While both devices can provide significant relief for people in need of hearing health, they’re more different than you might initially think.

Hearing Aids vs. Amplifiers: What’s the Difference?

by | Aug 8, 2024 | Hearing Aids, Patient Resources

Depending on your specific level of hearing loss, we can offer a few different options to help boost your hearing, whether you need a small boost or a big one – it all depends on what you specifically need most.  

Something that we often get asked from patients with mild hearing loss challenges is, “What’s the difference between a hearing aid and an amplifier?” 

While both devices can provide significant relief for people in need of hearing health, they’re more different than you might initially think. 

Hearing Aids  

Advanced hearing aid technology can provide a life-changing solution for those with any level of hearing loss. From mild to severe hearing losses, hearing aids can bring not just better hearing but also a stronger sense of independence, improved mental health, restored balance, and more. 

While hearing aids can be purchased over the counter in America or online, prescription hearing aids are typically your best bet for specific hearing loss needs; prescription hearing aids provide specificized hearing relief for your hearing loss and are recommended to wear on a regular basis. 

There are multiple models of hearing aids available for your personal comfort and lifestyle choices; your hearing healthcare team will work with you to decide which model and make will work best for what you need. 

Hearing Amplifiers  

Hearing amplifiers, on the other hand, can sometimes look like hearing aids but provide a different function.  

Amplifiers can be bought over the counter or online, as they provide one function only: boosting environmental hearing by making things louder, regardless of the frequency or volume needed by the wearer.

The Difference between Hearing Aids and Amplifiers 

It makes sense that people often mix up the two devices, but they provide very different hearing relief. 

Hearing aids can be custom programmed to fit your specific hearing needs, no matter how mild or severe your hearing loss is. On the other hand, hearing amplifiers boost sound—all sound—so that no matter how severe your hearing loss is, you can hear things louder, regardless of what your ears specifically need. 

Hearing amplifiers should not replace hearing aids, no matter the circumstances. Working with a hearing health professional will help you figure out which one will work best for your ears. 

Concerned About Your Hearing? 

Whether your hearing would benefit from a hearing aid or a hearing amplifier, our team at Berkeley Hearing Center is happy to help you get started with your hearing healthcare journey. 

Your hearing is of vital importance to your entire body’s health; by partnering with a team of experienced audiologists, you can benefit from a professional’s best opinion on what will work for your unique situation. 

If questions or concerns about hearing care are making you hesitate, we’re more than happy to answer them for you. Simply request a callback, and a member of our team will get in touch as soon as we can to chat with you about your hearing health concerns. 

Don’t want to wait?

Call us at 510-841-0681 for a more immediate conversation. 

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John Chakan

How did I get here? That’s an interesting story. I was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City. I dreamed of being a professional baseball player (Go Yankees!), but my promising career was cut short by a condition known as “not being good enough.” When I wasn’t playing baseball (or soccer or football or basketball) as a kid, I was spending my summers attending, and then working at, a summer camp in Northern California on a livestock ranch. While it might seem a bit incongruous for a suburban New Yorker to spend his summers milking cows, chopping wood, and canoeing down the Russian River, I fell in love with the interconnected community of summer camp, and I also fell in love with California.

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