How to buy Hearing Aids by Engineering Specifications, and get low
medical prices indicated as in medicalcountries.org. If one buys by
brand name they may not get the bargain they would get by buying with
Engineering Specifications:  (I am asking that you recommend the
specifications that one would use to get the hearing aid that fits
their particular needs, as I am not an expert.) This way an educated
buyer can minimize cost, for a given performance, instead of
maximizing profit, per sale, as a seller may wish to do. Some buyers
will only use their Hearing Aids once a month for only an hour and
thus not want to spend much money while other buyers have no concern
of their dollars, and want the technically best hearing aid, at any
cost. From what I have read (and I need to learn and read more) Normal
speech and conversation occurs at 40-60 dB (decibels) within a
frequency range of 500-3000 Hz (Hertz). Severity of hearing loss is
defined as follows:
Mild 26-40 dBHL Moderate 41-70 dBHL Severe 71-90 dBHL Profound ? 91
dBHL The American National Standard Specification of Hearing Aid
Characteristics, ANSI S3.22-1987, specifies the electro-acoustic tests
that a manufacturer must perform and publish for each hearing aid
before the instrument is shipped. The standard states the tolerance
allowed so that the audiologist can perform the same tests to verify
the performance of an instrument against specifications. Currently
hearing aid microphones are primarily electrical devices that have
good linear behavior over a frequency range of 50-6000 Hz. This range
can be modified to be more appropriate for specific hearing losses.
The above test is used to determine the frequency response curve,
gain, and maximum output of the patient's hearing aid. Specifications
of hearing aids from manufacturers are produced using the ANSI S3.22
standards concerning the gain, output, and frequency response of the
hearing aid. These measurements are made in a 2-cm3 coupler. This
coupler is used to simulate the condition of the aid in an ear, InMax
SSPL90 123Db Av. Full On Gain 45db Freq. Range 420 - 5100 Hz. So, what
are some simple specifications the customer can look for and please
correct any misstatements I have made? It could be that all one needs
is the frequency response curve, gain, and maximum output of the
patient's considered hearing aid.