In the hearing aid market, we find different types depending on where they sit on or in the ear. In this article, we’ll run through the most commonly used types today and their advantages and drawbacks.
The table below summarises the types of hearing aids and their position:
| Name | Hearing aid position | Receiver position |
|---|---|---|
| BTE | Behind the outer ear | Behind the outer ear |
| RIC | Behind the outer ear | Inside the ear canal |
| ITE | Ear bowl and ear canal | Inside the canal |
| ITC | Ear canal but visible | Inside the canal |
| CIC | Inside the canal | Inside the canal |
| IIC | Deep insertion into the ear canal | Inside the canal |
Let’s look at each of these types of hearing aids in detail.
The BTE hearing aid
Position of the BTE hearing aid
A BTE device sits right behind the outer ear. The name comes from “Behind the Ear”.
With these hearing aids, both the receiver and the microphone sit behind the ear, and sound is carried to the ear through the mould and the fitting tubes.
Advantages of BTE hearing aids
It’s suitable for all types of hearing loss: moderate, severe and profound.
When used with a thin acoustic tube, it’s considered an open fit, which helps boost higher frequencies and makes the device more comfortable for the patient.
What is a RIC hearing aid?
The RIC hearing aid appeared in 2003, thanks to improvements in digital hearing aid technology. These hearing aids are also known as mini behind-the-ear models.
These hearing aids are also often called RITE hearing aids. Both terms stand for:
- RIC: Receiver In the Canal
- RITE: Receiver In The Ear
Position of the RIC hearing aid
A RIC hearing aid also sits behind the outer ear, but the difference from a BTE is that the receiver sits inside the ear itself.
These hearing aids send the already-amplified sound signal through a wired tube to the receiver, which sits inside the ear.
Advantages of RIC hearing aids
These hearing aids tend to be smaller than BTE models, since the receiver isn’t housed inside the hearing aid itself, which has let manufacturers modernise their designs.
One example of a stylishly designed RIC hearing aid is the Signia Styletto, a hearing aid that’s won the RedDot Design award.
The wired tube is also very thin, so once fitted, these hearing aids are almost invisible from the front, and for women with long hair, they’re completely hidden.
This aesthetic appeal is one of the reasons sales have kept growing since these hearing aids first appeared.
The open-fit system makes these hearing aids very comfortable to wear for moderate or severe hearing loss.
ITE hearing aids
ITE hearing aids are custom-made devices that sit inside the patient’s outer ear and ear canal. These hearing aids take up part of the ear bowl, so they’re visible from outside, making them less discreet — and as a result, they’re used less and less.
Advantages of an ITE hearing aid
The only advantage of this type of hearing aid is that it’s easy to handle, since its size makes it easy to insert and to change the batteries.
ITC hearing aids
ITC hearing aids are in-the-canal devices, positioned at the outermost part of the ear canal. Although they don’t take up part of the ear bowl, they’re still visible from outside. They’re more discreet than ITE models, but still visible.
Advantages of ITC hearing aids
The advantage of the ITC is that, despite being a small hearing aid, today’s technology means there’s still enough space in the custom shell to fit the latest digital hearing aid technology.
A great example of this type is the ITC from ReSound LiNX Quattro, which, despite its size, has built-in Bluetooth technology, letting it connect to both Android and Apple phones.
What’s more, the ITC is still large enough to be handled comfortably.
CIC hearing aids
The CIC hearing aid takes its name from “completely-in-the-canal”.
CIC hearing aids sit entirely within the ear canal, making them harder to spot from outside, especially when looking at the wearer from the front or behind.
For this reason, it’s known as the invisible hearing aid.
Because of its size, it’s harder to handle. It also usually uses a size 10 battery, the smallest hearing aid battery available, which can make changing it difficult for people with limited hand mobility or reduced eyesight.
Advantages of CIC hearing aids
The main advantage of CIC hearing aids is how they look, since their size makes them practically invisible.
IIC hearing aids
IIC hearing aids are the smallest on the market, also known as deep-insertion hearing aids, since they sit entirely within the ear canal.
Fitting them is tricky, and if placed incorrectly, problems can arise, as happened to Queen Elizabeth II with her Signia Silk hearing aids, the smallest on the market.
They’re usually so small that some technologies, such as Bluetooth, can’t be used in this type of hearing aid.
