Hearing Aids

A hearing aid amplifies sound by:

• a microphone converting sound into an electrical signal;

• an amplifier increasing the strength of the electrical signal. In the process, it will also alter the balance of the sound, usually giving more emphasis to high-frequency sounds and weak sounds than it does to low-frequency sounds and intense sounds;

• a miniature loudspeaker, called a receiver, turning the electrical signal back into sound; and

• the sound then being sent via the ear canal to the hearing system.