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What are digital hearing aids?

Today, the world is connected through digital communication and smartphones.  At home you are entertained with a digital TV,a digital media player, a digital sound system, or a mix of them. You rely on your digital GPS directions when driving. We live in a digital landscape, so shouldn’t a solution for your hearing loss be digital too? 
Digital hearing devices for a digital world
There are many types of hearing aids and hearing aid technologies, and, today, there are digital hearing aids to complete your digitally convenient lifestyle. They are smart and interact with other digital devices. Digital hearing aids have life-changing health benefits too, because good hearing health is linked to quality of life. They take the power of sound and your personal hearing experience to new levels, so you can feel empowered to take charge of your hearing loss.
Digital vs analog hearing aids

Hearing aid technologies have changed over the years. Before digital hearing aids came on the scene, hearing aids were based on analog technology alone. 

Analog hearing aids’ sound signals are continuous and uniform in flow, so the sophisticated nuances or layers of sound that digital hearing aids have are missing. Adapting to different sound environments with analog hearing aids means simply turning up the volume, which is very uncomfortable. Also, with analog hearing aids, you don’t have the option to reduce background noises – they would also be amplified. 

Digital hearing aids have sound signals that vary and are individual, bringing natural-sounding speech and audio enriched with depth and variation. You can adjust the sound of digital hearing aids, personalizing the experience to your needs and preferences.

How digital hearing aids work

In a hearing aid there is a microphone, an amplifier, a receiver, and a hearing aid battery (replaceable or rechargeable). With digital hearing aids, the amplifier really takes center stage.

The amplifier in digital hearing aids acts as a computerized brain. When it processes the speech and audio picked up by the microphone and sends it to the receiver and into your ears, it doesn’t simply make sounds louder. That is what analog hearing aids do. Instead, a digital hearing aid amplifier acts smartly to bring all the fine nuances and qualities of natural sound to life, to suit different settings, so you can control and enjoy them in personalized and comfortable ways.  

ReSound Nexia exploded view
Digital hearing aid benefits

Simply turning up the volume to hear more isn’t effective. This can be overpowering or screechy in certain locations or settings. Thanks to digital technology, with digital hearing aids you can customize your hearing experience to suit your hearing loss, which enhances your comfort and feeling of confidence. It’s a similar concept to adjusting the lights in your home; playing with the tone and mood to make the ambience perfect. You can do this with sound, so it sounds just natural and feels completely right. 

Also, because digital hearing devices can pair up with other digital devices in various ways – such as smartphones and tablets – you can fully connect with your world, stream calls and entertainment, and discreetly control the sound without touching your ears. No one will know what or who you’re really listening to! And you will be able to forget about your hearing loss.

Style-wise, digital hearing aids are smart and usually small; the perfect package. They are discreet and blend in when you wear them, so you can also call them (almost) invisible hearing aids.

Using ReSound Hearing Aids for streaming
Digital hearing aids by ReSound
Explore our different digital hearing aids and the benefits you can enjoy.
Where to buy digital hearing aids 
If you’re considering digital hearing aids, a hearing care professional should be your next stop. They can help you find the best digital hearing aids for you, run through all the features of digital hearing aids, and then manage your hearing test and hearing aid fitting.  
ReSound hearing care professional interacting with a patient during an appointment.

Quick online test

If you can’t wait to see a hearing care professional, you can start by taking our online hearing test today. 

Take the free online hearing test


Features of digital hearing aids

There are many types of hearing aids out there. Here is an overview of what the best digital hearings aids on the market should offer. 

Brilliant sound quality is an absolute prerequisite, as is connectivity with your essential smart devices.  Equally, the ability to personalize your hearing experience and the sounds you hear is also vital. The best digital hearing aids will offer rich sound details, so you feel the full rhythm and tones of each song and your favorite peoples’ voices all around you. You will be able to discreetly adjust the volume and levels, boost certain aspects, and filter away what you don’t want to hear with noise reduction capabilities.  

While digital hearing aid prices vary, the features we’ve outlined will help you decide if a digital hearing aid is a good investment for you.

Stream perfectly balanced sound from any audio source

Digital hearing aids act as wireless headphones. With digital hearing aids you can stream music and calls from your smartphone of choice and iPad®, and your favorite tracks on your iPod touch®, directly to your ears. This can be relaxing at home, socializing in the city or out running or hiking in nature. Just turn on the Bluetooth and let your digital hearing aids and other devices connect. Then your digital hearing devices become Bluetooth hearing aids, too. The same applies when you’re watching TV at home; as you move around to get a coffee or a snack, the sound follows you in your digital hearing aids, so you don’t miss the action. Plug and play.
Enjoy noise reduction and hear sounds clearly in different places
Throughout the day, the noise level varies. At home, you have your cocoon where it’s easier to create your perfect sound environment. If you’re in a busy restaurant or at a dinner party, on a packed train in rush hour or in your car with your family chattering away, the story is very different. Digital hearing aids enable you to manage noise wherever you are with effective noise reduction capabilities, so you can boost speech and make it clearer by reducing distracting background noises. Easy and intuitive apps work with digital hearing aids so you can just swipe, tap or use your voice to change sound settings.
Hear where all the sounds are coming from
Digital hearing aids make it easier for you to hear sound from all directions and give you a full sense of the space you’re in, thanks to microphones that cover 360°of your environment. Some types of hearing aids block out sounds coming from the side or behind you. If you were walking along a busy street, this would make you unaware of any changes in traffic or a situation around you. Digital hearing aid microphones fill in the entire sound scene, so you can hear where all the sounds are coming from. At a party or a work meeting, you don’t need to turn your head or move closer to the person who’s talking. Just focus on contributing to the conversation, sharing a great idea or telling that joke.
Cancel annoying whistling and concentrate on the good sounds
Feedback is a term for high-pitched whistling that can occur with hearing aids when you wear them. It can happen when the microphone picks up the amplified sound from the hearing aids and channels it back into the hearing aid in a loop. Think of analog radios making high-pitched sounds when you turn them up or change the frequency too far. Digital hearing devices are clever, and the best digital hearing aids have built-in feedback cancelling systems to detect any whistling and relieve you of the feedback problem. 
ReSound Smart 3D app
Meet our app for iOS and Android™ devices. It works seamlessly with our latest ReSound hearing aids: ReSound Nexia, ReSound OMNIA, Customs by ReSound, ReSound ONE, ReSound LiNX Quattro, ReSound ENZO Q, ReSound Key&, ReSound LiNX 3D, and ReSound ENZO 3D. Use it to adjust the sound settings, request remote fine-tuning for your hearing aids from your hearing care professional, and much more. Download the app, turn on Bluetooth, and you’re ready to go.

Accessories for your digital hearing aids
TV Streamers
ReSound TV Streamers

Turn your digital hearing aids into wireless headphones with a TV streamer. You can stream rich stereo sound from your TV, computer or music system to your ears. Have the volume as you like it.

See the ReSound TV Streamers
ReSound Phone Clip+
ReSound Phone Clip+

Use a phone clip to stream calls or audio from your phone to your digital hearing aids, so you can hear conversations and avoid word misunderstandings. Great for talking or listening outside on the go.

See the ReSound Phone Clip+
ReSound Mics
ReSound Mics

With digital hearing aids you can use a smart mic accessory to enhance and extend your listening range. Conversations become crystal clear, from across the table or the other side of the room.

See the ReSound Multi Mic

See the ReSound Micro Mic

ReSound Remote Controls
ReSound Remote Controls

A remote control for your digital hearing aids makes you the navigator of your sound journey. Discreetly adjust the volume, change programs or switch to one of your streaming accessories.

See the ReSound Remote Controls
Take the next step with a professional
Now that you have done your research, a hearing care professional in your area can help you find the right digital hearing aids for you. They will be happy to hear from you.