The choice of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids is a growing marketplace. The costs are quite varied and there are several styles. In the years since I first started wearing hearing aids, I have tried and reviewed three styles. The in-the-ear, the ear-pod, and the behind-the-ear styles. What I want most people with hearing loss to get out of this article is the desire to try something to improve their hearing. It really makes a big difference. See my first review, this is for the Eargo Plus hearing aid: https://youtu.be/iUIX_DQHdGI my excitement is palpable.

Ear-Pod: The ear pod can be stand-alone or tied to your smartphone. This review talks about the Linner Nova product: https://youtu.be/8oKbh_XcGVg. They look just like any other ear-pod and work as both a hearing aid and a set of headphones. The advantage of these used as headphones is they are adapted to your particular hearing loss and thus produce far more accurate sound reproduction. When I hard-wired these to my computer or stereo, the sound reproduction was top-notch and rivaled anything else I have used since my hearing loss. They obviously can be seen, but they look ordinary and thus not so much like hearing aids. That’s a plus if you are younger, want to help your hearing, but also want to not have that fact stand out.

Behind-The-Ear: This is a variation on the old-fashioned style hearing aid we all think of when we think of hearing aids. The kind that squeaks and squawks when your hand goes near them. However, they are not your grandfather’s hearing aids (unless he’s my age, then they might be) rather these are high-tech sound reproduction devices. This review talks about the Elehear Alpha Pro: https://youtu.be/Dh3cdGWeAbU. These devices are far smaller than the old-style hearing aids, they also have speakers in the ear which separate the sound pickup from the sound reproduction. That all but eliminates feedback. Without a doubt, this is the most common format for a hearing aid. The advantage of these is that their physical size can be a little bigger to allow for more battery and electronics. So they can potentially do more than smaller devices.

In-The-Ear: This style of hearing aid was popularized by the company Miracle-Ear. The OTC version most will be aware of is the Eargo. The Eargo 7 is reviewed here: https://youtu.be/obKSocQbT4o. The advantage of the in-the-ear design is near invisibility and the microphone uses the ear to funnel sound to it. Thus the sound is truly 3-D. Watching a movie in Dolby Atmos at home using these hearing aids allows me to appreciate the full effect of the surround sound as presented. Also, as they are not seen by others, if you feel uncomfortable wearing hearing aids, these are the most stealth option.

I have used all three styles and wore them extensively in different environments for at least two weeks before doing the review videos. They all have substantial amplification of sound and all were able to produce sufficient sound to work for my moderate hearing loss. All being equal, which they are not, there is a substantial price difference among the three listed here, but nonetheless, I prefer an in-the-ear model for accurate sound location and reproduction. The others offer Bluetooth capability while in use, which has its advantages, some would find that to be far more important than I do. I don’t use a Bluetooth headset. All allow quick adjustments to the sound profiles and volume using an app. This is tech that will no doubt continue to evolve and I look forward to bringing you information on more hearing ads as I get them to test.