If you have wanted to buy a hearing aid, knowing how it works and knowing the types and styles can help you. Once you understand that, you can learn about what will suit you best, depending on the severity of your hearing loss. Essential and advanced features and components of hearing aids include noise reduction, telecoils, directional microphones, and Wi-Fi. You can compare prices and warranty and get an ear assessment before buying one.

Read on to know more about the best hearing aids.

Different styles of hearing aids
Knowing the styles of hearing aids is crucial for buying the right one for your needs.

Completely in the Canal (CIC): It is fitted in the ear canal and improves mild to moderate hearing loss.

In the Canal (ITC): It is a custom-molded design and partly fits in the ear canal and helps mild to moderate hearing loss.

In the Ear (ITE): It is custom-made either to fill most of your bowl-shaped outer year or one that fits the lower part of your outer year, suitable for mild to severe hearing loss.

Behind the ear (BTE): It hooks over the top of your ear, rests behind it, and is connected to the earpiece that fits into the ear canal. It helps with all types of hearing loss.

Receiver in the canal (RIC) or Receiver in the Ear (RITE): The speaker sits in the ear canal.

Open fit: This style is a variation of the BTE style and is suitable for low-frequency hearing loss and mild to moderate high-frequency hearing loss.

Best five hearing aids

Starkey Livio Edge AI
Starkey Livio Edge AI has advanced technology-aided features and is guided by AI. Using AI, you can adapt to your environment and make adjustments automatically. It can suppress background noise, boost speech sounds, follow conversations, listen and transcribe your words to foreign languages. It can detect falls and notify emergency contacts. They are available in BTE, ITE, ITC, and RIC styles. It is available in two variations costing $2,634 for one and $4,968 for two.

Eargo Neo HiFi
Eargo Neo HiFi (CIC) comes with two hearing aids, a charger, and a one-year warranty. You can customize using a mobile app. It has advanced noise reduction and feedback cancellation to enable natural sounds. It is sleek and is virtually invisible, and made with Flexi TetraPalms silicon tips that allow them to float in your ear canals. It costs $1,950.

Signia Styletto X
Signia Styletto X is a BTE and RIC hearing aid ideal for mild to severe hearing loss. Its design helps you hear the speech of mask wearers. It is water and debris-resistant. It comes with a one-year manufacturer warranty. It has Bluetooth connectivity and has features like sound processing, feedback cancellation, high-frequency compression, tinnitus relief, and extended dynamic range. They cost between $1,808 and $3,401.

Phonak Lyric
Phonak Lyric can be in your ear for months together, and you don’t have to remove or recharge them frequently. You need the help of an audiologist to insert it deep into the ear canal. You cannot remove or replace it on your own, and you have to take the help of a professional. Since it is deep in the canal, it is invisible. Studies show that Lyric helps in improving tinnitus. It costs $2,130, and the price is based on an annual subscription.

Oticon More MiniRITE
Oticon More 1MiniRITE is one of the smallest BTE hearing aid. A tiny speaker is attached to a thin wire that snugly fits in the ear. It reduces cognitive stress by freeing the brain to take care of routine and critical stress. This hearing aid is compatible with Android and iOS phones. It is suitable for individuals with mild to severe hearing loss. It also helps better listening experience in noisy environments. A single More 1 MiniRITE device costs $2,176, and two devices cost $4,052.