Hearing aid technology grows more advanced every year; the most basic hearing aids of this year would have been considered top-of-the-line advanced technology only a decade ago. One piece of hearing aid technology that has seen considerable advancement in recent years is the microphone.
What Does the Hearing Aid Microphone Do?
The microphone is the piece of the hearing aid that picks up sound waves to be processed by the hearing aid and projected into your ear. On receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids and behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids, the microphone is located on the part of the hearing aid that hooks behind your ear. On in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC) and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids, the microphone is on the outer part of the hearing aid, facing out and away from the ear canal.
Omnidirectional Microphones
Omnidirectional microphones pick up sounds from all sides and directions equally. Until very recently, they were the default microphone option on all hearing aids. These microphones are great if you want to hear everything going on around you, and they’re generally linked to better situational awareness, since they pick up sound from every direction.
Omnidirectional microphones struggle in noisy environments. In places with lots of background noise, such as a party or crowded restaurant, the omnidirectional microphone sends all signals to the hearing aid, leading to sensory overload, communication difficulties and frustration. While most hearing aids have sophisticated background noise suppression, too much background noise can still be a problem.
Directional Microphones
As the name implies, directional microphones focus on sound from one direction: right in front of you. They are a newer technology that has been developed specifically to address the issues with omnidirectional microphones in noisy environments. They significantly reduce the amount of background noise sent to your hearing aids. They make conversations in noisy environments much easier.
Adaptive Directional Microphones
Adaptive directional microphones take directional microphones up a notch: they also pick up sound from one direction, but they can automatically shift which direction they’re focusing on. If, for example, you’re at a restaurant with a friend, the adaptive directional microphone will focus on your friend speaking in front of you, but if it perceives that a waiter has appeared by your side and started speaking, it will turn its focus to the waiter.
Which Microphone Should I Choose?
All three types of microphones have their uses. Every hearing aid user is different, and every hearing loss is unique. Discuss with your audiologist what your hearing needs are and what microphone might suit your needs best. Call us at Sound Advice Audiology to learn more.