How it works
These are the parts of a hearing aid on the two most common styles: behind-the-ear, with tubing to an earmold, and receiver-in-canal, with a thin wire to a speaker in the ear. Start with the 7 main parts.
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Behind the ear
Microphones on top of the case pick up sound. The button changes the volume or program, and the battery door opens for a new battery. Sound travels through the earhook and tubing to the earmold, whose vent lets air in.
Receiver in canal
Here the receiver, the tiny speaker, sits in the ear canal at the end of a thin wire. A soft dome covers it, a wax guard keeps earwax out, and a retention tail holds it in place.
- When an aid sounds weak or silent, the wax guard may be clogged; it is a small part made to be changed.
Questions and answers
What is the speaker in a hearing aid called?
The receiver. On a behind-the-ear aid it is inside the case and sound travels down tubing to the ear. On a receiver-in-canal aid it sits in the ear canal at the end of a thin wire.
What is the difference between a dome and an earmold?
A dome is a soft, ready-made tip in a range of sizes. An earmold is shaped to fit one person's ear, made of hard acrylic or soft silicone.
What does the wax guard do?
It is a tiny filter at the tip of the receiver that stops earwax getting into the electronics. When it clogs, the aid sounds weak or goes quiet until it is changed.