Archive for 2010

Remember the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?”

The thought may have crossed your mind when a late night television ad appears for a hearing device that costs only $19.95 plus shipping.

These devices are known as Personal Sound Amplification Products. They are not hearing aids.

PSAPs amplify everything including noise. Hearing aids are able to be programmed and adjusted for your unique hearing loss so that they can focus on the sounds that you are not hearing.

Over-the-counter and some mail-order hearing devices can actually cause more hearing damage because they amplify sounds you may not need amplified. The result can mean an even greater hearing loss.

To be fit for a hearing aid, a patient must first take a hearing test to determine exactly what their hearing loss is. The results of the test are used to help select the most appropriate hearing aid for your loss.  To find out if you have a hearing loss, give us a call today and set up a free hearing test and consultation.

Many Americans suffer from hearing loss. Most of them are taking an average of seven to 10 years before they do anything about it.

That is a pretty long time to not properly hear the world around us.  You may wonder what’s the harm in waiting.  You probably think you can get by without too much of a problem. What’s the rush, you may ask.

All that waiting is more than likely causing more damage to your hearing.  Don’t let another month pass before you take action to improve your hearing health. This May pause to take time out to care for yourself and your loved ones during Better Hearing Month.

Consider what happens to a person’s arm after it has been in a cast for months.  Once the cast is removed, typically the arm will look smaller and less muscular than it did before the break.  This process can be defined as atrophy.  In layman’s terms, this means that if you don’t use your arm for an extended period of time, you lose the muscle mass and strength. This “use it or lose it” concept can also be applied to our hearing. However, the biggest difference between the two is that you can rebuild muscle mass after a broken arm.  Once you have hearing loss, most of the time, you cannot reverse it.

Studies have shown that the more proactive you are about your hearing health and the faster you pursue amplification once you are a candidate for hearing aids, the greater the possibility of the progression of the hearing loss slowing down somewhat.  It is important to note that this does not mean that hearing aids can stop your hearing loss from getting worse.  However, they have been proven to keep the hearing organs and nerves functioning longer than if aids are not used.

Think about the sounds that make up your world and your life.  You want to preserve this important sense for as long as you can.  If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with hearing loss, or thinks there might be hearing loss present, visit a local hearing healthcare provider like Hearing Aid Express to determine if hearing aids are right for you. There’s never going to be a better time to address your hearing health.

Hearing Aid Express always offers free hearing tests. If you know you have a hearing loss, take a look at our special offers and take the next step to improve your hearing.

Are there waterproof hearing aids?

Hearing aids have to have some sort of opening for the microphone so that sound waves can get inside.  Once inside, the computer chip in the hearing aid processes the signal (adjusting for noise, different frequencies and so on) and delivers the modified sounds to your eardrum.
Because there must be an opening for sound waves to get in to the aid there are no hearing aids that are completely waterproof (meaning you can’t store them in a bowl of water!).  There are some new hearing aids that are surprisingly water-resistant.

What’s the problem with water and moisture?

Hearing aids are small electronic devices.  They have one or more microphones, a receiver (or “speaker”), a computer chip, a battery for power, plus delicate wiring and other components.  Electrical devices and water don’t mix.  In fact, moisture, whether from water, sweat or humidity is one of the leading reasons hearing aids need to be repaired.  In Texas this is an especially big problem.

What about these new Water Resistant hearing aids?  How are they different?

Some new hearing aids are nano-coated to make them very water resistant.  This coating is extremely thin – less than one thousandth the thickness of a human hair.  The company doing this nano-coating is P2i www.p2ilabs.com.  (Note: watch their video to see how this coating keeps water out!)
A few hearing aid manufacturers including ReSound and Starkey are now using this  nano-coating technology on some of their hearing aid models.  This coating makes them very resistant to moisture, which should greatly reduce the need for repairs.  Nano-coating can only be applied during the manufacturing processing and is only available for BTE and RIC models.
Contact the nearest Hearing Aid Express office (show locations here) to learn more about these new “nearly” waterproof hearing aids.

Unitron Moxi & Unitron Moda II

Unitron Next

Unitron Yuu

Hearing Aid Express: Locations Throughout Texas

Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids are made by the largest hearing aid manufacturer in the United States and are part of a proud tradition of quality and innovation. With 125 years of experience in working with hearing aids and  hearing assistance, Siemens is a highly respected manufacturer that puts out impressive products, including Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids.

One of the many things that makes Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids so appealing is that they are virtually invisible when worn. Plus, they’re comfortable, unobtrusive, and are designed for maximum value and performance by Siemens engineers.

Wearers of Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids will enjoy years of hearing assistance — these hearing aids are dependable and capable of handling most ordinary hearing situations. With a quality hearing aids, people who are suffering from hearing loss can participate in conversations with ease and will be able to hear sounds more clearly and loudly.

About Siemens

In 1878, Werner von Siemens designed one of the first amplified hearing aids — a telephone handset with powerful amplification. This design was like nothing you’ll see at a hearing aid store today, but it gave way to another innovation by Siemens in 1913: the Phonophor hearing aid. This included a battery, microphone and receiver, and people carried it in a handbag when they weren’t using it. Just one year later, Siemens took that design to a new level and added a miniature receiver that sat close to the eardrum. Looking at this design, it’s easy to see how it gave way to modern Siemens hearing aids.

More Siemens Hearing Aids

Siemens Acuris Life hearing aids are just one example of quality hearing aids from Siemens. We’re proud to carry a wide variety of Siemens hearing aids at Hearing Aid Express, including the Siemens Nitro, Siemens Vibe and Siemens Pure.

Hearing Aid Express has several convenient stores in Dallas, Houston and Austin. Stop by and enjoy the free services we offer on a daily basis: free hearing evaluations, free cleanings and adjustments, and more.

Thinking about buying a Starkey Destiny hearing aid or two? These hearing aids have an excellent reputation for quality and innovation. They are BTE hearing aids, or behind-the-ear hearing aids, and several styles are available in the Destiny series. Built with BluWave Signal Processing, the Starkey Destiny  hearing aid adapts to your ever-changing environment, a factor that is certainly important for hearing aid wearers.

When you meet with a hearing professional, they will be able to determine the best Starkey Destiny hearing aid model for you, as there are several different kinds. Here are the key features of the Starkey Destiny hearing aid:

Directional Speech Detector (DSD). This feature reduces background noise and focuses on speech sounds. DSD monitors environments and adjusts to them.

Automatic Telephone Response. A big complaint about hearing aids is that talking on a telephone can be difficult. Thanks to Automatic Telephone Response, the Starkey Destiny hearing aid adjusts for optimal communication and eliminates feedback.

Active Feedback Intercept (AFI). AFI helps get rid of annoying feedback sounds like whistling.

Acoustic Signature. This state-of-the-art sound management tool detects and classifies different sound environments and then adapts to an optimal setting. It’s available on the Starkey Destiny 1200 and Starkey Destiny 1600.

What’s more is that the Starkey Destiny hearing aid series is stylish and thoughtfully designed.

More Hearing Aids

We’re proud to carry the Starkey Destiny hearing aid, but that’s just one of many quality hearing aids in our impressive selection. Stop by your nearest Hearing Aid Express store to have your questions about hearing loss and hearing aids answered. Our friendly staff will be happy to assist you. We also offer several free services on a daily basis, including free hearing evaluations, free cleanings and adjustments, and free digital demonstrations.

It’s a new month, and that means new hearing aid coupons from Hearing Aid Express. We’re proud to make hearing aids more affordable, and we hope you’ll be able to take advantage of these coupons — they can really save you money.

Hearing Aid Coupons

This month, you’ll find a coupon for $600 off a set of ReSound Dot 30 hearing aids. This coupon is not valid with any other offer and is not eligible for financing. It expires on March 31, 2010.

Our other coupon is for a limited time offer on Starkey E-3 hearing aids. They start at just $1,395 each. This offer is not valid with any other offer and is not eligible for financing. You have until March 31, 2010 to take advantage of this exceptional deal. If you’d like to use either of these coupons, visit our hearing aid coupons page and click on the one you want, and it will print so that you can take it to your nearest Hearing Aid Express store.

What’s Free at Hearing Aid Express

We’re not kidding when we say we’re making better hearing more affordable: We even offer several FREE services. Every day, here’s what’s free:

• FREE Hearing Test
• FREE Digital Demonstrations
• FREE Cleanings & Adjustments
• FREE Personalized Programming on purchases from HAE

We have many locations throughout Texas. Be sure and visit our stores, where you’ll meet our friendly staff. We have locations in Dallas, Austin and Houston.We are able to assist you with any questions regarding hearing aids and hearing loss.

We also offer an impressive selection of hearing aids from Starkey, Sonic Innovations, ReSound and Unitron. If you’re suffering from hearing loss, hearing aids can really help improve your quality of life.

We’re proud to announce a convenient store for Cedar Park hearing aids shoppers: Hearing Aid Express has a location on S. Bell Blvd., just west of the 183A toll road and south of FM 1431. Starkey, ReSound, Unitron and Sonic Innovations are some of the big-name hearing aid brands you’ll find as part of our impressive selection.

Hearing loss is the second-most common issue for older adults, right behind arthritis. While just 10 percent of hearing losses are helped by surgery or other medical treatment, 90 percent of hearing losses can be treated with the use of hearing aids. Twenty-eight million Americans are hearing impaired — one in eight 50-year-olds suffers from hearing loss.

Hearing loss is a serious issue, and Hearing Aid Express is proud to make getting help easier for people in the Cedar Park area. We offer free hearing evaluations, and there’s never an obligation to buy anything.

Find Our Cedar Park Hearing Aids Store

Located just northwest of Austin, our Cedar Park hearing aids store is easy to find. If you need assistance with directions, please call us at (512) 249-9367, or toll-free in Texas at (888) 249-0095. Our address is:

200 S. Bell Blvd
Cedar Park, TX 78613
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About Hearing Aid Express

Started over 20 years ago in Dallas, Hearing Aid Express is proud to provide hearing aids at affordable prices in Dallas, Houston, Austin and Cedar Park. We invite you to visit our Cedar Park hearing aids store to have your questions about hearing loss and hearing aids answered by our friendly staff.

Affordable Hearing Aids

Hearing aid coupons can help save you a lot of money. Hearing Aid Express is proud to make hearing aids affordable, and these coupons are one way we’re doing that. Check our website every few weeks to see our latest news, informative information, and new hearing aid coupons. Another way we make things more affordable is by offering several free services: free hearing tests, free digital demonstrations, free cleanings and adjustments, and free personalized programming from purchases from our store. We also sell hearing aid batteries for just 50 cents.

ReSound Live Hearing Aid Coupons

If you’ve been interested in buying ReSound Live hearing aids, you’re in luck: One of the coupons we’re currently offering is to save $400 on a pair of these remote CIC style hearing aids that fit entirely inside your ears. The coupon is good until February 15, 2010, so stop by one of our stores today or call us for more information. This hearing aid coupon is not valid with any other offer and is not eligible for financing.

Next E Hearing Aid Coupons

Another offer we currently have is for Next E hearing aids: With our coupon, you can get them for just $1095 each. This coupon expires on February 26, 2010 and is not eligible for financing or good with any other offer. To get these incredible savings, just print out the coupon and present it at your nearest Hearing Aid Express store.

Print Hearing Aid Coupons

Using our coupons is very simple. Just navigate to our hearing aid coupons page, and click on the coupon you’d like to use to print it. You’ll then want to take that coupon with you to your nearest Hearing Aid Express store, where our friendly staff will be happy to answer any questions you have about hearing loss or hearing aids.

These are our hearing aid coupons for February. Be sure to check back to see what new coupons we’ll be offering.

Made by Starkey, the Destiny 1600 is a quality hearing aid that offers enhanced hearing to people with hearing loss that is affecting their quality of life. This hearing aid is designed for maximum value and performance. Starkey is known for its innovative hearing aids, and the Destiny 1600 is no exception — it’s comfortable, unobtrusive and built for years of dependable hearing assistance.

Destiny 1600: A BTE Hearing Aid

Starkey Destiny hearing aids, including the Destiny 1600, are BTE hearing aids. BTE stands for “behind the ear,” since the hearing aid’s technology sits behind the wearer’s ear. These types of hearing aids are perfect for those worried about others being able to see that they’re wearing hearing aids, as BTE hearing aids are discreet.

Destiny 1600: Style

Not only is the Destiny 1600 unobtrusive in design, but it comes in several different colors. This means you can match the Starkey Destiny 1600 hearing aid to your hair color, skin tone or lifestyle, which makes it even more discreet.

Destiny 1600: Features

The Starkey 1600 has countless features and can intuitively adapt to the wearer’s ever-changing environment so that they may hear sounds more loudly and clearly. Active Feedback Intercept (AFI) is one feature, and it, according to Starkey, uses “a method that effectively erases whistling, squealing and other irritating feedback sounds.” So many features make this an outstanding hearing aid.

If you’d like to know more about the Starkey Destiny 1600 or if you have questions about hearing aids or hearing loss, visit your local Hearing Aid Express store. We have locations in Austin, Houston and Dallas, and we can also be contacted online.