What are the digiatally programable hearing aids? What is its advantage over conventional hearing aids?

• Digitally programmable hearing aids employ conventional analogue circuits for changing the sound, but use a digital control circuit to alter the characteristics of the analogue circuit. These permits the flexibility to include a number of hearing aid features that has advantages over the conventional hearing aids. These are:
  1. Adaptable directionality: simple advance or automated
  2. Multiple programmes: manual or automatic programmatic control over hearing aid programmes appropriate for  quite situations or another appropriate for noisy situations, appropriate for telephone use or listening music
  3. Digital noise reduction : These have the capability to continuously sample the acoustic environment and to make pre-programmed adjustments to the hearing aid response as the environment changes. It reduces unwanted, ongoing background noises to enhance speech perception and listening comfort.
  4. Digital feedback suppression: feedback is recognized based on its frequency, intensity and temporal characteristics. When the hearing instrument recognizes acoustic feedback it can be suppressed in most cases by reduction of gain in the offending frequency band or by phase cancellation of the feedback signal.
  5. Data logging: tracts and records user setting and usage patterns of hearing aid. It helps in trouble shooting patient complaints and in making changes to baseline programming to reflects the user’s settings.
  6. Trainability: users initiate training via manual control so that aid will approximate these settings in the future in similar listening environments.
  7. Wireless connectivity: It allows for convenient communication from hearing aids to electronic device and signal sources.
  8. Ability of hearing aid to automatically control most these features.