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American Journal of Audiology Vol.17 14-24 June 2008. doi:10.1044/1059-0889(2008/003)
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Clinical Focus | Innovation

An Electroacoustic Analysis of Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids

Susanna Løve Callaway

Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark

Jerry L. Punch

Michigan State University, East Lansing

Contact author: Jerry L. Punch, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824. E-mail: jpunch{at}msu.edu.

Purpose: To determine whether 11 over-the-counter (OTC) hearing devices have the flexibility to provide adequate gain and output for 3 common hearing loss configurations.

Method: The 11 OTC hearing devices were separated into 2 price groups: a low-range group (<$100) consisting of 8 hearing devices and a midrange group ($100–$500) consisting of 3 hearing devices. Gain and output were prescribed for 3 hearing loss configurations using National Acoustic Laboratories prescriptive procedures. Low-range hearing devices were measured electroacoustically, and technical specifications were used as the source of electroacoustic information for the midrange hearing devices.

Results: Overall, midrange hearing devices met gain and output targets to a greater extent than did low-range devices. All low-range devices could be classified as special-purpose hearing aids with low-frequency emphasis. The low-range group had high equivalent input noise levels and potentially posed a residual hearing safety hazard.

Conclusions: The low-range OTC devices were found to be electroacoustically inadequate to meet the needs of the hearing impaired. Midrange OTC hearing devices are arguably a good solution for the cost-conscious consumer who cannot afford professional audiologic rehabilitation, especially if considered an interim step in the rehabilitation process.

Key Words: electroacoustic characteristics, National Acoustic Laboratories-Revised, NAL-SSPL, over-the-counter hearing aids, special-purpose hearing aids


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