Just as vision with two eyes is better than one, your hearing is also better when both ears are balanced – this is why at Falls of Sound we recommend trialing two hearing aids.

Research of over 5000 people who wear hearing aids in both ears, shows that they are generally happier with their hearing than those who wear only one. If only wearing one aid, they may still experience ringing in the unaided ear. Half of Tinnitus sufferers report a decrease in severity when wearing hearing aids. Reduced feedback and whistling. A lower volume means the chance of experiencing feedback is reduced.Greater comfort around loud noises. Due to the fact that a lower volume is required when wearing two hearing aids, loud noises are naturally also less amplified.Monaural wearers may feel off balance with sounds being heard stronger in one ear than the other. Feeling off balance. Wearing two aids helps you feel balanced due to the ‘stereo effect’ –which is balanced reception of sound.This is due to the fact that they do not have to strain to hear with the unaided ear. Wearers of two aids often report that listening and participating in conversation is easier with two devices rather than one. Wearing two hearing aids keeps both ears functioning properly. This is called the ‘auditory deprivation effect’. Research shows that when only one aid is worn, hearing in the unaided ear may begin to deteriorate. This may reduce further deterioration of your hearing. With two hearing devices these sounds are easier to distinguish. With only one hearing aid, some sounds and words may sound alike. A sound that may hardly be heard at 10 feet with one device may be heard up to 40 feet with two. Like a person without hearing aids, a person who wears two will hear sounds from further away than a person who wears only one. Wearing two hearing aids means you won’t have to have the volume up as high as you would if you wear only one. Greater range allows for overall better balance and sound quality. By wearing two devices, your hearing range increases to 360 degrees – one device only allows for a 180 degree range of hearing. Stereos tend to have more than one speaker to allow the smoothest, sharpest, most natural sound quality the same can be said for hearing aids. With binaural hearing, you will be better able to detect where sounds are coming from in most situations. Without this feature, you may not hear them before you see them – which may make it difficult to move out of the way in time. Not only does better localization of sound help in social situations, for example, being able to focus on a person speaking directly to you, but also helps you determine important sounds such as the sirens of emergency vehicles as they approach from behind. Wearers of one hearing aid sometimes struggle in busy environments. Better clarity in noisy situations. Wearing two hearing aids makes speech clearer in difficult listening situations – such as a crowded restaurant.Research has actually shown that people who wear two hearing aids can understand speech and general conversation much better than those who only wear one aid. Understanding speech better. Wearing two hearing devices over one, allows your brain to better ‘focus’ on the sounds you want to hear – such as a person speaking directly in front of you rather than the people behind you in a crowded environment.Although you may later decide to purchase only one hearing aid, there are benefits to wearing two. Usually during your hearing aid trial, you will first be fitted with two hearing devices so you can experience binaural amplification – similar to the way you would trial a pair of glasses for a problem with your vision. While perhaps intimidating at first, hearing aids allow a hearing impaired person to experience sounds they may not have heard – or heard properly – for a long time such as the sounds of birds, group conversations and music. To start this process, you will need to visit an audiology specialist who can help determine whether you need one (monaural) or two (binaural) hearing devices – or if you even need them at all. If you notice a hearing loss in one or both ears (bilateral), you are very likely suitable to be fitted with hearing aids.

Monaural and binaural hearing