Are all programmable hearing aids digital?
Not all programmable aids are digital. Programmable means that the patient’s hearing test information is entered into a computer. Special computer software uses that information to program the hearing aid through a cable that attaches to the hearing aid. This provides much more flexibility and precision when compared to conventional (non-programmable) hearing aids. The term digitally programmable is used to describe how the hearing aid is programmed. The computer sends the information to a chip in the hearing aid as a series of digits, or bits of information.
The actual circuit in the hearing aid can be either analog or digital. Analog technology, which has been used for many years, conveys data as electronic signals of varying frequency or amplitude. Digital describes electronic technology that generates, stores, and processes data in terms of two states: positive and negative. With a digital aid, the incoming analog waveforms are converted into digits that can be manipulated by the digital circuit. Speech is a very complex signal. Because of the computing power of a digital processor, Digital aids do a much better job of optimizing the speech for the patient wearing the aid. Also, technology such as artificial intelligence may be used to reduce unwanted noise, and there is also technology to alleviate acoustic feedback.