How to Choose a Hearing Aid Battery
November 30th, 2007There are many different types of hearing aids on the market today. Likewise there are also many different hearing aid batteries on the market. Unfortunately one hearing aid battery may not be nearly as good as another battery. So people must choose which type of battery they need and which type of battery is best for them.
It can sometimes be tough to know which hearing aid battery goes with which hearing aid. Luckily most of the batteries are color coded. For example, a blue battery is usually C size 675, yellow means C size 10, orange means C size 13, and brown means C size 312. These colors are found on a tab on the back of the batteries.
Once you determine which type of hearing aid battery you need, the next thing you need to do is look at how long the battery is supposed to last. Generally hearing aid batteries should last from a couple weeks to a few weeks. Of course this is dependent on what type of hearing aid you have and exactly what your hearing aid does.
Of all the types of hearing aids, BTE or Behind the Ear microphones, are probably the best to use. This is because Behind the Ear microphones allow the user to know where the sound is coming from. Just like we have two ears so we know where a sound originates, BTE microphones allows the hearing aid user to know where the sound is coming from. Of course, a hearing aid like this would more quickly drain a hearing aid battery.
One part of a hearing aid battery that does often affect the life of a hearing aid battery is the microphone in the hearing aid. The microphone is what picks up the sounds. For years hearing aids helped people hear but there was no way of knowing where the sound was coming from. Now, with the new technology, there is a hearing aid called the Behind the Ear or BTE. With this technology people wearing hearing aids can now know the direction where sound is coming from. Of course this type of microphone can drain a battery more than some other types of batteries.
The amplifier can also play a role in the life of a hearing aid battery. The job of the amplifier is to carry the sound from the microphone to the speaker and to make the sound louder. Amplifiers are broken down into three categories, which are determined by power consumption (how much power it needs, which affects the life of the battery), gain, and output abilities. The categories are Class A, Class B, and Class D.
People who need to buy a hearing aid need to consider their wants and needs. Another thing they also must consider is the type of hearing aid battery the device takes. Often this factor is overlooked.
Since a hearing aid battery can vary in life expectancy and price, the battery should be chosen carefully. People who use a hearing aid should continue to shop around and try different hearing aids until they find a hearing aid battery that lasts long enough and is also a reasonable price.
