If you need to buy a hearing aid battery then you are soon going to find out that there are many different types of batteries on the market. This is similar to the fact that there are many different types of hearing aids on the market. Not all hearing aid batteries are the same. One hearing aid battery may last much longer than an equally priced battery. So anyone buying a battery needs to pay attention to how long the battery lasts.
It can sometimes be tough to know which hearing aid battery goes with which hearing aid. Luckily most of the batteries are color coded. For example, a blue battery is usually C size 675, yellow means C size 10, orange means C size 13, and brown means C size 312. These colors are found on a tab on the back of the batteries.
After a person discovers the type of hearing aid battery that’s needed (the person knows the color) then that person has to actually chose a brand of battery. The main factor in determining which battery should be bought (along with the price) is how long the battery will last.
One part of a hearing aid that can drain a battery is the hearing aid’s microphone. For years the problem with microphones is that they would pick-up sound but the person with the hearing aid has no way of knowing what direction the sound had come from. Now, with new technology, there is a microphone called Behind the Ear or BTE. This type of microphone allows the person to know which direction a particular sound came from. While this technology is great, it does drain the hearing aid battery more than some other types of microphones.
The amplifier also affects how long a hearing aid battery will last. The amplifier makes sound louder and they are classified in one of three categories. The categories are Class A, Class B, and Class D. The categories are based on output abilities, gain, and – what determines the life of the battery – power consumption.
The amplifier can also play a role in the life of a hearing aid battery. The job of the amplifier is to carry the sound from the microphone to the speaker and to make the sound louder. Amplifiers are broken down into three categories, which are determined by power consumption (how much power it needs, which affects the life of the battery), gain, and output abilities. The categories are Class A, Class B, and Class D.
People who need to buy a hearing aid need to consider their wants and needs. Another thing they also must consider is the type of hearing aid battery the device takes. Often this factor is overlooked.
Since a hearing aid battery can vary in life expectancy and price, the battery should be chosen carefully. People who use a hearing aid should continue to shop around and try different hearing aids until they find a hearing aid battery that lasts long enough and is also a reasonable price.
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