FAQs for first-time hearing aid wearers
If you're new to hearing aids, you likely have lots of questions — this FAQ page is here to help you feel confident and informed as you begin your hearing journey.
If you're new to hearing aids, you likely have lots of questions — this FAQ page is here to help you feel confident and informed as you begin your hearing journey.
1. Schedule a hearing test with a licensed audiologist or hearing specialist.
(Some ENT doctors also perform hearing tests.)
2. Take a comprehensive hearing evaluation, which usually includes:
3. Review your audiogram:
An audiogram is the chart that shows your results. It will tell you:
Signia offers several hearing aid form factors. Each form factor is designed for different needs, preferences, and degrees of hearing loss. It is best to work with a hearing care professional to find out which form factors can meet the needs of the hearing prescription. Here is a general overview:
The hearing care professional will make a mold (impression) of the outer ear and send it to Signia. Signia will then manufacture a hearing aid shaped exactly like the mold so that the physical fit is customized to your ears. The custom hearing aid can be made into 4 different form factors:
4.1 In-the-Ear (ITE)
4.2 In-the-Canal (ITC)
4.3 Completely-in-Canal (CIC)
4.4. Invisible-in-Canal (IIC)
The price of hearing aids depends on many factors such as the business model of the hearing care professional, types of services included with the purchase, insurance, performance level/feature set of the hearing aids, hearing aid form factor, etc. It is always best to speak with the hearing care professional to find out the breakdown of costs.
If you need help finding a hearing care professional in your area, please use the link below:
Yes, most hearing care professionals offer a trial period for new hearing aids.
If you're not satisfied during the trial, you can return the hearing aids.
It is common practice that during the trial period, the hearing care professional will adjust the hearing aids during follow-up appointments based on your feedback. Adjustments can be made to the programming of the hearing aids as well as the physical fit. Therefore, it is important to wear and use the hearing aids every day so that you can identify what you like and don't like. Sometimes, the best solution involves changing form factors altogether.
Important: Make sure to ask the hearing care professional in advance about the trial period details, including length of the trial, any requirements to remain eligible for the trial, any fees for returns, and services offered during (e.g. schedule of follow-up appointments).
Yes, follow-up appointments are very important after the initial fitting appointment.
Typically, you'll have at least one or two follow-up visits within the first few weeks after the initial fitting — and regular check-ins (every 6–12 months) after that. Check with your hearing care professional for the schedule of appointments and services included in your purchase.
When fit with new hearing aids, it will take time to get used to how they feel and sound. Here are some healthy day-to-day practices to consider during this period:
Week 1: Getting used to the sound
Week 2: Introducing noisy environments
Week 3-4: Full-day use
Long-term use
A common misconception is that hearing aids should work like noise cancelling headphones. However, healthy auditory engagement with the world around you involves speech understanding with conversation partners while preserving the other acoustic details in the environment. Signia hearing aids are equipped with advanced sound processing algorithms to enhance speech understanding while maintaining an appropriate level of background sounds so that you never lose the overall acoustic picture.
Some of Signia's latest IX hearing aids have a feature called RealTime Conversation Enhancement. It uses a revolutionary, three-stage process to analyze, augment, and adapt to the conversation, tracking multiple moving speakers in real-time conversation, so you can stay involved even in noisy environments. You will never miss a beat, even if you are not directly facing the person speaking or turning your head to engage with others. With IX hearing aids, you can enjoy natural and effortless conversations wherever you go.
The typical lifespan of a hearing aid is about 3 to 7 years. But the exact lifespan depends on factors like:
Hearing aids need to be cleaned and checked on a regular basis.