What is the difference between analog and digital hearing aids?

Analog hearing aids use a microphone, amplifier, and receiver to make sounds louder. They also typically have a “peak limiter” which prevents sounds from becoming too loud.

Digital hearing aids also have a microphone, amplifier, and receiver. They also have a mechanism to prevent sounds from becoming too loud in the form of a microchip. This microchip takes the sound wave (an analog signal) and converts it to a digital signal. It is then processed and converted back into a sound wave.

Digital hearing aids are wonderful and have a clean, crisp sound quality. However, sometimes something is lost in the conversion from analog to digital. For that reason, some people prefer analog hearing aids.

Analog hearing aids often sound better for music, particularly recorded music. Also, some users also report they sound more natural and “less processed” than digital aids. However, major hearing aid manufacturers have discontinue analog hearing aids. This created problems for many people.

Thankfully, MDHearingAid has the PRO hearing aid. The PRO is an analog, behind-the-ear hearing aid. It utilizes a size 13 battery for a long battery life lasting two to three weeks. A full range volume control and two different programs, one for high frequency hearing loss and one for flat hearing loss, allow you to fully customize the fitting. The PRO is one of the last available analog hearing aids today.