Quote:
Originally Posted by retiredguy123
Your first paragraph sounds like what I described as an amplifier that amplifies sound differently for different frequencies. This is what an equalizer does when it is attached (or built in to) an AV receiver. It doesn't increase or decrease everything the same. So, if you have hearing loss at low frequencies, the low frequency sound will be amplified more than high frequency sounds. What can a hearing aid do that would be any different from that?
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A hearing aid is a device that in it's simplest form could be called an advanced equalizer. The primary difference is that sound equalizers are limited in that they can adjust broad spectrums of sound (low, medium, high) and can't target specific frequencies. A true hearing aid takes a chart of your hearing, and restores the portions that have hearing loss to a normal volume. As a very simple example, say you specifically have hearing loss at 4Khz, and 4Khz only. The hearing aid would be programmed to pass through every frequency except 4Khz at normal levels, but would enhance 4Khz so it would be at normal levels.
Once that specific amplification is applied, now when the user sets their hearing aid to a given level, it would amplify the entire spectrum (with already applied amplification at 4Khz), so that normal hearing levels are maintained at all settings.
Taking that example to the next step, there will be different levels of hearing correction at different frequencies. Lower cost devices will have a more limited range across the spectrum, and will also have a coarser granularity for correction - i.e. they may only be able to provide adjustments for low, medium, and high or every 2Khz as opposed to specific corrections in Khz or Mhz steps. What this translates to is that if your hearing is only weak in the upper medium range, lower cost devices will still amplify the entire medium range (or worst case the entire hearing aid range). This simply translates to louder sound coming in, and not clearer, as the area you are having an issue with will be drowned out by the increased volume to the areas you are not having issues with.
So while the answer to your question is yes, the difference is that a quality hearing aid has far more granularity and control than an equalizer, and is tuned to your specific actual hearing loss. In addition, high end hearing aids can also suppress background noise, enhance speech, and improve the overall quality of incoming sound.