One of the most important characteristics of a hearing instrument is the number of “frequency channels” it has. Sounds are processed and amplified by a hearing instrument on the basis of their frequencies and volumes. The hearing specialist refers to the wearer’s audiogram to tell which frequencies need amplification. Thus, the more frequency channels a hearing instrument has, the better able the hearing specialist will be to fine tune the hearing instrument. However, more is not necessarily better. While some hearing instruments come with more than 20 channels, wearers don’t always benefit from the extra channels (and higher cost). The hearing specialist can help hearing-instrument users make the determination of how many frequency channels they need to maximize speech audibility.
Studies have tried to address the question concerning the benefits of multiple channels and what is optimal. The difficulty in answering that question arises from the fact that hearing aids designed with the same number of channels do not perform the same. However, more than 15 to 20 channels can cause sounds to become “muddy.” To schedule a hearing assessment, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER. We are New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. An audiogram is a graphic representation of a hearing test, which determines the softest sound that the tested individual can hear at each specific frequency (pitch).