NON-DIGITAL HEARING AIDS Conventional or Analog hearing aids are the oldest and most basic hearing aid technology. You may see this technology referred to by several different names: Conventional Analog Linear Class A Class D Basic or Standard Read More... DIGITAL HEARING AID TECHNOLOGY Digital hearing aids were first introduced in 1995. Until 2003, hearing aids were generally categorized and marketed as Conventional, Programmable and Digital. More recently, hearing aids are undergoing a technology revolution with an explosion of better and more affordable digital technology offerings. In 2004, over 80% of all hearing aids dispensed in the United States were digital hearing aids. With the wide range of digital instruments now available, there are many digital aid levels and features. These features are each described below and the following chart summarizes Hometown’s categories of digital aids. Read More... OPEN EAR TECHNOLOGY – A REVOLUTIONARY NEW APPROACH Introduced in early 2004, Open Ear hearing aids combine today’s advanced features with a revolutionary new open ear bud that provides a more crisp, natural sound than ever before possible. Click here to read more about this revolutionary new technology! Read more... HEARING AID STYLES AND SIZES Hearing aids are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. While the smallest sizes are the least visible in the ear, the smaller sizes have less power than the larger sizes. As such, the most severe hearing losses cannot be fitted with the smallest In-the-Canal (ITC) and Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) hearing aids. Generally, for a particular product or technology type, the In-the-Ear and Behind-the-Ear styles are the least expensive and the smallest Completely-in-the-Canal hearing aids are more expensive. Read more... HEARING AID BRANDS AND PRODUCTS Hometown Hearing & Audiology Carries Most Leading Non-Proprietary Brands A NON-PROPRIETARY BRAND is any brand where the manufacturer does not grant exclusive territory. In many instances, there is a non-proprietary brand similar or identical to the each proprietary product line. For example, Hometown Hearing dispenses hearing aids from Qualitone, a division of Starkey Laboratories. While the Qualitone products are similar or identical to the Nu-Ear and Audibel product lines, Qualitone is not exclusive to HHA, providing you more flexibility and choice. At Hometown Hearing, we are proud to dispense a wide range of non-proprietary brands: Siemens** Unitron Phonak Micro Tech* Rexton Electone   * comparable to Starkey, Omni, Audibel and Nu-Ear ** very similar to Miracle-Ear product line Read more...