The Best Hearing Aids for those with ringing in the ears; Tinnitus

Tinnitus & Hearing Loss

Tinnitus and hearing loss are not similar, necessarily, but they often go hand-in-hand. Hearing loss affects approximately 48 million Americans, while roughly 10% of the adult population of the US has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year (estimated 25 million people).

Where hearing loss is a condition in which sounds are difficult to hear and be processed by the brain, tinnitus is a condition in which there is a presence of sound without an external noise stimulus.

A 2002 study conducted by French researchers found that only “one in 123 tinnitus patients suffered no hearing loss. In the majority, a connection was found between the nature of their hearing loss and how they experienced the ringing in their ears.”

According to Better Hearing, “tinnitus is almost always accompanied by hearing loss […] For 12 million people the problem is severe enough that it impacts everyday life. Because tinnitus can be a symptom of a more serious disorder, it is important to have an appropriate health evaluation.”

Because tinnitus and hearing loss tend to exist simultaneously, many hearing aid manufacturers equip their products with tinnitus treatment.

Treatments for Ringing the Ears aka Tinnitus

In some cases of tinnitus, seeking medical treatment for certain related conditions may cease the symptoms of tinnitus. In cases where tinnitus appears with hearing loss, however, the best treatment is to use tinnitus sound therapy or sound masking programs. These sound therapy options are available in some cases as standalone devices, and they are also available as a feature on a number of popular hearing aids.

What are the Best Hearing Aids for People with Tinnitus?

Oticon Tinnitus SoundSupport

From Oticon, Tinnitus SoundSupport offers an “effective method for managing tinnitus that actually involves adding sounds to the sound you already hear.” Oticon hearing aids such as Alta 2, Nera 2, and Ria 2 offer Tinnitus SoundSupport. These hearing aids have built-in tinnitus management technology in a number of options: broadband relief sounds in white, pink, and red noise, as well as a selection of ocean-themed relief sounds what offer a soothing effect. Oticon hearing aids may connect to a Tinnitus Sound App downloadable for your smartphone to help organize and schedule sound therapy.

Phonak Tinnitus Balance Portfolio

Phonak believes that the ultimate goal is to “teach your brain to reclassify tinnitus noise as an unimportant sound that blends into the background.” Phonak hearing aids help wearers focus less on tinnitus as a means to provide relief from it. Phonak’s tinnitus treatment is available through the Tinnitus Balance Portfolio, which is a three-pronged system to provide relief. Phonak Tinnitus Balance hearing aids, a broadband noise generator and further sound therapy via an iPhone or Android app work simultaneously to provide relief from tinnitus. Phonak hearing aids such as Audeo, Bolero, and Lyric all offer tinnitus therapy options. 

ReSound Tinitus Relief App

ReSound offers the Relief app as a part of tinnitus management. The combination of sound therapy and relaxing exercises works to distract people from focusing on their tinnitus symptoms. Streamed directly to your ReSound hearing aids, the Relief app provides soundscapes and audio exercises that balance between your right and left ears, as well as a timer for falling asleep to soothing sounds. The Relief app allows you to create your own soundscape by layering up to five sounds, as well as customizing the “color” of the sound. This ultimate personalization for tinnitus is available in a number of ReSound hearing aids, notably the LiNX2 Made for iPhone hearing aid.

Siemens/Signia Tinnitus Therapy

Siemens hearing aids are equipped with tinnitus therapy in the BestSound Technology feature. This includes a separate therapy signal generator, pre-programmed sound therapy signals that include four synthetic signals (white, pink, speech, and high-tone noise) and four ocean wave signals (sandy, pebble, rocky, and boulder beaches). Siemens hearing aids with tinnitus therapy include Ace, Pure, Carat, Aquaris, Motion, Insio, Nitro, and Orion.

Signia Primax, a brand-new hearing aid and a sister brand to Siemens, also offers tinnitus therapy. Primax hearing aids such as Pure and Motion feature tinnitus therapy.

Starkey Multiflex Tinnitus Technology 

Starkey Hearing Technologies offers Multiflex Tinnitus Technology in three devices: the new Muse, the Halo 2 Made for iPhone, and the SoundLens. Starkey tinnitus technology gives wearers a comforting sound stimulus that is customizable to soothe the symptoms of tinnitus. Multiflex Tinnitus Technology products give wearers all-day relief, easy volume and memory adjustments, personalization to meet unique hearing needs, and a SoundPoint tool to assist in the customization process.