Which hearing aid brand is the best?

Congratulations, you’ve made the decision to improve your hearing with a hearing aid but you don’t know which one to choose. It might seem like there are so many brands out there and they all offer different technologies and features. Frankly, it can seem a little confusing and even overwhelming. But it’s likely there is a hearing aid that is perfect for you, whatever your requirements and budget.

So, Which hearing aid brand is the best? Well, the answer depends on a range of factors including your:

There are a number of major hearing aid brands available in Canada. They include Phonak, Starkey, Oticon, Siemens, ReSound, Widex, and Signia. These large and reputable hearing aid manufacturers have been designing and manufacturing highly advanced hearing devices for many years. Their hearing aids have a reputation for innovation, quality materials, thoughtful features, and user-friendly comfort.

These companies have extremely generous research and development budgets that ensure a constant improvement in performance and the refinement of additional features. Although the overall levels of performance are comparable across the big name brands there will be features or aspects where one hearing aid suits you more than another.

When comparing hearing aid brands you also need to remember that all brands offer a range of devices from the basic up to the premium models. The technology used at each level may vary quite widely so it is important to compare devices at similar quality levels.

Let’s compare some important features that might help you decide which brand is right for you:

Sound quality 

If you’re a real music lover and you’re looking for the best sound quality then you can’t beat the Phonak Audeo Marvel 2.0. Advanced technology recognises a wide range of listening environments and automatically adapts the hearing aid settings. Its ability to stream audio to both aids ensures a richer, clearer all-round listening experience. 

The Phonak AutoSense OS 3.0 technology filters out background noise to provide exceptionally clear speech recognition even in really noisy environments. It even has the ability to hone in on essential moving sounds. 

All the major brands provide hearing aids with high quality sound production as a core feature. However, the Phonak really leads the way in this category. Learn more about how Phonak Audeo Marvel 2.0 hearing aids will transform your listening experience here. 

The RESound LiNX Quattro also delivers exceptionally high sound reproduction and comes a close second to the Phonak. An extremely high dynamic input range backed up by multilayered sound processing algorithms produces a crystal-clear audio environment even in highly challenging and changeable situations. 

The Widex range of hearing aids also perform consistently highly in the sound quality ratings. Remember that sound quality perception is highly personal so it’s a good idea to spend time talking to our experienced team of hearing professionals about your needs.

Phonak, Widex, and ReSound are all large European companies with a proud history of delivering precision cutting edge technology throughout their hearing aid ranges. Coincidentally both the Phonak Audeo Marvel 2.0 and the ReSound LiNX Quattro also lead the field in the wireless connectivity category.

Tech-friendly and Wireless Connectivity 

If you’re tech savvy and looking for hearing aids that will connect seamlessly with all your devices then you’ll want to take a look at either the Phonak or the ReSound ranges. Direct to iPhone and Android streaming is standard with most of the hearing aids across both these brands. Most other brands require some additional device to stream from Android devices. And if you’re dedicated to Google Pixel 3 then the ReSound hearing aid is definitely one to consider. 

Bluetooth compatibility is standard across nearly all major hearing aid brands except for Widex. Widex uses their own 2.4 GHz connectivity solution that allows you to connect with most Smartphones. This may be a drawback that limits connectivity with certain devices but Widex claims that their system offers better sound reproduction quality. And certainly clinician and customer surveys indicate an extremely high level of satisfaction with the Widex sound.

The ability to customise your hearing settings easily and discreetly through a Smartphone app is very important for many hearing aid users. The ReSound brand is probably top of the class with its almost endless array of personal customisation options.

Speech in noisy settings

All of the major brand hearing aids devote a lot of time and research into improving speech recognition in noisy settings such as restaurants, train stations, and airports. In general, these devices all perform very highly in this aspect but the Oticon OPN range has a clear edge over the competition.

Oticon’s Open Sound Navigator can process sounds at an extraordinary rate of 56,000 times per second. This allows the device to prioritise the sounds you want to hear faster than you can think. The result is clearer sound especially in challenging situations.

Best battery life

Lithium-ion batteries have revolutionised the way people use their hearing aids. Life is so much easier when you can simply charge your hearing aids while you sleep and they’re ready for a full-on day from the moment you wake up.  

The Starkey, ReSound, Signia, and Oticon range of hearing aids delivers exceptional battery performance with a full charge delivering up to 30 hours of performance. Battery performance is dependent on how they’re used during the day and live streaming is especially heavy on battery life. Recharge time is around 3 hours for these brands.

There will be other aspects that may play an important role in deciding which hearing aid is the best one for your needs. But hearing aids do significantly improve your quality of life and at House of Hearing we have aids to suit all budgets. Come and talk to one of our hearing professionals about the right hearing aid for you.