I am going to a hearing aid center to be tested tomorrow. I know that my hearing is bad but I wish to know if.

Has anyone tried and compared the NaturEar to any of the more expensive custom fitted and higher priced devices? How can I find the best value and performance in hearing aids. I am 62 and my family complains more and more each week.

Has anyone tried and compared the NaturEar to any of the more expensive custom fitted and higher priced devices? How can I find the best value and performance in hearing aids. I am 62 and my family complains more and more each week

I was fitted with a pair of Unitron BTE (behind the ear) aids costing $2400 each and was not impressed. I might like to try another brand. Where on the internet can I get the best rates for name brand, quality hearing aids?

NaturEar sounds like a device that is made by the individual retailer you are purchasing aids from not a major manufacturer. Basically your best bet for a good hearing aid experience is to see an audiologist. Audiologists will work with you over time to adjust the aid until it is right. A major note is that it WILL take time. It will take time for you to adjust to hearing all the sounds again. I have seen so many people screwed over by dispensing locations that really pressure you into purchasing aids.

With that said. Unitron is a good manufacturer, but i have had mixed results with their aids. Some people just don't like the sound quality. So another manufacturer is probably a good idea - my favorites are resound, starkey, and phonak. Don't purchase aids over the internet. There are no laws to protect you from fraud. Who knows what you are getting. You cannot get a custom fit aid. Where do you take your aids in for repair? Who will fit the aid? Basically if you purchase the aid from the net you have to see an audiologist for programming. The audiologist has made no money off the aid therefore they will have to charge you for every office visit. Do you know how many times you are going to need to go to the office for the next 2 years? probably not. if you purchase the aid from an audiologist you know how much up front it costs you. All you office visits are typically included at least for the warranty period. At my office all visits are free for as long as you own the aid.

Bottom line is you get what you pay for.

GOOD quality hearing aids will cost you at LEAST a thousand bucks apiece. They have much more sophisticated sound processing, noise reduction, feedback management, flexibility in programming, and programming capabilities compared to the $50 junk you can buy on ebay which just makes everything louder and more distorted. And don't be wooed by places that offer you five hundred dollars off or mass advertise their "digital hearing aids"- they're probably going to hose you on cost and quite frankly all hearing aids sold now are digital so its not something unique to that place.

You need to talk to a qualified local audiologist who will give you a thorough hearing evaluation and discuss your options. Try to stay away from the national chains (ie Miracle Ear, Beltone, NuEar, Amplifon, etc) because they're commission driven and I've seen way too many patients walk through my door who either purchased or were recommended to purchase from those places who are not candidates for amplification, but bought from them because they were pressured. So, feel free to shop around, don't feel pressured to buy at the first place you go to.