Digital headphones

The superiority of digital technology over conventional, analog hearing aids is that digital hearing aids process the sound before amplifying it.

The sound is converted into a digital signal, split into frequencies, each frequency is amplified according to the data passed into the headset's microprocessor, amplified and delivered to the headset user.

In practice, this gives the hearing care professional great flexibility and ability to adjust each hearing aid to the needs and lifestyle of its wearer. This way we can better focus on the frequencies where the biggest problem is found and amplify them satisfactorily without affecting the rest.

Another big advantage is that they perform much better in noisy environments. They recognize the human voice and amplify it more than the surrounding noise.

Why is digital technology better?

The superiority of digital technology over traditional analog hearing aids is not just what it can do with sounds, but how much better it does it.
Digital signal processors (DSPs) by converting incoming signals into automated 'bits', can process or manipulate them extremely quickly and efficiently in many complex ways using mathematical formulas known as algorithms. This gives them enormous speed and agility in recognizing the basic components of sound.
Like an equalizer in good audio systems, algorithms can continuously divide sounds into frequency channels. This helps preserve and emphasize the higher frequencies that contain the vital consonant sounds of speech—the "k" and "t" sounds in "something"—above the annoying hum of low-frequency noise.
Algorithms also manage noise by its duration. While the loudness of speech sounds can change radically in a millisecond, noise remains aurally constant for much longer. Using time, the DSP precisely reduces the levels of continuous sounds such as traffic noise and household appliance noise. And it automatically adjusts as changes occur, restoring gain when sounds of shorter duration are detected.
This same sensitivity is also useful in quiet environments. Using an acoustic technique called amplification, the digital algorithm senses the consistency of softer environmental sounds from ventilation systems and appliances. It automatically reduces the gain in the appropriate frequency range, instantly restoring the appropriate levels when the sound environment changes.
Digital algorithms can also minimize and eliminate the principle of feedback-hiss, a common problem of hearing aids.
Within its curated network of frequency channels, the algorithm detects feedback elements before they become discernible. It then reduces the levels on just those particular channels, with no noticeable effect on perceived volume levels.
The precision and flexibility of digital technology also gives your hearing care professional the ability to more precisely adjust your amplification to best match your hearing needs and lifestyle. This process may involve repeated visits to ensure you are getting the most benefit from your hearing aids.

Finally, one more feature of modern digital hearing aids is that they have the ability to connect to mobile phones or other smart devices and adjust them from them as well as transfer the sound to them via bluetooth technology.