Can a Remote Microphone Improve Your Hearing Aid’s Performance?

If you’re still struggling to hear conversations during loud social gatherings amidst a hearing aid, then it may be time to put social awkwardness aside and start using a remote microphone.

“It’s a common frustration of many people who wear hearing aids. There’s no quick, easy fix, but there are tools and adjustments we can make to improve your hearing in these situations, ” Hanan Merrill from Nanaimo Hearing Clinic says.

One tool that is said to be able to improve your hearing on top of a hearing aid is a remote microphone. Similar but still different than a wireless microphone, a remote microphone is a wireless system that is designed to help an individual to hear conversations and speech in noisy situations and over distances.

While most remote microphones are intended to work together with hearing aids, there are models that can be used by those with normal hearing.

“Using a remote microphone with your hearing aids helps to create two pipes of sound. If you give the device to the person speaking, their voice gets streamed directly into your hearing aids. Then we can minimize background sounds so it’s easier to follow the conversation,” explains Merrill.

This means a remote microphone paired with a hearing aid can make all the difference in modifying the environment to one where it becomes easier to isolate speech from background noise.

Unlike a hearing aid which the user will be the one to wear, a remote microphone will be passed around to whoever is speaking. With this premise, social awkwardness may arise as it’s not common for people to use a remote microphone in normal social gatherings.

Not to mention, it can also take some getting used to since you would have to ask for the remote microphone before speaking. However, if it’s for the benefit of a loved one or any other individual to be included in the conversation and improve communication, then it’s well worth it.