Compare Hearing Aids from ITE to BTE

Getting the right hearing aid can become quite a chore if you don’t know what to look for.  There are in the ear, behind the ear, digital, analog, programmable and conventional models. 

It seems like an awful lot for such a small device.  However, before you get started on anything else, you need to compare hearing aids to see if you like the ITE or BTE models better.

As an adult, this really is a matter of preference.  If you are not familiar with the terminology, ITE stand for In The Ear and BTE stands for Behind The Ear. 

What they are is pretty self explanatory, but the feeling that you have when you wear each one will be significantly different and you will want to try them out and know the advantages and disadvantages before putting out your money.

There are a lot of people that cannot stand having something directly in their ear.  For those individuals, the BTE model would be best.  This hearing aid will be fitted so that it cups the ear and the device settles in behind the ear with the audio device literally sitting on the back of the ear.

This model may be more comfortable, but the obvious drawback is that you may not hear things as clearly.You will have all of the other choices available to you, but you may want to go with a digital hearing aid to ensure that you are getting the best sound quality that you possibly can.

Now the ITE is a whole different story.  These can be a bit more expensive as the ear piece has to be fitted specifically to your ear so that it can be placed in the ear canal.  This is not a device that is recommended for children as they can outgrow the piece rather quickly and you will have to pay for a new one each time.

The advantages of having an ITE is that the sound will be right in your ear and you stand less of a chance of missing anything. The one drawback would be that if you are using an analog hearing aid, the chances of feedback are much higher and forgetting to adjust the volume in the wrong situation can lead to a mind jarring experience.

There really is no right or wrong decision here.  You will have to compare hearing aids and try them out and see which one you like the best.  Once you have the fit down, you can move on to either the analog or digital.  Just remember though, the digital will have far superior sound quality and less chance of feedback.  This can be a deciding factor if you are using your hearing aid all the time.