Your guide to hearing aids in both ears
A hearing aid is a highly technical tool. You can compare it to a computer. Old-fashioned hearing aids are now a thing of the past, because both technology and appearance have changed a lot. A modern-day hearing aid is much more than a simple hearing amplifier. You make use of a number of special functionalities. Also from the so-called binaurality is the talk.
This guide explains for you what is behind the term binaural hearing aids and how this function helps you hear. You are very welcome to ask our hearing aid experts for advice on fitting and selection. Call us or send us a message about hearing loss. The consultation is non-binding and free of charge.
Comparing current and previous hearing aids
Do you remember the original earlier hearing aid models? These can only amplify the sound that is received. This is done independently of each other. It works quite differently with a modern binaural hearing aid. In recent years, a modern process has been developed. This is based on natural hearing. For you, this means that both the left and the right hearing aid are coupled and communicate with each other via radio. For you, it means an enormous quality when the hearing aids can communicate with each other. Depending on the initial situation, they intelligently coordinate with each other.
Natural hearing with a binaural hearing aid
The brain manages to filter out speech from sound and suppress background noise. For this, it gives appropriate signals to understand the speech. It is also possible to understand speech clearly in an acoustically demanding situation. Do you have a problem when there is a lot of noise around you, such as in a restaurant or on a subway or bus? If you think you almost can't understand the person you're talking to, you can get relief with a binaural hearing aid. By doing so, you'll significantly improve your overall hearing.
You can also imagine a similar situation when you go for a walk in strong wind noise, for example. You can't carry on a conversation without a hearing aid. A binaural hearing aid manages to automatically check where the wind is coming from and which direction the speech signal is coming from. Only the correct signals are transmitted to the other ear via radio. The disturbing wind noise is efficiently suppressed. This works much better with binaural hearing systems than with conventional hearing systems. Another typical situation is when you are talking on the phone with one ear. A binaural hearing aid can detect this and suppress the sound amplification in parallel. At the same time, the sounds from the phone and all signals are also sent to the other side. So you can hear what you need to hear on both ears.
The direction of the microphone
With new systems, you can hear regardless of the direction of your gaze. Normally, the microphone is oriented according to the direction of your gaze. However, it may happen that you are sitting and working concentrated by a computer. Nevertheless, you may want to talk to another person who is beside or behind you. Older hearing instruments reach their limits in such situations. It's a completely different story with a binaural hearing aid. A binaural hearing aid turns the microphones in the exact direction from which the signal for speech is coming. This means you no longer need eye contact for smooth communication.
Orientation in the room
Normally, two well-functioning ears are needed to ensure problem-free directional hearing and to orient yourself in space. Subtle differences are detected by the auditory center. It immediately distinguishes between the left and right ear when signals arrive. This allows you to assign a position in the room to the signal and localize it. This is known as the head shadow effect. A reliable directional estimation is even possible with a binaural system for signal processing.