Getting the right programmed hearing aid can make all the difference in how you experience sound on a daily basis. When hearing aids are customized to your specific needs, they deliver clearer, more natural sound, making conversations, music and environmental noises easier to hear. Rhodes Centers for Better Hearing uses real ear measurements (REM) to fine-tune each device, ensuring it fits perfectly with your hearing profile.
This precise adjustment helps achieve optimal performance, allowing for a more comfortable and effective listening experience. With the right hearing aid technology and expert care, you can feel confident that your hearing aid is working to its fullest potential.
What is Real Ear Measurement?
REM is a process used to precisely adjust hearing aids to match an individual’s hearing needs. During this procedure, a small microphone is placed in the ear canal and the sound from the hearing aid is measured in real time. This allows hearing professionals to assess how the device is performing in the actual environment where it will be used, rather than relying on general settings or theoretical models. By taking into account the unique shape and size of the ear canal, REM ensures that the hearing aid delivers the right amplification at the correct frequency levels.
With real ear measurement, the hearing aid can be fine-tuned to optimize clarity and comfort for the wearer. This process helps to avoid over-amplification that can lead to poor sound quality. REM helps ensure that your hearing aid is providing balanced and natural sound, making it easier to understand speech and enjoy a full range of sounds. The result is a more personalized listening experience that can improve speech recognition and overall hearing satisfaction.
What Are the Benefits of REM?
Real ear measurement offers a range of advantages that enhance the effectiveness of hearing aids. By customizing the device’s settings to your specific hearing profile, REM helps ensure the best possible listening experience.
- Personalized fit: REM adjusts hearing aids to the unique shape and size of your ear, optimizing sound clarity and comfort.
- Balanced amplification: It fine-tunes amplification levels, avoiding both over-amplification, which can cause distortion and under-amplification, which can reduce sound quality.
- Improved speech understanding: By focusing on specific frequencies, REM enhances speech clarity, making it easier to understand conversations, even in noisy environments.
- Better noise management: REM helps reduce background noise and enhances the overall listening experience, especially in challenging settings.
- Long-term satisfaction: Ensuring your hearing aids perform optimally, REM helps provide consistent, high-quality sound over time.
Real ear measurement significantly enhances hearing aid performance, offering a personalized, comfortable and more effective listening experience.
REM and Future Adjustments
Real ear measurements provide a more accurate starting point for calibration. Since REM tailors the hearing aid settings to the individual’s ear shape and specific hearing needs, it can reduce the need for frequent adjustments over time. Once the device is fine-tuned using REM, it tends to offer a more consistent and effective listening experience, meaning fewer changes are required down the road. This can save time for both the wearer and the hearing professional, making future fine-tuning sessions less frequent and often less extensive.