Frequently Asked Questions : Conversor

I Already have a hearing aid. How will The Conversor improve Its performance?

Hearing aids play a vital role in helping the hard of hearing to regain the ability to communicate. The advances in digital technology are bringing new levels of sound quality, including the ability to adjust the sound of your aid to suit your own particular needs. However, despite these advances, there can still be certain times when extra help would be useful.

What are some common problems with Hearing Aids?
- Aural Focus
  People whose hearing is not impaired, can focus on one particular sound from several sounds that may be present at once. This natural ability is called Aural Focus. As your hearing deteriorates, Aural Focus is one of the first things you lose. It has been shown that even if you use hearing aids, this subtle ability to focus is lost. This leads to particular difficulties when trying to hear in busy, noisy places.
- Busy, noisy places
  Most hearing aids pick up sounds from all directions and amplify them before sending them into your ear. In a quiet environment this will not cause a problem, because probably the only sound present is the one you wish to listen to.
  However when you are in a noisier place, it is not so easy to pick out the sound you want to hear. The unwanted sounds are amplified at the same level, which means you may just hear a confusing noise. This is frustrating and can lead to many hearing aid users simply switching off their aid.
  However, by using The Conversor in conjunction with the hearing aid, it helps to overcome this problem as it allows you to direct your listening towards the sound that you want to hear. In addition, by using phase inversion, it reduces the unwanted sounds coming from the sides and rear of the microphone.
- Quiet Sounds
  In order to hear quiet sounds, you may turn up your hearing aid. However, this can produce the annoying feedback \'whistle\' as your hearing aid begins to re-amplify its own output. This is a common phenomenon, known to both hearing aid users, their friends and family.
  The Conversor can produce significantly higher levels of sound in the hearing aid without feedback. This allows you to turn the hearing aid volume down, and reduces the risk of feedback whistle - enabling you to listen to quieter sounds.
- Head Shadow
  If you wear your hearing aid in your right ear, you will naturally hear sounds from the right better than sounds coming from the left. This effect is known as Head Shadow and is particularly noticeable at the dinner table, for example.
  By placing the Conversor microphone anywhere on the table, you are provided unhindered access to those voices you want to listen to.
- Relaxed Conversation
  When using The Conversor, even general conversation requires less effort. The sounds will be clearer and seem \'closer\', . Relaxed conversations can be held, for example, across the table or a room, and even in the car.

How does The Conversor plus a Hearing Aid provide better sound than a Hearing Aid alone?

Proximity To The Sound
Simply by having the Conversor microphone closer to the source of sound than the hearing aid microphone, there will be an improvement in the sound quality - it will be louder and clearer, and any other sounds that are present will appear to be relatively quieter.
Background Noise Reduction
The Conversor can reduce sounds coming from behind and to the sides by up to 30 dB. By reducing unwanted peripheral sounds, you will hear the desired sound more clearly.
Higher Sound Level
By increasing the available sound level, The Conversor puts less strain on the hearing aid amplifier. This allows higher sound levels without the risk of distortion and feedback