Two ears are better than one
Hearing as nature intended - with both ears
Have you seen anyone wearing a monocle lately?
Chances are you have not. The monocle became obsolete long ago when we recognized the
advantages of balanced vision and began to provide binocular sight correction. Similarly, hearing
help for both ears produces equally advantageous results for those with hearing impairment in
two ears.
- Two ears to distiguish speech from noise
- Two ears to locate the origin of a sound
- Two ears to hear naturally
Hearing with both ears means more confidence and a better quality of life
Sound localization
The ability to localize sound is dependent on two properly functioning ears.
How do we know the direction of a car's approach? The sound reaches the
closer ear a few microseconds earlier , and with a somewhat greater intensity,
than it reaches the other ear. These minute differences in the signal transferred
from the ear to the brain enable us to make important, potentially life-saving
decisions regarding the exact location of the car. When one ear functions
better than the other, there is inadequate information to quickly and reliably
determine the origin of a sound.
Understanding speech in a noisy environment
Hearing with two ears provides improved capacity to suppress background noise,
making it easier to understand conversation. Unequal hearing in the left and right
ears is a big disadvantage in noise. While one hearing instrument may be helpful
in a quiet environment, it may not be helpful in noisy situations. The greatest difficulty
understanding speech occurs when several people are talking at once. This is
common during interactions between family, friends, and colleagues at work. Often
these exchanges are also taking place in noisy surroundings. With two hearing
instruments it is possible to maximize understanding in noise.
Hearing with less volume
A sound presented to both ears is judged to be louder than the same sound, at the
same intensity, presented to only one ear. This means that a user of two hearing
instruments can set the volume of each one lower, resulting in more pleasant
hearing and less amplification of distracting background noises.
Hearing equally from both sides
Wearing two hearing instruments gives the maximum opportunity to respond
accurately and confidently, whether the conversation comes from the left or
the right.
Sound Quality
Users of two hearing instruments report many additional benefits:
- More natural sound quality
- Less listening effort
- Improved ability to hear correctly and respond appropriately
| Quiet surroundings |
Relatively good |
Very good |
| Speech babble |
Very poor |
As good as the situation allows |
| Loud noise e.g. railway station |
Very poor |
Difficult |
| Tonal nuances |
Limited |
Good |
| Sound quality |
Poor |
Good |
| Identify source (direction) of sound |
Not possible |
Possible |
|
