An increasingly dominant aspect of hearing aid supply is the role of the internet in people’s researching and buying habits. Let’s face it, the internet has had a greater role year on year in people’s lives and buying habits over the last ten years or so, and the trend is set to continue.

Hearing aids and how they are supplied has not been immune from the internet revolution. Our own company Digital Hearing Care has had great success over the last few years by reaching customers UK wide and also worldwide that we would never have been able to interact with previously.

The fantastic thing about the medium of the internet is that it is a great enabler, you the potential customer can do your own research in your own time before ever making contact and starting the ball rolling.

If a full price list is there for all to see, with lots of useful information to research  you are assured of transparency, competitive pricing and full accountability, there is no hiding under the full glare of internet scrutiny!

One thing to bear in mind, just because a hearing aid supplier has a prominent internet presence the basics still apply. Digital Hearing Care for instance have been trading for many years before we ever attained our internet presence, and our core values are the same as they ever were.

• Good value pricing structure, a very wide choice of products to supply, and most importantly excellent aftercare. The fact we have a very visible presence on the internet just means more people can find us more easily!

We do hear sour grapes sometimes from other hearing aid suppliers, particularly national high street chains where it is not unusual to see prices at double our levels. The story we hear is that if a supplier has an internet presence the aftercare supplied will somehow be inferior and lacking.

We don’t quite see the logic there, our own testimonials page tells a different story! In fact we seem to hear more complaints about national high street suppliers than any other sector of the hearing aid market…

So when trying to find a potential supplier to advise you on what hearing aids will match your needs most closely, at a value for money price, is the internet a good place to start looking? We think so and here are a few reasons why;

• Full transparency of pricing with no silly marketing offers or shabby ‘Buy One get One Free’ or ‘Free Amplifier’ offers.
• Lots of readily available information to make initial research easy, unpressured and enjoyable, done at your own pace.
• A network of approved, high quality independent and ‘local to you’ hearing professionals ready to help when you feel comfortable and ready to progress to an improved sense of hearing.

We think that says it all really, the reason Digital Hearing Care have built a strong internet presence over the last few years is that we felt it was a fantastic way to reach our customers and offer the best service we could.

The final aspect of the hearing aid market we will be covering in our next post will be the national high street chains and how they fit into the picture.

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Of all the different sectors of the hearing aid supply chain the area that is most controversial is the ‘something for nothing’ bargain basement sector. Within this sector you can find free TV amplifiers, hearing ‘devices’ in the Sunday papers between £20 and £200, through to companies with only an online presence supplying ‘hearing enhancers’ on the strength of a basic online hearing test.

We even see some national suppliers that you think would know better, getting involved in supplying older, more basic hearing aid technology or ‘own brand’ products on ‘buy one get one free’ offers with a view to persuading you to purchase something that is actually better quality (and more expensive of course).

As a responsible and ethical hearing aid supplier this sort of monkey business leaves us shaking our heads. Over the many years of being involved in the business of hearing aid supply Digital Hearing Care have followed religiously our company mantra – Price – Choice – Aftercare.

• Offering great value pricing (that is the best quality BRANDED products with absolute transparency) at a competitive price. No re-branded products that make price comparisons difficult and disguising older technology for the newest, best technology. To be able to compare our prices to others on a like-for-like basis very easily.
• Offering a very wide choice of products from many manufacturers, we simply don’t want to limit your choices (and ultimately a successful result) based on commercial agreements with individual manufacturers, unlike virtually all national suppliers.
• Offering a superb aftercare service. We feel this aspect of the supply of hearing aids is often underplayed and is actually THE most important aspect of your purchase. We hear regularly of clients who have previously been supplied hearing aids from other hearing aid suppliers, particularly national companies, whose aftercare is, lets be kind, somewhat lacking.

So then we come to the bargain basement suppliers of hearing aids. If you are on a tight budget it can be tempting to try to cut costs by buying from these suppliers, our advice is don’t do it!

Any hearing device you can buy in the Sunday papers for a few pounds, or on the basis of an online hearing test without the benefit of a full hearing assessment (which by the way includes ruling out medical conditions) is in our opinion a waste of your hard earned money. Please seriously consider NHS hearing aids instead, they are not ideal solutions but they don’t cost you money that is likely to be wasted anyway.

Ever heard the phrase ‘too good to be true’? Nothing is free and no company gives away anything of worth for nothing. If you purchase hearing aids (or anything else for that matter) on ‘Buy One Get One Free’ all you are buying is a lower quality product ie a cheap product cheaply.

The price you pay for hearing aids is based on many things including the price of the technology itself and the cost of the professional experience, backup and aftercare you receive over the years.

Deciding to take the step forward and address your hearing loss is a life changing experience, it should not be done lightly and our opinion is that it should not be done ‘on the cheap’.

Our advice is to stay away from budget hearing aids that usually end with disappointment, and look for good quality branded products suitable for your hearing loss and lifestyle with the best value for money you can find. If unaffordable you should look to the NHS for your hearing needs.

We hope you have found this article of interest, please feel free to read the next article published soon on hearing aid suppliers on the internet. Why not follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to our RSS blog feed, click the logos in the bottom right corner below to allow you to do this.

I am sure it is a question asked time and again when you start to think about buying hearing aids, whether you have already been down the NHS route and deciding you wanted better, or perhaps skipped acquiring NHS aids altogether and started to look at private hearing aids for cosmetic or performance reasons.

How much should I pay? What amounts to good value for money?

Over the next few weeks I will be posting my opinions on the various sectors of the hearing aid market and where I feel the different products fit into the scheme of things.

My first post concerns the NHS provision, next will be the ‘bargain basement’ end of the hearing aid market. After that I will post on companies that are prominent and price competitive on the internet, and lastly the national suppliers that are the most expensive deal with.

So, NHS hearing aids are the only hearing aids in the UK that are ‘free’, at least free on loan, and the technology levels are not too bad. I quite often hear stories of NHS staff voicing the opinion that NHS hearing aids are better than anything available privately and are ‘worth £5000’ which is quite frankly absolute baloney, but to be fair the technology available via the NHS route is reasonable.

The NHS is the largest purchaser by volume of hearing aids in the world, around a million units a year! The very nature of NHS procurement (it’s a big beast that takes a long time to agree on anything at the best of times) means that by the time hearing aid technology works its way into the NHS supply chain it has in most cases already been superseded by the private sector.

Typically NHS hearing aid technology is based on ranges already replaced in the private market. That isn’t necessarily a very bad thing, if the NHS are a few years behind private hearing aid technology and the latest technology is racing ahead, hearing aids available via the NHS route will still be reasonably good and fairly recent technology.

An issue of more concern to us as hearing professionals is the very limited time an NHS audiologist is able to spend with each patient. It’s not the fault of the NHS particularly, they have an impossible task trying to serve the needs of a massive patient database.

My clients often complain in NHS audiology departments of feeling like they are in a sausage machine, in and out in a very short period of time, with sometimes very limited aftercare.

The nature of hearing aid supply is that the rehabilitation period, getting used to the technology and fine tuning adjustments in the early weeks is so very important to success, and unfortunately the NHS model just can’t accommodate this very important aspect too well at all. There are too many pressures working against this, not least the pressures of trying to work to targets and waiting list times.

The poor NHS hearing aid audiologist has a really tough task for sure. The other aspect that makes NHS supply sometimes less than ideal is aftercare. If you rely on your NHS hearing aids to hear and to function well socially, being told you have a few weeks to wait for an appointment to look at your faulty hearing aids is not the thing you might want to hear when you are desperate for a helping hand!

However the aspect of NHS hearing aids that pushes people in our direction mostly is cosmetics (and to a certain extent dexterity, the fiddly nature of NHS hearing aids).

As a hearing professional I am most interested in the wide range of hearing aid technology I can supply and how well I can get my clients to hear, but I most often hear potential clients saying they don’t want ‘beige bananas’ or ‘big horrible boxes’ sat on the top of their ears and want a more discreet solution.

This we can help with at Digital Hearing Care, if supplying our clients with discreet or invisible hearing aids helps them feel more comfortable wearing them and improving their hearing, so be it. We can supply virtually every hearing aid from all the hearing aid manufacturers available in the UK and have a wide range of hearing aid prices to suit most budgets.

We hope you have found this article of interest, please feel free to read the next article published soon on the ‘bargain basement hearing aids’ sector of hearing aid provision. Why not follow us on Facebook or Twitter, or subscribe to our RSS blog feed, click the logos in the bottom right corner below to allow you to do this.

It’s that time of year again, the months roll by in a blur and before we know where we are Christmas is upon us.

Times of greater activity and noisier situations like Christmas can really make an already noticeable hearing loss even more noticeable and situations more challenging than ever if your hearing isn’t what it once was.

At a time when we get together with our families more often and generally in larger gatherings than we might be otherwise be, that hearing loss you’ve been thinking of addressing but putting off for such a long time all of a sudden can be more of a problem than ever.

Why not get the ball rolling and arrange a hearing assessment today.

Find out how we can help make Christmas the pleasant experience it used to be and should be with better hearing?

The cut off date to be fitted with hearing aids before Christmas is fast approaching, what have you got to lose by contacting us for information?

We offer great value for money, as independent hearing aid audiologists we can offer all products available, and we really care about getting you hearing as well as we can with a great aftercare service.

Don’t delay, contact us today and let us help your Christmas be merry!

Unitron have released a new range of super power BTE hearing aids called Max. Available with a size 13 battery and also a slightly higher powered 675 battery if required, the Unitron Max is available in three technology levels, Max 20, Max 6 and the entry level Max E.

Unitron Max is designed to maximise speech intelligibility whilst attempting to reduce a common situation of over amplification for hearing aid wearers in this particular grouping.

Hearing aid wearers with severe to profound hearing loss often demand ever-increasing levels of amplification. This is not a great idea as ultimately this strategy can have a long term detrimental effect on residual hearing.

Unitron Max allows you to experience the amplification you feel you need initially, but gradually and imperceptibly reduce the level of amplification to a more appropriate level. This feature is called ‘Power Adaption Manager’.

Unitron Max also includes frequency compression, a great feature that moves sounds away from areas where hearing is most damaged and compressing them into the audible range You can experience a fuller range of sounds for improved awareness and speech intelligibility.

Another interesting feature is SmartFocus. The optimised performance of directional microphones, speech enhancement, noise reduction and amplification working together so that you automatically experience the best speech understanding or comfort as the situation demands.

Unitron Max has been designed with reliability in mind. Max is water resistant thanks to plasma coating that protects against humidity, dampness and perspiration.

The plasma coating is bound to the hearing instrument surface providing corrosion protection that lasts. A robust shell is proven to protect against extreme temperatures, impact, shock, dust and debris for vital endurance and reliability.

You can find Hearing Aid Prices for Unitron Max (and prices for all the other hearing aids we can supply too) by clicking the tab above.

Our very own Paul Minikin of Digital Hearing Care, the Keighley based hearing aid suppliers covering Yorkshire, Lancashire and Greater Manchester has won a commendation in the annual Audiologist of the Year competition.

Audiologist of the Year is run jointly by the Audio Infos industry magazine and Rayovac, the largest hearing aid battery manufacturer in the world. The idea of the competition is for you the client to vote for your hearing care professional if you feel they have offered head and shoulders, above the mark service and aftercare.

It is a way for you to mark your appreciation for the support and care your hearing care professional provides their clients.

If you have been fitted with a hearing device over the last five years and have been absolutely impressed with the service provided in a time of real need, or experienced a fantastic level of aftercare over a number of years you might want to vote for your own hearing care professional to show your appreciation.

Paul Minikin, speaking about winning a commendation in the competition said this; ‘It is great to be recognised for doing a good job, I always just try my best for each and every client I deal with. I just want to be the best I can be at what I do, and I get a real buzz out of helping people hear better.’

Paul was nominated for the competition by one of his clients, Laura Muller, who as well as being a client of Paul’s is a champion sky diver, for her interesting story click here

The competition is open to all and is judged by an independent panel of industry experts and representatives of hearing charities and associations.

The competition opens for Audiologist of the Year 2013 in January and submissions are accepted until July 2013.

Using no more than 1000 words you can describe why you think your hearing professional is an outstanding example of the hearing profession and why you feel they should be recognised above others. Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

• Your hearing care professional has provided an exceptional service
• Your hearing care professional must have illustrated dedication and commitment
• Your hearing care professional must have demonstrated exceptional knowledge in the field of products or services available to you
• Your hearing care professional has made a difference to your and your families lifestyle
• Perhaps helped in a difficult or unusual circumstance
• Provided superior care maybe not only you but also the whole family.

If you would like to nominate your own hearing care professional for the competition just cantact us and we will point you in the right direction.

Siemens have announced that their rollout of the Xcel portfolio is complete as of the first week in November 2012. The Xcel BestSound technology has been gradually introduced through the Siemens range, effectively a mini upgrade to the existing hearing aid technology Siemens offer.

The full Siemens Xcel portfolio consists of these models;

Pure- 701, 501, 301 & 101 XCEL

Pure Carat – 701, 501 & 301 XCEL

Motion SX – 701, 501, 301 & 101 XCEL

Motion P – 701, 501, 301 & 101 XCEL

Motion custom – 701, 501, 301 & 101 XCEL

Eclipse – 701 & 301 XCEL

For the full range of Siemens Hearing Aid Prices check out our main website hearing aid prices page, click on the button above.

Phonak have released a new range of hearing aids to market, the new range is called Quest, and the Phonak Quest banner encompasses BTE (behind the ear) hearing aids called Bolero Q and custom in the ear products called Virto Q. Other form factors are expected to follow through 2013.

Phonak have revamped how they name their products and how they define technology levels, previous technology levels were differentiated by roman numerals III, V and IX for the mid range, advanced and premium models respectively.

The new range of Phonak Bolero and Phonak Virto hearing aids are labelled 50 series for mid range technology, 70 series for advanced, and 90 for the premium products.

Improvements in the new range include DuoPhone as standard through all technology levels, the mid range Bolero Q50 and Virto Q50 jumping to 12 channels as opposed to 6 channels that previous Phonak hearing aids had at this technology level, StereoZoom is available as a program option on Bolero Q70 and Virto Q70 where it was only available at premium level previously, and a new program destination within the automatic SoundFlow program that allows for a new feature called autoStereoZoom is available, this automatically activates StereoZoom without any manual interaction.

Phonak have also introduced a brand new wind manager called Binaural WindBlock at Bolero Q90 and Virto Q90 level and an Acclimatization Manager through the range which has been offered with other manufacturers products before but is new to Phonak. All this new technology is backed up by Phonak’s unique ‘Binaural VoiceSteam Technology’ which allows information to be passed from ear to ear, analysed and processed to provide some remarkable results particularly in the most difficult and challenging environments.

The Phonak Bolero Q BTE range has had an update on the colour palette so there is a very nice range of colours now available.

Another interesting development is a remote control that is now available for Phonak Virto Q Nano IIC (Invisible in Canal) instruments, called the MiniControl. Nano wearers will now have the benefit of being able to unleash program and volume changes via the MiniControl. Phonak have also launched a new remote microphone to compete with Oticon’s Connectline Microphone, ReSound’s Unite Mini Microphone, Siemens VoiceLink and Starkey’s recent SurfLink Mobile, which doubles up as a remote microphone. Phonak’s offering (the RemoteMike) is a very neat gadget with a lapel clip, it has an omni directional mike and works to 20 metres in free field. The Phonak RemoteMike does need to work in conjunction with the Phonak Compilot neckloop, the idea being the audio picked up by it is sent via Bluetooth to the ComPilot and then sent to the hearing aids at 10.6gHz to enable fast transmission of data and all the best features of the new range to work optimally.

The new range of Phonak products have increased in price so expect to pay a little more compared to the old range, we feel its a price worth paying for the new and enhanced features of the Phonak Quest range of hearing aids, the Bolero Q and Virto Q.

Starkey have just announced they are finally releasing their eagerly anticipated SurfLink Mobile product, it’s been a long time a-coming!

We expect the Starkey SurfLink Mobile device to hit the shelves towards the end of October, pricing is a bit sketchy at the moment and still being thrashed out at Starkey HQ.

What we do know is that it will be a tad expensive compared to other streaming devices but will also do so much more.

From initial explanations of the device we think in the majority of cases this one device should be able to take care of all wireless streaming needs for Starkey wireless hearing aids and the people that wear them!

The SurfLink Mobile has been thoroughly tested by the Veterans Association in the US for a few months now, apparently the delayed launch in the UK is partly down to the unprecedented demand for this device in the US.

The SurfLink Mobile acts as a 4 in 1 device;

The SurfLink Mobile can be used with all Starkey wireless products past and present, including the Wi Series and 3 Series, and will need pairing. The act of pairing to your heaing aids is a very simple tick box being ticked in the fitting software.

The transmitting range of the SurfLink Mobile is around 4 metres free field (about 12 feet in old money), so the SurfLink Mobile can be used in place of the SurfLink Media Streamer for watching TV (although if you need a longer range the Media Streamer is the more obvious choice).

We anticipate the retail price of the SurfLink Mobile to be around the same as the SurfLink Media Streamer and the Surflink Remote Control combined, but of course you will have the benefit of everything all combined in one device with the added functionality of both a Mobile Phone Streamer and Remote Microphone too, not a bad deal when you think about it.

It looks pretty sleek too!

Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. are the parent company of Rayovac, the largest manufacturer of hearing aid batteries in the world. At Digital Hearing Care, as a major supplier of hearing aid batteries to the UK and worldwide through our sister website www.hearing-aid-batteries.org.uk, we can vouch for the popularity of Rayovac as a brand.

Out of the million plus batteries we ship a year, around 2/3 of those we ship are the Rayovac brand. It therefore comes as no surprise to us to learn that Spectrum are expanding their production facilities and increasing their budget in research and development, the impetus being the growing popularity of the mercury free hearing aid battery lines.

As a company we have noticed an increased demand for mercury free batteries by some of our more environmentally minded customers. At present there is a slight premium to be paid for mercury free batteries, and experience of our customers is that mercury free batteries are not quite so long lasting.

However, mercury free is gradually catching up on zinc air battery technology which has a trace element of mercury in each cell. We anticipate that in the next few years the price of mercury free hearing aid batteries will converge with zinc air and that the performance and longevity of the two types will get closer.

In some parts of the world legislation already exists to insist on mercury free hearing aid batteries and it seems only a matter of time before this stance is adopted in more countries as time goes by. 

Rayovac’s factories in Washington, Tyne and Wear here in the UK and their facility in the US are already manufacturing hundreds of millions of battery cells each year which are exported to more than 100 countries. Emerging markets such as Latin America, China, India and Russia have powered demand for Rayovac’s hearing aid batteries.