Hearing Aid Styles

 
 
Receiver in the ear, RITE, Receiver in the canal, RIC, style hearing aid

Receiver in the Ear (RITE)

Receiver in the ear, RITE, Receiver in the canal, RIC, style hearing aid on a man's ear

Also referred to as receiver in the canal (RIC), this hearing aid style is virtually invisible with the body of the hearing aid hidden behind the ear and a thin receiver wire inserted into the ear canal.

Behind the ear, BTE, style hearing aid

Behind The Ear (BTE)

Behind the ear, BTE, style hearing aid on a man's ear

BTE hearing aids sit behind the ear and have a tube that connects the body of the hearing aid to a custom earmold. This style is chosen mostly for children, hearing losses that require more power, and for those with dexterity limitations.

Custom hearing aid styles. Invisible in the canal, IIC, In the canal, ITC, Half Shell, HS, and Full Shell, FS.
Custom hearing aid styles. Invisible in the canal, IIC, In the canal, ITC, Half Shell, HS, and Full Shell, FS on a man's ear.

Custom

Custom hearing aid comes in many sizes, the size mostly depends on few things: the size of the wearer’s ear canal & chosen features in the device:

  • Battery size (larger battery means more wear time before changing batteries)

  • Bluetooth connectivity (this also affects battery life)

  • Directional vs. Omni Microphone(s)

  • Program button and/or volume control wheel

  • Receiver (speaker) size required to treat wearer’s hearing loss. The more severe the hearing loss, the more power the speaker needed, the larger the size of the speaker.