04
Jan
History Of Hearing Aids
Pre-electric (Acoustic) Hearing Aids
- These ear trumpets captured sound waves, sending them down a tube to the listener’s ear.
- They were big, bulky, un-attractive and, frankly, they didn’t work very well. Of course, these were state-of-the art “hearing aids” for centuries until electricity became available.
Carbon Hearing Aids (1900-1939)
- These were the first electric hearing aids. Carbon was used to amplify electric current to boost the volume of sound.
- However, they were bulky, buzzy and downright ugly, though for those with hearing loss, they were the only choice.
Vacuum Tube Hearing Aids (1921-1952)
- Vacuum tubes were used to control the flow of electricity and, as such, they did make hearing aids a little better.
- However, these boxy devices were usually table-top models about the size of a clock radio, so the user had to carry around a heavy box and plug in to hear what was going on. But hearing aids continued to improve.
Transistors to the Rescue (1952-1970s)
- Transistors enabled hearing aids to fit into a smaller shell. The first transistor hearing aids appeared in 1952 – actually, two years prior to the first transistor radios which came along in 1954.
Digital Hearing Aids
- Today, quality hearing aids use digital technology circuitry that’s used in computers and cell phone and what a difference a few decades and countless hours of research and development have made!
- Today’s Digital hearing aids are sleek, discreet, fashionable, high-tech and low-maintenance.
- They can be tuned by a hearing professional, like an audiologist or hearing aid dispenser, to suit your specific hearing needs.
- They can connect to multiple devices such televisions and telephones.
- They adjust automatically for changes in volume levels and adapt to background noise.
- So, if you’re looking for the latest and the greatest in hearing loss solutions, visit your local hearing center.
- Forget everything Grandpa told you about his hearing aids.
- Those days and those hearing aids are long gone, thankfully.
- Today, you can enjoy the sounds of life without a lot of hassles.
- Modern digital hearing aids deliver sound quality and ease-of-use in small, attractive devices.
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