# How much do hearing aids cost? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 12, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-hearing-aids-cost/599463 "2011-10-12T21:01:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-hearing-aids-cost/599463/22 "2013-01-24T02:15:20Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > The hotsy-totsy ones are digital, which can make a HUGE difference in the quality of the sound. And you are also paying for the miniturization. > > When I was a kid, a hearing aid was a little bit bigger than a pack of cigarettes, and connected by a wire to a plug which was inserted in the ear. > > Nowadays, you can get behind-the-ear, in-the-ear, or in-the-canal. > > The more severe the loss, generally, the larger the hearing-aid. > > And I want to point out that a hearing aid does NOT provide the type of correction you get with a pair of glasses! You DON’T put on a hearing aid, and hear as well as you did when you were eighteen. > > For the most part, a hearing aid provides amplification, and if there is difficulty in discerning sounds (typically speech), amplified noise is STILL noise. > ~VOW I disagree with you. A hearing aid does not amplify sound. The difficulty in discearning speech is frequency loss. In my case as is most it is in the high frequencys. That means I loose the parts of words that are made higher frequency sounds. So I loose parts of words. Of course it also means I have a harder time understanding women than I do with men. If I turn up the TV louder I still miss some of what is said. And I hate to talk on the phone. But with my hearing aids they are set to amplify only the higher frequencys. I now have the TV volume lower and now I understand most of what is said. Now once or twice a night I will ask what ws said, before hearing aids I asked about every 5 to 10 minuttes. I will post more later. I am watching TV in the family room and just heard my wife call me to dinner. ---
**Author:** ![andyleonard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19b73/32.png) [@andyleonard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andyleonard)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-hearing-aids-cost/599463/23 "2013-01-24T04:16:55Z")
I work with guys that have been onstage at massive sound levels for 30+ years. They’ve all got hearing loss, but it’s different from man to man. The guy we go see tests your hearing to see which device suits your particular damage and you try it. If you hate it, he goes to plan B…or C…or D…until something starts to make sense. The devices require as much programming as you can imagine, setting levels differently for different frequencies at different sound levels. I have seen 10-15 visits for tuning before everyone’s happy. I’m not sure, out of the $5-10K spent, how much was for devices and how much for labor. I’m sure you could just buy a random device(s) and learn to tune it at home, but… ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-hearing-aids-cost/599463/24 "2013-01-24T18:49:06Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > I disagree with you. A hearing aid does not amplify sound. The difficulty in discearning speech is frequency loss. … If I turn up the TV louder I still miss some of what is said. But with my hearing aids they are set to amplify only the higher frequencys. I now have the TV volume lower and now I understand most of what is said. I’ve gotten in to the habit of using headphones to watch TV – the comfortable kind with ear pads that your entire ear fits in. Headphones provide an immediacy of sound that makes it MUCH easier for me to understand speech. Also, when it comes to some BBC or other UK-produced shows, I’ll turn on captioning, which makes it much easier. J. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-hearing-aids-cost/599463/25 "2013-01-24T19:13:55Z")
If you google “hunter’s hearing aids”, the first site has a wide variety from simple amplification to digital in-ear designs with 8 band equalizers and multiple modes for different environments -concert halls, noisy restaruants, etc… Better quality ones are around $450-$500. And as a benefit, they will automatically block loud transient sounds (gunfire, hammering a nail, etc…). I think it’s a big markup and the fact that a traditional hearing place has charges for the exam, equipment, and overhead. The hunter’s aids might be sufficient for moderate hearing loss without the big expense. The cheaper ones go down to $35/pair. It might be a 90% solution for many individuals. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-hearing-aids-cost/599463.md?page=1)