Jeff Hall
President at ZipHearing
Brad Ingrao
Editor & Doctor of Audiology
Want hearing aids that’ll be virtually undetectable? “Invisible” hearing aids may be just what you’re looking for.
Gone are the days of clunky-looking pink hearing aids that fill up the entire ear, whistle, and can be seen by everyone.
Today’s hearing aids are digital high tech devices- they’re miniature computers in your ears, and if you want, they can even be invisible to others.
Truly invisible hearing aids, also called invisible-in-canal hearing aids, (IIC for short), were first released in 2010 and have been growing in popularity ever since.
Invisible-in-canal hearing aids are available in an array of colors, but you might be surprised to learn that the most popular color is black.
Why is this?
Look into a loved one’s ear (or into the model’s ear below). At a certain point, all you see is black. It’s right at that point of the ear (the dark/shadowy part) that these hearing aids sit.
So, the black color ends up being the best way to make this hearing aid more discreet.
Designed to fit deep in the second bend of the ear canal, IIC hearing aids are virtually undetectable in many cases.
You might wonder how you’re supposed to pull out such a small hearing aid.
Notice the little clear string protruding from the model pictured above? This is called a “pull string,” and it’s what you grab onto to pull the hearing aid out of your ear.
No surprise, wearing a hearing aid this small requires pretty good dexterity.
The majority of hearing aids today are what we call “off the shelf,” meaning, they’re one-size-fits-all. In other words, they’re not custom made.
Invisible hearing aids are not (usually) off the shelf- they are almost always custom made.
Getting invisible hearing aids can be a bit of a time commitment. As you’ll see below, it’s a process.
But, it’s painless, oftentimes risk-free, and if you see the process through, it can be incredibly rewarding to have a perfectly customized set of invisible hearing aids to help you hear your best.
Hearing tests from a local hearing care provider range from free to $150+.
They’re quick, painless, and can actually be quite interesting.
The primary purpose of the test is to ensure that you’re a candidate for this style of hearing aid- because not everyone is.
The majority of invisible hearing aids on the market are custom made. We find that custom made hearing aids typically result in the most discreet look.
At the conclusion of your hearing test, your hearing provider will inject a soft material into your ear(s), which after a few minutes will harden to form a mold, and it’ll then be removed.
This is where the magic happens- and why you’re usually paying thousands of dollars for invisible hearing aids.
Your ear impressions are sent to the hearing aid manufacturer, where 3D printing is used to ensure your hearing aids fit as discreetly and comfortably as possible.
The result is hearing aids that are made for your ears only.
Usually around 2 weeks after your impressions are made, your hearing provider will receive your custom made hearing aids from the manufacturer. You’ll come in for an appointment to ensure the physical fit is comfortable and discreet.
If so, the hearing provider will program the hearing aids based on the results of your hearing test, to ensure they’re amplifying sound appropriately for your specific needs.
Now you can enjoy your new life with improved hearing through invisible hearing aids.
Pros
The most discreet fit possible
Invisible hearing aids sit so deep inside that ear canal that they’re usually completely hidden.
Lack of occlusion
A common complaint of people who wear in-the-ear hearing aids is having a feeling that their head is in a barrel when they talk. This sensation is known as the occlusion effect. Thankfully, IIC hearing aids sit deep in the bony portion of the ear canal, so occlusion is less of an issue with this style.
Reduced wind noise
Some hearing aid styles unintentionally amplify the wind, because their microphones sit outside the ear. This creates an unpleasant scratchy noise. The microphone of an invisible hearing aid sits recessed in the ear canal, which prevents it from amplifying the wind as it passes by the ear.
Less likely to feedback
The speaker on an invisible hearing sits close to the eardrum, and as a result, doesn’t have to provide as much amplification (gain/volume) as other styles do. This reduced amplification also serves to reduce the chances of that annoying whistling sound that some hearing aids make, which is called feedback.
Cons
Short battery life
Invisible hearing aids use the smallest batteries, and they need to be replaced every 2-5 days.
Can be difficult to handle
Changing batteries and general maintenance requires excellent dexterity. If you have poor feeling in your fingers, invisible hearing aids are not a good choice.
Limited features due to size
In order to make invisible hearing aids as small as possible, the manufacturer can only leave room for essential features. As a result, you won’t find features like Bluetooth, rechargeability, or state-of-the-art background noise reduction in these small hearing aids.
More likely to break down:
The ear is a tough environment for the parts inside hearing aids. It’s oily, warm, waxy, sweaty, and dark. All of this causes the delicate electronics inside the hearing aid to break down over time. If you get invisible hearing aids, you’ll almost certainly require more maintenance on the devices as the years go by, as compared to other hearing aids which sit outside the ear.
Not suitable for severe to profound hearing loss
Invisible hearing aids are so small that they can’t provide the power that larger hearing aids can. This means if you have severe to profound hearing loss, this style of hearing aid will not be powerful enough for you.
The hearing aids shown below are rated based on objective data, such as return rates and user reviews. We've done our best to use this data to create a comprehensive and unbiased hearing aid rating algorithm, but it's not perfect.
Review Standarts:
Ready to wear, rechargeable CIC
Released by Signia on October 3, 2023, Silk Charge&Go IX is Signia’s best, smallest, in-ear rechargeable hearing aid. Silk Charge&Go IX most wel... READ MORE
The sound barrier has been broken
Released by Starkey on March 28, 2023, Genesis AI is Starkey’s newest, most complete line of hearing aids suitable for all hearing losses. Genesi... READ MORE
World’s first in-ear hearing aid with an on-board Deep Neural Network
Released by Oticon on August 25, 2022, Own is Oticon's newest line of custom in-the-ear hearing aids for mild-to-severe hearing losses. Oticon Own ... READ MORE
Discreet design with brilliant speech understanding and natural sound
Released by Phonak on February 22, 2022, Virto Paradise is Phonak's flagship line of custom in-the-ear hearing aids for wearers with mild-to-severe he... READ MORE
Say hello to the next big thing in better hearing
Released by Starkey on March 19, 2024, Starkey Signature Series is Starkey’s newest and best line of custom in-the-ear hearing aids. The Signatur... READ MORE
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