The Best Hearing Aids for Speech Clarity

When people think about hearing loss, they often associate it with the ability to hear (or rather, not hear) certain tones or pitches such as birds chirping outside or the TV in the background. Sometimes people notice others around them mumble or that their voices are not as clear- especially in group settings or at a restaurant. Speech clarity and understanding of speech are important to your overall hearing health.  

At HearingLife, we take the time to dive into your concerns with speech clarity, especially in noise. We conduct specific measurements during your hearing test to help us understand how well you can understand speech, which then helps us make the best recommendations based on your hearing needs. 

These specific measurements that we conduct during your hearing testing are called ACT and QuickSIN. 

What are ACT and QuickSIN Tests?
ACT is also known as Audible Contrast Threshold; is usually completed shortly after you listen to the beeps at various tones and volumes. The ACT test takes your results and computes a test where static noise is presented, and your results are calculated based on how many times you can hear a siren-like tone. This tells your provider the level of help in noise that you need. 

QuickSIN testing is usually completed at the end of your hearing exam. In this test, a female speaker says a short sentence, and you are instructed to repeat the full sentence at an audible level. During the test, the background noise increases with each sentence. This helps your provider understand how well you can understand speech in background noise. That way we can determine not only the hearing aid technology level that will help you, but also any assistive listening devices that may offer additional support. 

These measurements do not take long to complete but are beneficial when understanding your everyday concerns.

What is the best hearing aid for speech clarity?  
As mentioned, these specific measurements —along with the rest of your hearing test results —are crucial when determining the best hearing aid for you. So, which hearing aid provides the best speech clarity? Typically, it is a behind-the-ear style hearing aid that offers the best support for speech clarity. 

Hearing aid technology advances in recent years have focused heavily on speech clarity, especially in noisy environments. The Oticon Intent™ behind-the-ear hearing aid is a great example of these enhancements. The Oticon Intent features 4D user-intent sensors that detect body movements, the type of environment you’re in, and helps you focus on the conversations it can tell you are a part of. Essentially, the hearing aids filter or suppress the background noise to help you get the most out of your conversations in more challenging environments.  

All of our prescription hearing devices have some level of background-noise support or speech-clarity enhancement, with more advanced models offering greater support. 

The next time you notice you are struggling with people mumbling, hearing in noisy environments, or overall clarity in speech, schedule a hearing test at your nearest HearingLife center and learn what the best options are for your optimal hearing potential.