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Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2000;126:1394-1397.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Hypothesis

The increased expense of digital hearing aids, compared with conventional analog aids, is justified by the substantial advantages they provide.

BACKGROUND

The proliferation of digital technology and continued miniaturization of sound-processing hardware has led to the development of a new generation of digital hearing aids. These aids offer complex sound-processing algorithms made possible through replacement of capacitors and resistors with computer software, and are purported to offer substantial benefit over conventional analog hearing aids by being more adaptable to an individual's pattern of hearing loss. However, digital aids are up to 5 times more expensive.

Figure appears in full text version. Bevan Yueh, MD

Overview of Digital Technology

A conventional hearing aid processes speech by converting the acoustic waveform into an electrical analog (Figure 1), which is then manipulated with a series of electrical components. A digital hearing aid digitizes the electrical signal into a series of numbers, which is then manipulated with computer software. This algorithm is potentially . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Assessment of Hearing Aid Outcomes

PRO

CON

BOTTOM LINE

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