There is an awful lot of press out there about ‘hearing aids being suitable for your own particular needs’, and ‘choosing the right product for your lifestyle’.
The truth is of course, that after 24 years, I am still left pondering which hearing aid will suit any given individual. In fact, that happened today at our CLECKHEATON practice.
It is true that we can use STATISTICS. So, PHONAK have been pretty much dominant in the UK market for over a decade, so if you don’t have any preference or preconception, we might well let you have a FREE TRIAL AT HOME of Phonak. It’s fairly straight-forward as to what models are attractive. That’ll be the Audeo B-Direct (the one for hands-free calls), the incredibly popular Audeo B-Rechargeable and the tiny version, Audeo B-10. Phonak also can claim almost complete dominance of the custom in-the-ear market with a UK plant with 330 employees working 2 shifts, exporting to 9 other countries. That’s an incredible British success.
OTICON are firmly in second place and there is no doubting their R&D spend and the build quality. When they launched the OPN, with Made-for-iPhone streaming, it was clear this model would do exceptionally well. You’ll find that Hidden Hearing and limited numbers of Independents offer Oticon. We love OPNs and will usually have them in stock to TRIAL ON DAY 1.
WIDEX have a great, perhaps historical reputation. We embrace their more modern approach to doing business in recent years and now actively encourage a FREE TRIAL of Widex. The Beyond Z is the model to go for.
RESOUND cannot be ignored as the first to the Made-for-iPhone protocol which revolutionised the hearing aid market and brought in a whole new age group to hearing aid use. The remote controller app is the best and includes REMOTE PROGRAMMING, meaning we can alter your hearing aid settings when you are on holiday! Only with your authority!
STARKEY is another very credible manufacturer that we will recommend in particular cases. The custom in-the-ear products are of excellent quality, and the HALO 2 is a Made-for-iPhone aid with a really interesting take on the remote controller app.
We are human after all, so there are some other brands which we currently do not recommend.
So when you come to see us, we will endeavour to choose a successful hearing aid for you to try out. We will accept any budget restriction you might make, and do our upmost to get you hearing well. In fact, some of our most effusive reviews are from individuals who have achieved a great result without spending a fortune.
But, if you’d like to try another, hey that is not a problem. We’ll make sure we find the best for you, not because we know better, but rather because you know how you want to hear.
Robert