Buying a hearing aid may feel expensive on the onset but is a worthwhile investment to improve your quality of life. A good hearing aid can cost an average of $1000 each. One of the biggest reasons for high hearing aid prices is because each hearing aid must be custom fitted to the patient’s ear. It is interesting to note that no two people have the same ear canal size. In most cases a person’s right and left ear canal also has different sizes. If the hearing aid does not fit right, ambient noise can enter the ear and distract from the sound you actually want to hear.

Another major reason for the high cost of hearing aids is the amount of research and development going into hearing aids. These small devices are constantly being improved and upgraded inn terms off sound frequencies they can address, ambient noise reduction etc.

Other features that influence the hearing aid prices are:

• Channels and bands available: As the number of channels and bands increases on your hearing aid, so does the cost. This is because settings need to be customized for each frequency range.

• Noise reduction: If ambient noise like wind, traffic etc can make following a conversation difficult for people with good hearing, imagine what it will do to someone with hearing loss. Hence, some hearing aids also have noise cancellation features that keep it from absorbing and amplifying surrounding sounds. Some hearing aids also have speech recognition built into the devices to make conversing easier.

• Wireless Compatibility: People with hearing loss have trouble not only listening to people talk but also when watching television, listening to music or using the phone. Hence, hearing aids are now being made such that they can be wireless to be connected to the television, music system, phone etc.

• Batteries: The smaller the hearing aid, the smaller the battery and the shorter it’s lifespan. Hence, in many cases hearing aid prices include rechargeable batteries or include multiple sets of batteries within the cost. Rechargeable can make maintaining a hearing aid easier as they do not need to be frequently changed.

• Variable Programing: A hearing aid can be customized to have different settings in different environments. For example, at a party, you may need the hearing aid to reduce ambient noise and amplify conversations while when you’re in the park, you may want to enjoy the ambient sounds themselves. They can also be programmed to amplify sounds at varying volumes depending on your needs and the task at hand.

• Synchronization: Hearing aids can be used on one ear or both ears simultaneously. In cases where you need a hearing aid for both ears, it is essential for both of them to function together and in sync with each other. For example, adjusting the volume control son one hearing aid should have an effect on the other as well without needing any manual input.