Hearing aids

2022: Regular headphones have started replacing hearing aids

On November 15, 2022, the results of a study were released, according to which the all-wireless headphones (TWS) of the Apple AirPods family could become an alternative to hearing aids for people with mild to moderate hearing impairment.

For the study, AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro models worth about $130 and $250, respectively, were selected, as well as specialized hearing aids for $1,500 and $10,000 (related to the premium level). The devices were tested by 21 people (9 men and 12 women) with various hearing impairments and an average age of 42.9 years. The researchers read out short sentences and asked the participants in the experiment to repeat them verbatim.

Headphones have begun to replace hearing aids

According to tests, AirPods Pro meet four out of five standards for personal audio amplification products and are comparable to hearing aids in terms of speech perception in a quiet environment. The AirPods Pro was comparable to conventional hearing aids in a quiet environment and slightly inferior to specialized premium devices. AirPods 2 headphones do not work as efficiently, but can still help patients hear speech more clearly. In a noisy environment, the AirPods Pro worked at the premium hearing aid level, but only when the noise came from the side. In the case of frontal noise, neither AirPods Pro nor AirPods 2 were able to improve the subjects' hearing.

The researchers concluded that fully wireless headphones under certain conditions can become a much more affordable alternative to hearing aids, although they are not a full-fledged replacement for specialized devices appointed by doctors. Nevertheless, scientists believe that further technological progress may lead to the fact that wireless headphones can well replace hearing aids of a certain price range.^[1]

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