The Best Headphones for People with Hearing Aids

Put Down the Earbuds and Grab a Set of Good Ol’ Headphones

Are you worried you have to sacrifice audio quality because you have hearing aids? Not so fast! High-quality audio and hearing loss can coexist — if your tools and accessories are a good fit for your hearing aids. Read on for plenty of sound advice.

 

Streaming to Your Hearing Aids: Is It for You?

You might not need headphones

If your main reason for streaming audio is listening to podcasts or watching videos, headphones may not be necessary.

Many hearing aids these days can stream audio directly or via an accessory. If you can do so, and the audio quality is acceptable to you, you’re golden!

 

Audiophiles might, though

If you’re a music, movie, or gaming enthusiast, however, you might expect a certain level of audio quality. Using headphones with your hearing aids might be a better route.

Hearing aids are developed to maximize communication — they’re built to enhance speech, not music or sound effects. That focus on speech requires some compromises, especially in the lower frequencies (for example, bass guitars).

As one engineer/audiologist said, “There is no great hearing aid when it comes to streaming music quality. The best hearing aids are just OK.”

 

Headphones + hearing aids = better sound quality

But many hearing aids now offer a specialized program that optimizes the sound quality of music. The catch? It optimizes the music you hear through your hearing aids’ microphones — not music you stream wirelessly to your devices.

This means you can send your audio through your headphones the way you want it to sound and then optimize your hearing aids for music. Your headphones and hearing aids working together will give you better sound quality. You can do the same thing with movies or video games.

 

What Are the Best Headphones for Your Hearing Aids?

A word of warning: Headphones worn with hearing aids may cause feedback — that unwanted squealing sound — which isn’t compatible or comfortable. Proceed cautiously!

In addition to superb sound quality, your headphones should offer comfort and be compatible with your devices. Look for ear cups that are cushioned but won’t jostle your hearing aids.

If you choose over-ear headphones, they should be adjustable and lightweight so you can wear them for extended periods comfortably.

 

Hearing aid styles

Here’s a quick refresher on the varieties of hearing aids out there.

• Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids sit behind your ear. The microphone, sound processor, and receiver (which produces the sound) are all inside the hearing aid, which sits on the back of your ear. A thin tube carries the sound down into your ear canal.
• Receiver-in-canal (RIC) hearing aids also sit behind your ear. The microphone and processor are outside. The sound signal is sent through a tubing-covered wire to the receiver, which sits inside your ear canal.
• In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids fit within the outer portion of your ear and are about the size of a quarter. Custom-fit to your ear, every component of the hearing aid fits in the shell — there’s no tube running from behind your ear into your ear canal.
• In-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids are smaller than the ITE and nestle just inside your ear canal. Like the ITE, the ITC is custom-fit to your ear and self-contained.
• Completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids are smaller than the ITC and sit deep inside your ear canal. Like the ITC, the CIC is custom-fit to your ear and self-contained.
• Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids are smaller than the CIC and rest at the bend of your ear canal. Like the CIC, the IIC is custom-fit to your ear and self-contained.

 

On-ear headphones

The opening in the center of the headphones sits over the hearing aid, so your device picks up the music through the microphone.

The most conducive hearing aid styles for these headphones:

• Completely-in-canal (CIC)
• Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC)

On-ear headphones can also be used for the following styles, but feedback is more likely to occur.

• In-the-ear (ITE)
• In-the-canal (ITC)
• Behind-the-ear (BTE)
• Receiver-in-canal (RIC)

 

Over-ear headphones

These cover your ears and help with noise cancellation, which protects your hearing to help prevent future hearing loss.

The most conducive hearing aid styles for these headphones:

• In-the-ear (ITE)
• In-the-canal (ITC)
• Behind-the-ear (BTE)
• Receiver-in-canal (RIC)

These headphones can also be used for completely-in-canal and invisible-in-the-canal devices.

 

Bone-conduction headphones

These headphones allow you to hear sound through the vibration of your jawbones and cheekbones. This way the sound waves are directly stimulating the inner ear (your hearing organ).

The most conducive hearing aid styles for these headphones:

• In-the-ear (ITE)
• In-the-canal (ITC)
• Completely-in-canal (CIC)
• Invisible-in-the-canal (IIC)

 

Tips for Wearing Headphones With Hearing Aids

• If wearing your hearing aids with headphones, be conscious of how loud you’re playing your music, because the tunes will be amplified. Use a simple volume-meter app that tells you exactly how loud your music really is.
• The decibel level (the sound pressure) and the length of listening time affect how much damage is done. Sound becomes damaging at 85 decibels (the sound level of a bulldozer idling). Try the 60/60 rule: Listen to your device at 60% volume for only 60 minutes at a time.
• Feedback can happen if the headphones touch the hearing aid or sit too closely to it. To help with this, try repositioning your headphones.
• Try to buy noise-canceling headphones. The reason it’s so easy to damage your hearing with headphones is that background noise can prompt you to turn up the volume to block it out. Noise-isolating and noise-canceling headphones help to remove that background noise, removing the temptation to turn it up so loud.

As always, your hearing care provider can help you with this and many other concerns. So don’t miss a beat — contact us today to see how we can make your listening experience even better.