The Hearing Co BTE Hearing Aids User Manual

: June 10, 2024
: The Hearing Co

The Hearing Co BTE Hearing Aids

Introduction

In this manual we’ll be going over everything you need to know about our hearing aids, including: set up, functions, best practices, proper care, trouble shooting and more.
But first, I’d like to say a huge thank you for choosing The Hearing Co.
Not only are you supporting a small family owned business, you’re helping us bring the beautiful gift of hearing to thousands of people across America!
And that means the absolute world to us, so thank you once again.
We hope our hearing aids are everything you expected and more, but if there’s ever any issues, we’re more than happy to help .
Which is why your new hearing aids are backed by a 365-Day l 00% Money Back Guarantee and Unlimited Lifetime Warranty – if there’s ever an issue with your hearing aids, our warranty will cover you!
You can send us an email at thehearingcoteam@gmail.com or give us a call at + l 437-600-1584

Before we move on, please make sure to read the entire manual before using your hearing aids for the first time. Thank you!

Overview

Your new BTE [Behind-The-Ear) rechargeable hearing aids are meant to help you hear clearly again, without overwhelming background noise.
The fit is very comfortable (even with glasses or hats), with multiple different sized ear domes to make sure they fit you perfectly and stay in place. They’re also rechargeable with a 48 hour running time, lightweight and adjustable to the exact amount of hearing support you need (up to 80d8), along with 2 listening modes.
IMPORTANT : While they’re very easy to use, we strongly suggest you read a ll of the manual before using them for the first time as there’s a process for slowly getting adjusted to them, along with other information you should know about.

Technology

Even though they use advanced technology, the way our hearing aids work is actually quite simple. The main 3 components are a icro phone used to pick up the sound around you, an integrated circuit that “makes sense” of all the sound around
you, while cancelling out background noise and giving you a “cleaner” sound, and a speaker which feeds the sound directly into your ear.

Proper Care And Conditions

Like most electronics, our hearing aids have an optimal range in which they operate best. We recommend wearing our hearing aids in temperatures no colder than -4F/-20C and no warmer than l 22F/50C to ensure proper function .
The rated voltage of our hearing aids is DC 3. 7V.
Please also make sure to keep your new hearing aids dry and away from moisture, rain or any other liquids.

Proper Disposal

Our hearing aids have been designed to last for years & years, but eventually like all electronics, they will need to be disposed of at some time.
When that time comes, do not throw your hearing aids into a fire as they wi ll explode.
Do not dispose of them with regular household waste either, as they contain a NI-MH battery that is not meant to end up in a landfill, but rather recycled with other batteries as it’s safer for our environment.

Safety

Warning: Keep small parts that can be swallowed away from children.
Warning: Do not put your hearing aids in a microwave, oven or fire as they may explode.
Warning: Do not put your hearing aids in your mouth. If accidentally swallowed, contact your doctor or call 911 immediately as the situation is life-threatening.
Warning: If you’ve recently undergone surgery,
only use our hearing aids with the direction of your doctor.
Warning: Do not use your hearing aids in explosive or oxygen enriched environments.
Warning: Not intended for infants under 36 months. If being used for children, adult supervision is required.

Intended Use

Our hearing aids are meant to support your hearing, letting you hear everything clearly again without excessive background noise.

Hearing Aid Diagram

Technical Specification

ITEM	UNIT	PARAMETER INDEX
VALUE	TOLERANCE
Size	mm	l 6.6xl l .4×4 l .7
Weight	g	6
Working Voltage	V	DC 3.7V
Work ing Current	mA	≤ l.5
Frequency Response	Hz	500-3l00

Maximum Saturation
Acoustic Output| dB| 12B| +3d B
Full-on Acoustic Gain| dB| 40| ±5dB
Total Harmonic Distortion| %| ≤ 7| +3%
Equivalent Input Noise| dB| ≤ 29| + 3d B

Charging Your Hearing Aids

Along with your hearing aids, you’ll find a Micro USB charging cable in the box we sent you. To charge your hearing aids, make sure the cable is plugged into the bottom of your hearing aids and then plug the other end into a power source (wall charging block, portable charger, or even your computer).

If done correctly, a blue light will come on – confirming your hearing aids are charging. If the light does not come on, the charging cable was either inserted incorrectly or the power source you’re using is off.
IMPORTANT: Before using your hearing aids for the first time, we recommend you charge them for 6 hours. After the first charge, each following charge only needs to be 4 hours (or longer if you’d like to leave them to charge overnight). The running time is 48 hours, but can be slightly more or less epending on operating conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.)

Choosing Your Ear Dome Size

Each pair of our BTE Rechargeable Hearing Aids come with 4 sizes of ear domes – 3 of which are single cups, with the fourth being a double cup.
IMPORTANT : For your first use of our hearing aids, please make sure to start off with the smallest size ear dome. Then slowly work your way up to the largest size, making sure to try all 4 sizes.
The reason we ask you to go through all 4 sizes of our ear domes is because getting a perfect in-ear fit is the most important part of wearing hearing aids. Without the proper sized ear dome on your hearing aid, there’s a high chance you’ll find them uncomfy, experience feedback and the sound quality won’t be all that good either.
So please make sure to try all 4 sizes of ear domes, while using the following criteria to figure out what’s best for you :

Are they comfy?
Do they allow you to fully insert your hearing aids?
Do they keep your hearing aids in securely?
Is the fit snug enough to make sure you won’t experience any feedback, while still being comfy?

IMPORTANT : When trying all 4 sizes of ear domes for the first time, please make sure your hearing aids are turned off.

Wearing Your Hearing Aids

Before wearing your hearing aids for the first time, please make sure you’ve found which ear dome size works best for you.
Then turn your hearing aids on and adjust the volume to the lowest mode possible and insert the ear-piece into your ear, with the wire facing upwards. Once the ear-piece is securely in your ear, please put the rest of the hearing aid behind your ear, as shown in the picture below.

As you get more comfortable with your hearing aids over the next few hours and days, feel free to adjust the volume to the point where you’re satisfied with your hearing, but no more – too high of a volume, runs the chance of producing feedback or hurting your ears. This is covered in more detail in our “Getting Used To Your Hearing Aids” section.

Adjusting The Volume

Our hearing aids offer adjustable hearing support up to 80 dB, which can be controlled by running your finger along the adjustment dial.
Rotating the adjustment dial upwards will increase the volume and rotating it downwards will decrease the volume.
IMPORTANT : Make sure the volume is turned down when using your hearing aids for the first time. For future adjustments, make sure to only adjust the volume with the hearing aid out of your ear to prevent any accidental loud spikes in hearing support.

Adjusting The Listening Modes

Our hearing aids offer both high-frequency and low-frequency listening modes, which can be controlled with the On/Off switch. The lowest position is Off, the middle is low frequency and the top is high-frequency.
When in louder environments or group conversations, we recommend using the high frequency listening mode. When in quieter environments, listening to the TV or having one on- one conversation, we recommend using the low-frequency listening mode.
However, at the end of the day what matters most is that you’re able to hear the way you want to hear. If you feel more comfortable only using our low- frequency mode, then please by all means, only use the low-frequency mode. The same can be said for our high-frequency mode

Getting Used To Your Hearing Aids

No matter how long or severely you’ve been experiencing hearing loss, your body will have to adjust to hearing aids. Almost as if you were learning to walk all over again, with your ears not being able to hear properly for months or even years now, their new “ability” to hear clearly again with our hearing aids wi ll take some time to get used to.
It usually takes up to 4 months for your body to get fully used to hearing aids, but the phases outlined below can be progressed through quicker if you feel like your body is ready. Which is the most important part of this whole adjustment period – listen to your body and only move forward when you feel ready.
Phase l : Wear your hearing aids for only 1-2 hours per day in a relatively quiet environment to familiarize and distinguish various sounds. Once you feel like your body has adjusted, move onto phase 2.
Phase 2 : Wear your hearing aids for 4-8 hours per day in a slightly louder, yet still quiet environment. We recommend going for a walk in a quieter part of your neighbourhood for 20 or so minutes each day during this phase. Once you feel like your body has adjusted, move onto phase 3.
Phase 3 : Wear your hearing aids as long as you’d like. Enjoy conversation with friends and family, and slightly louder environments as well. Make sure not to wear your hearing aids anywhere with excessive noise. Once you feel like your body has adjusted, move onto phase 4.
Phase 4 : Wear your hearing aids as long as you’d like, wherever you’d like! – Even in loud environments! Your body has fully adjusted to it’s new regained hearing abilities and you’re free to enjoy hearing all the world ‘s beautiful sounds 🙂

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Below are all of the most common & easily fixable issues you may experience with our hearing aids, along with the solutions:

Whistling : If you’re experiencing whistling, here are all the common causes:

You’ve inserted your hearing aids incorrectly or not far enough – please readjust them to what’s shown in the pictures in the “Wearing Your Hearing Aids” section or give us a call at + 1 [437) 600-1584 and we’ll be more than happy to help.
The volume is too loud – the amount of hearing support you use should only be enough to regain hearing, not more. With too much hearing support, you’ll get whistling and your body will have a harder time adjusting to your hearing aids. Cracks in your hearing aid – contact us for a replacement under warranty at no cost to you.
Your hands or other objects are close to your hearing aid – sometimes having objects near your hearing aids wi ll cause audio feedback. Move them away and the whistling should be gone.
Improper ear dome size – if you’re hearing whistling, move up a size or two until it stops.
Too much earwax buildup – With too much earwax in either your ear or the hearing aid, you’ll experience whistling. To fix this, visit your doctor to get your ears properly cleaned or use the cleaning brush provided to clean the hearing aids.

No sound : If you aren’t getting any support from our hearing aids, here are all the common causes:
The volume is turned off – remove the hearing aid from your ear and turn the volume dial clockwise to increase the volume.
Low battery – the electronics in our hearing aids require a minimum voltage to operate properly.
Make sure to charge your hearing aids for 4 hours before using them.
Dirt blocking the earplug or tube – use the provided cleaning brush to clean your hearing aids.

Distortion or faint sounds : If you’re hearing distortion or everything sounds slightly muffled/faint, here are all the common causes:
Low battery – when the battery is low, your hearing aid isn ‘t able to function properly resulting in distortion or low hearing support. Make sure your hearing aids are fully charged before use.
Your hearing aids are wet – make sure to turn them off and let them dry in a bag of rice overnight in the event they get wet. Any sort of liquids or moisture could seriously damage your hearing aids .
Your hearing aids are dirty – use the provided cleaning brush to thoroughly clean your hearing aids.

Can’t adjust the volume : If you’re unable to adjust the volume on your hearing aids, here are all the common causes:
Volume has already been placed on the maximum or minimum level – rotate the volume dial in the opposite direction.
Dirt/debris is blocking the volume knob – clean around the volume knob as best you can. If you ‘re still experiencing trouble, contact us.

High power consumption : If your hearing aids are running out of battery too quickly, here are all the common causes:
Leaving your hearing aids on while not in use – make sure to always turn your hearing aids off after taking them out of your ears.
Your hearing aids are wet – make sure to turn them off and let them dry in a bag of rice overnight in the event they get wet.
Battery malfunction – contact us for your hearing aids to be replaced under warranty.

Intermittent sound : If your hearing aids are cutting in and out, here are all the common causes:
Low battery – make sure your hearing aids are fully charged before use.
If none of the solutions above fixed your hearing aid’s problems, or if you have any other issues with them, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Proper Care And Maintenance

To keep your hearing aids working perfectly for years to come, some maintenance is required. But, luckily it’s not all that much!
Once a week (or more – up to you!) you’ll want to clean your hearing aids with a soft, dry cloth to remove any ear wax or other dirt/debris.
Along with wiping down your hearing aid, you’ll want to remove and clean the ear dome in warm, soapy water. And whi le the ear dome is off, take your provided cleaning brush and clean the sound hole of your hearing aid as best you can.

IMPORTANT : Make sure to never use water when cleaning the hearing aid itself as liquids can seriously damage the electronics within.
IMPORTANT : Make sure to keep your hearing aids away from moisture, liquids, rain, high temperatures and drops onto hard surfaces. Do not wear your hearing aids during an X-Ray, MR scan, CT scan, or short wave diathermy.

Warranty And Guarantee

Your hearing aids are protected by our unlimited lifetime warranty, meaning in the event of any damage or malfunction whether caused by you or the hearing aid itself, we’ ll send you a replacement free of charge.
Your entire order is also protected by our 365-Day l 00% Money Back Guarantee in which we’ll issue you a full refund within the first year of ownership if you wish.