Best behind-the-ear, or BTE hearing aids, of 2024

Picking out the correct hearing aid for you will be difficult. Whether you are following an audiologist’s suggestion to browse totally different prescription and over-the-counter, or OTC hearing aids, or you are half of the 80% of U.S. adults who want hearing aids however do not put on them, you could want some hearing assist assist this summer season.

Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are one of the most popular varieties of hearing aids on the market as we speak, however there are nonetheless loads of manufacturers and fashions to select from.

Below, we spotlight the perfect BTE hearing aids accessible as we speak. Learn all about the perfect gadgets which are value each penny, in addition to all the pieces you might want to know — from costs to totally different hearing assist varieties — to decide on the right hearing aid for you.

Best behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids

Read by means of our professionals, cons and causes to speculate for 5 of the perfect BTE hearing aids accessible as we speak. Whether you are searching for a high-quality prescription hearing assist or an OTC gadget you should purchase on-line, now we have the highest picks for you beneath.

Prices listed for prescription hearing aids might differ from what you see when discussing hearing aids along with your care staff. That’s as a result of various factors can have an effect on prices similar to costs for an expert becoming and programming providers to get you all arrange. Our prescription-grade hearing assist costs are calculated based mostly on information from totally different healthcare suppliers and buyer accounts.

Best total: Phonak Audéo Lumity

The newest flagship hearing assist from Phonak, the Audéo Lumity, comes with a number of new and spectacular options over earlier Phonak gadgets. This consists of improved speech-focused know-how: StereoZoom for front-facing conversations and SpeechSensor for improved hearing from the perimeters and again.

This BTE hearing assist additionally provides Bluetooth connectivity for each iOS and Android gadgets and fitness-tracking options like step counts (through the MyPhonak cell app). 

As a prescription hearing assist, the Phonak Lumity is out there in 4 know-how tiers, with extra functionalities (and the next worth) tied to larger ones. These embody L30 (important), L50 (commonplace), L70 (superior), and L90 (premium). 

Prices begin at round $1,800 for the bottom tier, the Lumity L30 hearing assist.

Pros: 

• High-quality sound amplification from a trusted hearing assist model.
• Multiple tech tiers could make it straightforward to seek out the correct gadget to your wants (and your funds).
• Mobile app compatibility with iOS and Android gadgets.

Cons: 

• MyPhonak app has conflicting opinions about person friendliness.
• Choosing the correct tech tier will be overwhelming — seek the advice of along with your audiologist to seek out the correct match for you.

Best prescription hearing assist: Oticon Real (BTE)

Oticon hearing aids are recognized for placing high quality above all else, which is why its BTE mannequin, Oticon Real, made our listing. Oticon hearing aids include some severe tech energy, such because the model’s patented MindHearing know-how, which mixes focused hearing with adaptable background noise cancellation to make it simpler than ever to listen to and perceive the world round you.

Features like Oticon’s MindHearing and RealSound know-how, which gives next-level sound readability and environmental noise filtration, make this an awesome decide for anybody that does not need to spend time fine-tuning and adjusting their hearing assist all through the day.

There are a number of variations of the Real BTE mannequin to select from, together with the miniBTE T, which depends on disposable batteries, and the rechargeable miniBTE R gadget.

Pros: 

• Robust and adaptable hearing know-how means much less time spent adjusting your gadget manually all through the week.
• Simple design makes for a snug match.
• Great for slight to reasonable hearing loss. 

Cons:

• Most costly on our listing.
• As a prescription hearing assist, you may seemingly want to speak along with your audiologist to discover a supplier that may get you arrange with an expert becoming.

Best for gentle to reasonable hearing loss: Lexie Lumen OTC

The Lexie Lumen OTC hearing assist has standout options and a price ticket that is nonetheless half what you’d pay for high quality prescription hearing aids, making this value your consideration. While this is not the one BTE hearing assist on our listing that is suited to extra gentle circumstances of hearing loss, it gives the perfect steadiness between options and a price ticket that is a lot extra forgiving than many different hearing aids on the market as we speak. 

Perfect for gentle to reasonable hearing loss, the Lexie Lumen OTC hearing assist comes with a number of pre-programmable listening settings that may be matched with totally different environments and noise ranges.

This hearing assist can also be outfitted with a telecoil setting that lets wearers bypass background noise and faucet into close by audio system — helpful whether or not you are on the films, a museum, or a busy prepare station. 

The Lexie Lumen OTC hearing assist is at the moment marked down $100 from its authentic worth from Lexie, in addition to different retailers like Amazon.

Pros: 

• Good background noise cancellation.
• Custom options make this hearing assist helpful for a spread of eventualities.

Cons:

• No Bluetooth connectivity.

Most reasonably priced: MDHearing Air

One of essentially the most reasonably priced hearing aids out there may be the MDHearing Air mannequin, the model’s newest OTC hearing assist.

If you’d want bigger hearing aids, which will be simpler to configure with greater buttons and fewer vulnerable to getting misplaced, contemplate this BTE design by MDHearing. This hearing assist sits snugly round and behind the ear for straightforward entry.

This funds hearing assist provides spectacular options like background noise discount and omnidirectional sound amplification.

This hearing assist model provides some of the bottom costs on our listing, with the value of a pair of MDHearing Air gadgets sitting at simply $297.

Pros: 

• Super reasonably priced for anybody uninterested or unable to think about prescription hearing aids.
• Excellent buyer help based on buyer opinions.
• Free delivery, free lifetime help, a one-year guarantee, and a 45-day risk-free trial make this one of the perfect and most secure purchases you can also make when looking for new hearing aids.

Cons: 

• Limited tech capabilities when in comparison with different, costlier gadgets.
• Behind-the-ear design will be extra noticeable than different in-the-ear hearing aids.

Lightweight design: Go Hearing Ultra OTC

This BTE hearing assist comes with a number of standout options, similar to Bluetooth streaming functionality, hands-free calls, and a whopping 20-hour battery life, that make it an awesome software for older adults — or anybody drained of having to manually deal with or modify their hearing assist every now and then.

Thanks to its flexibility and included measuring software, this hearing assist is definitely fitted and configured by yourself — no visits to an audiologist or specialist required for those who’d want to get located from the consolation of house.

Pros: 

• Comfortable and light-weight, particularly for behind-the-ear hearing aids, which may typically be on the bulkier aspect.
• Impressive battery life, even for many BTE hearing aids.

Cons: 

• Sound efficiency is not as spectacular as different hearing aids.
• No cell app, so changes are restricted to the gadget’s buttons.

Are behind-the-ear hearing aids higher than in-the-ear gadgets?

Your largest query whereas looking totally different hearing assist manufacturers and types might be this: what makes BTE hearing aids higher than different varieties of hearing aids? 

There are literally a couple of causes to think about BTE hearing aids over your different choices. First and foremost, they are typically simpler to deal with and modify all through the day due to a bigger casing. Tinier gadgets similar to those who sit in your ear will be harder to positive tune and will even require you to obtain a cell app for handbook changes.

Think of it in phrases of wireless earbuds; for those who’ve ever worn a pair of tiny earbuds and felt frustration over how they match or how sophisticated they’re for easy duties like quantity adjustment, you most likely need to keep away from ITE hearing aids and go together with the extra manageable BTE gadgets.

Other frequent advantages of BTE hearing aids embody: 

• Comfort: BTE hearing aids have a tendency to sit down comfortably across the ear. Unlike ITE hearing aids, you will not have to fret about gadgets which will come free or fall out through the day. ITE hearing aids might also be a lot simpler to lose, particularly when taking them out on the finish of the night time.
• Technology. BTE hearing aids merely have extra room within the outer casing that sits behind the ear than different hearing assist varieties, which suggests you are more likely to discover higher audio high quality and extra options like Bluetooth capabilities in these versus different varieties.
• Durability. With BTE hearing aids, you are much less more likely to have to fret about dropping, breaking or damaging your gadget. This is as a result of most of the essential tech is housed within the casing that sits outside your ear, away from doubtlessly damaging ear wax and moisture.

Are there different varieties of hearing aids?

BTE hearing aids and ITE hearing aids are arguably the 2 most typical varieties of hearing gadgets on the market as we speak. If you suppose you are set realizing these two acronyms solely, nevertheless, you could be confused whenever you browse hearing aids online and see one thing totally different. 

In actuality, there are a number of variations of BTE and ITE hearing aids on the market. Different types might include slight variations in how they give the impression of being, really feel and performance, so it may be value it to learn up on the total glossary of hearing assist varieties on the market.

Aside from BTE and ITE hearing aids, the commonest variations you may come throughout embody: 

• Receiver-in-the-canal (RIC): A variation of the BTE hearing assist design, RIC hearing aids (in addition to the smaller receiver-in-the-ear, or RITE, gadgets) include a connecting wire in place of the standard BTE’s earmold. This provides the ear canal extra room and usually leads to a extra comfy match.
• Completely-in-the-canal (CIC): A variation of ITE gadgets, CIC hearing aids have the smallest design. They have a custom-built shell that matches within the ear canal. These are the least noticeable, however do not supply many options or essentially the most highly effective sound amplification.
• Open match: A variation of a BTE, an open-fit hearing assist has an over-the-ear design with an open dome within the canal as a substitute of a tube or mould. This retains the ear canal open for pure sound to enter the ear as nicely – superb for gentle to reasonable hearing loss.

How a lot do hearing aids price?

When it involves hearing aid prices, there are two teams to think about: prescription hearing aids and over-the-counter, or OTC hearing aids. 

Prices for hearing aids can fluctuate extensively, particularly between prescription hearing aids and their (usually) extra reasonably priced counterparts, over-the-counter, or OTC hearing aids. One 2018 survey that checked out hearing assist purchases from greater than 2,000 adults discovered the typical worth for a good-quality prescription-grade gadget to be around $4,600. With so many choices on the market to select from, nevertheless, you could discover the perfect gadget with prices anyplace from $1,000 to over $8,000 per hearing assist.

 OTC hearing aids are a comparatively new class the place prospects can get their fingers on respectable gadgets for a lot decrease prices — less than $1,000 a pair. These usually include much less strong tech options (making them superb for folks with gentle to reasonable hearing loss) and none of the complicated extras that you simply get with a prescription hearing assist.

How we selected the perfect BTE hearing aids of 2024

For a more in-depth take a look at how we price merchandise, here’s what we prioritized whereas placing collectively our listing of the perfect BTE hearing aids you should purchase as we speak: 

• Usability: A superb BTE hearing assist is simple to arrange, take away and modify on the fly, so that is what we prioritized whereas reviewing and deciding on hearing aids.
• Sound know-how: We seemed for essential options like background noise cancellation and speech amplification, one thing that is not all the time assured in BTE or different varieties of hearing aids.
• Affordability: We checked out each prescription hearing aids and the extra budget-friendly OTC gadgets to verify we spotlight prime quality hearing aids of all worth factors.
• Customer opinions: All of our hearing gadgets maintain a four-star assessment or larger from comfortable prospects similar to you.
  

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