Southwestern Hearing Centers is dedicated to giving its patients high quality hearing in instruments. That means only the best, most revolutionary technology, at the most competitive prices.

The best way to ensure you get the right hearing instrument is for you to be knowledgeable on what is available. Your hearing needs are unique, and the instrument chosen should fit you precisely. For this reason, having your hearing tested from the beginning is best to determine what will work for you.

Click the links below to learn more

• Styles of Hearing Instruments
• Technology in Hearing Instruments
• Imagine Instruments – Most advanced hearing instruments
• VOZ Technology
• Rhapsody Hearing Instruments
• Other Hearing Device Options

What type of hearing instrument is right for you?

When you choose a hearing instrument there are two different elements you should consider; the style of the device and the technology behind it.

Styles of Hearing Instruments

The style of a hearing instrument refers to both its size and shape. There are several factors that determine which style is appropriate for you.

• The unique shape and size of both your outer ear and ear canal
• Your manual dexterity – how well your hands and fingers move
• The degree of hearing loss you are currently experiencing
• The amount of wax your ears typically produce
• Other medical conditions that may make it difficult to have any hearing device in your ear canal
  

Be sure to remember that how well your hearing instrument fits your ear and how easy it is to use directly contributes to your successful outcome!

The Technology Behind Hearing Instruments

Completely in the Canal (CIC) The CIC is the smallest custom hearing instrument available. It fits deeply in the canal, nearly invisible to the eye. It has a small removable cord that remains attached to the instrument to assist you when removing it from the ear. This model is the most cosmetically appealing because it is nearly invisible.

In-The-Ear (ITE)  The ITE device is a custom fit instrument that fits entirely in the ear. ITE models are comfortable, easy to handle and operate, and are the largest sized custom fit products.

In-The-Canal (ITC)  This model is a custom fit hearing instrument that fits primarily into the ear canal. It is custom fit to your ear, but is small than the ITE model – which makes it slightly harder to handle.

1. Analog Technology
This is a basic hearing instrument and it works as an amplifier. You will receive all sounds in a setting at the same volume level. Usually the loudest sound in the room will dominate what you are hearing. This model is no longer produced, but you still can have it serviced at Southwestern Hearing Centers.

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2. Programmable Analog
This is another very basic hearing technology. It can be programmed to adjust to a particular frequency. This model of hearing instrument is no longer manufactured for purchase. However, you can get these older models serviced by Southwestern Hearing Centers.

3. Digital Hearing Instruments
These instruments convert the incoming sounds into computerized “bits”. These bits can be processed or manipulated fast and efficiently using mathematical formulas known as algorithms.

The precision and flexibility of digital technology gives your hearing professional the ability to accurately tailor the level of amplification your hearing instrument performs, and best match it with your hearing needs. This process may include follow up visits to ensure that you are receiving the maximum benefits and are pleased with your instrument’s performance.

Advantages:

• Digital processing of sound is more advanced
• The sound is much more clear
• Digital technology gives your hearing specialist the ability to change the instrument’s levels of amplification to fit your hearing needs.

Disadvantages:

• Price
• Interference and volumes may sound too loud

4. Digital Programmable Hearing Instruments
Until 2006, these hearing instruments were the most advanced technology on the market. They use digital technology to give a clear sound while reducing the background noise of an environment. They are custom programmed to fit your hearing needs and can adjust as your needs change.

Advantages:

• Digital high quality process of sound
• A cleaner sound
• Adjusts to the sound volume around you
• Ability for your hearing specialist to change the hearing instrument to fit your hearing needs
  

Disadvantages:

• Cost
• Occasional chance of receiving feedback interference

5. Nanotechnology
This is the most recent and most advanced technology available. It is the closest technology to the way your ear naturally hears. The greatest advantage is that it is virtually feedback free.

Nanotechnology allows your hearing instrument to listen for sounds and immediately adjust them, often before you are even aware of that sound. You can change environments and sound volume fluidly without interference of uncomfortable noise levels.

This technology is paying constant attention to your surroundings, and even learns from the places you are in everyday by storing that sound information. Your Southwestern Hearing professional can adjust these hearing instruments judging by the stored data. That means using your hearing history to fit your hearing instrument.

Learn more about nanotechnology by viewing the Rhapsody Hearing Instruments.

Advantages:

• Feedback FREE
• Adjusts to environments around you
• Hears well on the telephone
• Keeps a log of sound data from where you have been so that your specialist can see what types of hearing environments you visit – to better adjust the instrument

Disadvantages:

• Price

Hearing aids designed to keep up with your life
Imagine™ hearing aids with Think™ Technology are sleek, elegant and hardly noticeable. And, they are designed to perform at the highest level. With Imagine, you’ll enjoy smooth, comfortable sound processing, virtual elimination of feedback and automatic adjustment for different environments.

Every hearing aid in the Imagine family has been designed to perform in the most challenging listening situations. Whether you’re active and on the go or living life at a more leisurely pace, there’s an Imagine hearing aid that fits the way you live.

Models
Receiver-In-Canal (RIC)
Receiver-In-Canal Max Power (RIC MP)
Completely-In-Canal (CIC)
In-The-Canal (ITC)
In-The-Ear (ITE)

KEY FEATURES

Active Feedback Suppressor
The most common complaint from hearing aid wearers is the annoying whistling referred to as feedback. NuEar’s Active Feedback Suppressor solves this problem and is proven to be the best feedback management system in the industry.

Environmental Sound Perception
Experience maximum comfort with the clearest speech possible even in the noisiest environments with Environmental Sound Perception, NuEar’s proprietary noise and environmental adaptation system instantly transitions your hearing aid for the greatest comfort and clarity in noise. It is specifically designed to help you understand more speech in noisy situations.

T²
NuEar’s new breakthrough T² technology allows you to use your cell or any touch-tone phone to conveniently switch modes or adjust volume on your Imagine hearing aid without using additional hardware.

ClearFocus 2
Chances are in quiet environments you can hear the voices in front of you, but have trouble in noisier surroundings. NuEar’s ClearFocus 2 filters out unwanted background noise to significantly improve your understanding of speech.

SoundClass EA
This industry-leading technology recognizes and adapts smoothly to optimize different sound environments — like wind, speech, speech in noise, machine noise, other noise and quiet.

Intuitive Features
Indicators are designed to make it easy to use your hearing aid

Automatic Telephone Solutions
Your hearing aids will automatically know when you’re on the phone and adjust settings for optimal telephone listening.

Music & Television Processing
These special memory capabilities allow your hearing aids to automatically adjust to the preset music and TV listening settings most comfortable for you

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VOZ Technology

Southwestern Hearing Centers are excited to bring you the most advanced hearing instrument technology available with the new VOZ. The VOZ, means voice, which is what the VOZ hears best. Coupled with 40 million dollars in research and development, the VOZ is specifically attuned to hear the human voice with unparalleled precision.

The VOZ gives you the freedom you had back when you took hearing for granted. Then you didn’t have to work to hear what your friends and family were saying and now you don’t have to either. It’s effortless communication. It’s the revolutionary new VOZ!

The VOZ is nearly invisible to the eye and comfortable to wear. It has the most stable high-frequency gain in a receiver in canal model. That means better speech understanding even in the most challenging of environments.

This model was designed with the human voice in mind. Its every design feature keeps the variances of the human voice of highest importance.

• Receiver in Canal technology means your ear stays open, thus avoiding the “head in a barrel” feeling that’s common with older hearing instrument models
• Highest frequency gain that is available in any open fit receiver in canal hearing instrument which means it’s 13 decibels higher than its closest competitors
• The VOZ has the advantage of Integrated Real Ear Measurement. This means a sound is emitted inside the ear canal, and a small microphone on the VOZ can measure the waves that reverberate. That means the instrument is fitted to your exact level hearing loss.
• The VOZ feels and appears invisible and can be cosmetically matched to your hair and skin.
• It is virtually feedback free.
• It has acoustic signatures that manage incoming sounds and ensures you can hear speech coming from all directions.

The VOZ active hearing technology fits your active lifestyle!

Rhapsody Technology

Southwestern Hearing Centers is always working to bring you breakthrough technology. Now, with the innovation of nanoscience we are coming closer to helping you hear the way your ear naturally does.

Rhapsody listens for sounds around you and adjusts them in an instant, without you ever knowing. However, you will notice how fluidly you have changed locations without an uncomfortable sound change. You can change environment and sound volumes and your hearing remains great!

With a best-in-class technology called Directional Speech Detection, Rhapsody automatically switches between omni-directional and directional listening modes. That means you can hear effectively while in a crowded room or while in complete silence.

The Rhapsody has Active Feedback Intercept technology that is always on the alert. It sweeps your environment and is always adapting to sound changes and eliminates any buzzing, whistling, or squealing. It is completely feedback free!

This technology is always paying attention and is uniquely always learning about your hearing environment. It learns and stores data based on where you are everyday. This way, your hearing professional can adjust your hearing instrument to fit your hearing environment.

Rhapsody hearing technology is the best in its class with constant feedback interception that allows you to enjoy a symphony or simply converse with a friend as if you never experienced hearing loss. Here are some more reasons why the Rhapsody is so diverse…

• Directional Speech Detector that helps you hear voice over noise first
• An Acoustic Signature that manages the sounds in your environment and keeps your sound levels even
• A Data Logging System that stores information about the typical sounds around you – making adjustments quick and easy.
• Automatic Telephone Response that adjusts to the best frequency to make telephone listening the best it can be
• A unique Dynamic Indicator Tones that changes the intensity you hear by based on ambient sound levels.
  

Other Hearing Devices Offered at Southwestern Hearing Centers

• Body Aids
• Eyeglass Model of Hearing Instruments
• Crossovers
• Bone Conduction Hearing Instruments
• FM System

Assisted Listening Device

Southwestern Hearing Center can help you with a wide range of assisted listening devices and can order a wide range of assisted listening device equipment. Please call 1-888-639-8665 to get further information on specific ALD equipment.

Amplified telephone
Text Telephone Communication
Phone Ring Signaler
Sonic Boom Alarm Clock
Hardwired Smoke Detectors