The beginning stages of hearing loss can be difficult to identify. More often than not, it’s the people around you that take notice of your hearing loss before you do. If you or your loved ones suspect that you’re suffering from potential hearing loss, you should see your family physician or make an appointment with an ENT to conduct a hearing test without hesitation. If the hearing test determines that you are experiencing mild hearing loss, a hearing aid can go a long way towards restoring your quality of life. It’s important, however, to choose a hearing aid that best suits your lifestyle. For example, if you lead a relatively simple and quiet life, a simple no-frills hearing aid can make a real difference. Alternately, if you lead a busy work / social life and you spend considerable time in loud environments, there’s a number of high quality hearing aids on the market to suit your needs.
The price of a quality hearing aid can vary greatly, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 in some cases. Additionally, some insurance companies do not provide coverage for hearing aids, so be sure to check with your insurance provider before you begin your consumer journey. Furthermore, a pair of hearing aids will not last as long as you might expect. Generally speaking, your hearing aid should be replaced every 3-5 years, but if you want to embrace the latest advancements in digital hearing aid technology, you may end up replacing your hearing aid every 2-3 years. With so many hearing aids available on the market today, we felt it important to help consumers understand where to best focus their attention when shopping for a new hearing aid. So without further ado, our top picks for the best hearing aids in 2021 are as follows:
Best Overall Hearing Aid: Widex Moment
Widex is a respected hearing aid brand from Denmark, founded in 1956. Their most popular model, Widex Moment, was designed with smartphone users in mind, allowing them to seamlessly stream music and take phone calls on the fly. This hearing aid is specifically designed for people experiencing mild to severe hearing loss and comes pre-loaded with a zero delay accelerator that reduces delay below 0.5 milliseconds. With its advanced machine learning technology, it will learn and adapt to your preferences and optimize performance accordingly. The Widex Moment is barely visible in your ear, as it rests directly in your ear canal. And while it may be small, it’s an extremely powerful hearing aid that creates pure, unadulterated sound. While these hearing aids are rather expensive at $1,800 a pair, you can’t put a price on your hearing and they’re well worth the investment.
Best Budget Hearing Aid: Audacious Dia II
The Audacious Dia II is one of the more affordable hearing aids on the market today. They offer a number of financing options, including a popular monthly membership program. The Audacious Dia II is ideal for mild to moderate hearing loss. A discreet behind-the-ear device that adapts to your environment while filtering out excessive noise, it also comes with many advanced features, including adjustment channels, directional microphones and more. Additionally, they offer a flexible return policy, so if the Audacious Dia II isn’t the right fit for you, it can be returned at no charge within 45 days of purchase.
Best Hearing Aid for Seniors: Eargo Max
The Eargo Max is an excellent choice for those individuals in the early stages of hearing loss and looking to use a hearing aid for the first time. Well known for their sleek and functional design, the Eargo Max hearing aids recharge wirelessly, much like Apple AirPods. They’re designed to last throughout the day and provide excellent sound amplification while significantly reducing feedback. The Eargo Max hearing aids also come with four distinct sound profiles, and it will remember which one you prefer the most. And if you find that the Eargo Max hearing aid doesn’t suit your particular needs, you can easily return it for a full refund within 45 days.
Best Bluetooth Hearing Aid: Oticon Opn S
The Oticon Opn S bluetooth hearing aid can connect to any smartphone, allowing you to make easy hands-free phone calls. Furthermore, you can stream high-quality music from any bluetooth-enabled device, stream sound directly from your TV to your hearing aids, and control your settings from your phone with the Oticon ON App. While keeping you hyper-connected, the Oticon Opn S hearing aid mitigates feedback effectively and provides you with a 360 degree listening experience. Stylish and fashionable, the Oticon Opn S digital hearing aid will keep you dialed in and connected throughout the day.
Best Hearing Aid for Vertigo: Signia Silk Nx
A 2012 study from John Hopkins stated that people between the ages 40 to 69 with mild hearing loss are almost 3x as likely to experience a fall due to vertigo, so it should come as no surprise that a quality hearing aid can help. The Signia Silk Nx hearing aid is extremely small and it comes with a silicone sleeve that helps it sit naturally in your ear. The Signia Silk Nx hearing aids are immensely helpful to those individuals struggling with vertigo because they provide the necessary visual information by restoring one’s ability to detect where sounds are located in a space. As a result, it’s easy for your body to orient itself without feeling too dizzy.
Best Hearing Aid for Children: Phonak Sky Q
Phonak has done an impressive job removing the stigma of hearing aids for children with the Sky Q hearing aid. With its wonderful mix-and-match color palette, they make it easy for your child to have fun and express themselves through vibrant purples, yellow, and greens. And there’s no need to worry about playing too rough or tough with this hearing aid, because it’s durable design was built to last. The Phonak Sky Q is water, sweat, and dust resistant. And if the wind ever picks up too much when enjoying the outdoors or when other noise levels rise, your child will still be able to focus on voices. The Phonak Sky Q comes in four different models, each reflecting your child’s level of hearing loss. Consulting a hearing expert for advice will make the selection process a lot easier.
Best Multi-Purpose Hearing Aid: Maihear Store Rechargeable Hearing Aids
If you don’t have a strict criteria for your next hearing aid, you’ll definitely want a set that provides reliable and consistent coverage. This pair of rechargeable hearing aids from the Maihear Store will do just that. These super fast-charging hearing aids work in four modes: noisy, quiet, TV mode, and outdoor, which can help you differentiate certain sounds from others. These rechargeable hearing aids are perfect for on-the-go use, and they come with a small charger that provides a full charge in three hours that will last up to 20 hours of use.