is two sided. Several advantages exist when
wearing two aids. Some of these include: better
listening in noisy or reverberant listening
environments. Binaural fitting lessens issues with
the natural “head shadow” effect. Without
amplification, most listeners will turn their better
ear toward the conversation.
However, in larger group environments, it is not always possible to turn your
ear to the sound source. The head “shadows” the sound from being received
in full by the ear furthest from the source of sound. Without amplification in
cases like this when the head is shadowing the better ear it is very difficult
and stressful to hear.
Binaural fittings also improve the signal-to-noise ratio. This is a fancy way of
saying that the speech you want to hear is kept louder than the background
noise. When using 2 ears, the signal to noise ratio is improved as much as
2-3 decibels (dB). When you consider that 3 dB is actually a full doubling of
sound, this is a hefty improvement by adding only one more hearing
instrument! This is very helpful for those who are struggling in noisy
background situations. Having this boosting of the speech signal can
increase speech comprehension drastically!
Austin Hearing Services, Inc
6805 N Capital of Texas Highway, Austin, TX 78731
(512) 851-0847