Top 10 Hearing Aids 2024

The top 10 hearing aids of 2024 (so far) wouldn’t be complete without the ‘Intent’ range from Oticon. In a nutshell the ‘Intent’, a super new offering from world leading manufacturer Oticon represents a huge leap in functionality and improvement on the already brilliant ‘Real’ range. Hearing aid wearers who have upgraded their devices to the ‘Intent’ have commented that they have experienced improvement, significantly, with speech in noisy environments, something which is always hardest to get right. From a ‘fundamentals’ point of view these devices are smaller than their predecessors, the batteries charge more quickly and last longer (win, win).

Improving all the time!

If that wasn’t enough there are also large improvements, on the previous generation of hearing aids, in slightly more complex ways. Oticon describe this as ‘brain hearing’ and featuring ‘4D technology’. Which again, in simple terms, means that Oticon have integrated and built on their already world leading ‘Brain Hearing Technology’.

The newest advance is the introduction of the aforementioned 4D technology. This is created by the addition of movement and environment sensors which collect and process millions of tiny messages within the hearing aids in order to intuit who, what and where you are listening to people, places and things.

Another fantastic hearing aid to make it onto our ‘Top 10 of Top’ hearing aids is the Phonak Audio Lumity Life hearing aid (PALL).  The PALL (has made us smile as these aids certainly will be your pal!) is the world’s first fully waterproof hearing aid.  Each of the Phonak hearing aid ranges come in differing technology levels, 30, 50,70 and 90.  With 30 being the entry level and 90 being the ‘top of the range’.  The ‘Life’ model – which has hit our list of Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024 is the 90, highest level of technology.  This means that you get the very best hearing aid as well as the health, well being and lifestyle benefits this super little hearing aid offers you.

We call it a super ‘little’ hearing aid as it is little.  All hearing aids of this quality and modernity are pretty small these days.  However, the ‘Life’ model is the biggest in the Phonak Audeo range though.  It is slightly larger than the other models in the Phonak Audeo Lumity range.  This is because the casing has to have a very special nano coating on both the inside and the outside in order to achieve the waterproofness.

The clever 90 level electronics and software mean that wearers benefit from all of the very best Phonak features. In particular the Phonak SmartSpeech Technology enabling much better conversations (depending on who you are speaking to, it can’t make things more interesting just enable you to hear them more clearly (which is a pretty good starting place for them to be interesting?)) in challenging situations. However, most of the top end hearing aids from each of the key providers will help you enormously in this respect.

The short answer is – No! I had the very good fortune of reviewing a pair, you can see my review here.     It was really helpful to be able to leave my hearing aids in throughout my recent haircut. I used to find it slightly disconcerting when I had to remove my hearing aids to have my hair washed. It was very reassuring not to have that period of deafness in a public place again.

So the key features which separate this hearing aid from the rest are, as the name implies, its ‘lifestyle’ benefits. As with all quality, modern aids they are fully connectable to all streaming devices with seamless bluetooth communications. They also have an in-built fitness tracker with the data/information sent directly to a connected device. However, they really come into their own when it comes to fitness use. They are water and sweat proof so you can move smoothly between gym, steam room, swimming pool, shower, and my favourite bit coffee and cake afterwards(!), without having to remove them at all.

At the time of writing we have both new and refurbished Phonak Audeo Life hearing aids available. Here’s the link to the new ones and here’s the link to the refurbished ones. I’m so sorry if the refurbished link doesn’t work. That will mean that we have sold them but we are replacing stock all the time.  It’s a great idea to check back from time to time to see what we have available in the refurbished section here. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us in all of the usual ways:

By phone:  0330230 333, by email info@affordable-hearing.co.uk.  Or why not book a video call here and one of our amazing team will be delighted to help you.

Our refurbished aids are all fully serviced and tailored to your prescription and are a really economical and ‘planet kind’ hearing aid solution.

Starkey Genesis AI. We’ve heard so many amazing things about the new Starkey Genesis AI hearing aids. One of the most resounding recommendations so far is from the experiences of users treated by our wonderful audiologist Sarah-Jane Brown. Sarah-Jane has found that several patients who were reaching the end of the line with the capabilities of various other hearing aids have found that the sophistication of the Starkey ‘Neuro Sound Technology’ has been transformational.

Is your hearing loss a figment of your imagination? It’s a common misconception that hearing loss mostly happens in the ears. It might start there but in reality most of it takes place in our brains. The Starkey ‘Neuro Sound Technology’ mimics the speech centre in our brains. This extraordinarily clever hearing aid makes up to 80 million decisions and actions an hour completely by itself.

Be the life and soul of the party! Working hard to fill in the gaps of your hearing loss. Starkey have really focussed on the speech, hearing and understanding part of hearing loss with the Starkey Genesis AI. Trying to make sure you can distinguish words and speech more intuitively and naturally. With particular focus on hearing softer sounds without the distraction of other noises. All of this means that it makes it much easier to hear. One of the major problems with debilitating hearing loss is the extra effort it can take to take part in conversations in busy environments. Starkey have really focussed on addressing this and we’d say they’ve done an impressively good job!

What are Starkey most proud of with the Genesis AI? In a nutshell, Starkey feel that the Genesis AI stands out from the crowd (of other great offerings from other manufacturers) for the following key reasons (to quote Starkey):

‘Easy on the ears – Crafted from meticulous research to ergonomically fit the ear, Genesis AI hearing aids have been reimagined to deliver superior sound, comfort and durability.’

‘Waterproof (up to 3’ and only the rechargeable ones), sweat proof, everyday-proof – Pro8 Hydrashield technology helps ensure they can withstand sweat, dirt, drops and dunks.’

‘All day ‘recharge’ability – be confident you won’t run out of power, with long-lasting rechargeable options, including the industry’s longest lasting RIC (up to 51 hours on a single charge).’

‘Styles that won’t cramp yours – From custom in-the-ear styles to sleek behind-the ear ones, they’re comfortable to wear all day and barely noticeable to others.’

A very well deserved place on the The top 10 hearing aids 2024!

Next up the Nexia – from Resound! Another brilliant little hearing aid here from Resound and we do mean little. The Nexia from Resound is smaller than ever. In fact it is the smallest RIC hearing aid currently on the market so if discretion is the better part of your valor then this one’s for you! However, sheer physical size is by no means the only thing going for the Resound Nexia.

Next -era hearing from Resound. Having worn various Resound hearing aids, personally I think their strongest point is their sound reproduction. As a keen rambler and nature lover I really appreciate the natural sounds of wind rustling in trees, water lapping in lakes and trickling down streams and the crystal clear birdsong which they enable me to appreciate. Resound’s key focus with the Nexia and why we feel it deserves a spot on our Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024 is future proofing the aid in respect of audio compatibility. The Nexia is the first hearing aid to be ready for the ‘Auracast’ streaming platform.

Why Auracast and what next? Auracast broadcast audio is the next generation of assistive listening technology. Auracast is being adopted by many public and media spaces globally as well is in everyday devices, aimed at making better hearing more accessible to people. The T loop of modernity!  With the Nexia from Resound you’ll be ahead of the game and one of the first to experience it. It remains to be seen what the eventual uptake will be of Auracast and how big a reason it ends up being in relation to the Nexia’s place on the top 10 hearing aids of 2024! Fortunately it isn’t the only great trick this fab little hearing aid has up it’s sleeve. It’s also:

A next level Bluetooth experience with the Resound Nexia. The Resound Nexia connects to LE Bluetooth audio meaning it not only offers super clear sound it also protects your battery life through it’s energy efficiency. Enabling hands-free calls and seamless streaming to and from all Apple and Android devices.

All day practical and comfortable wear, no need to look for the next one? Resound are rightly very proud of the ergonomic design of the Nexia. Not only is it comfortable wear all day long it is also completely weatherproof so you can take to the hills and enjoy the incredible reproduction of the world’s natural sounds from dawn to dusk and party long into the night (or not!)!

Signia Pure Charge & Go.  If nothing else (and it is a lot of else’s too!) it’s a great name.  ‘Pure Charge & Go’ just sounds full of energy and suited to a life being lived filled with great connection and communication – doesn’t it!?  Signia list the strong points of these great hearing aids as being in the first place their diminutive size.  They are the smallest of the hearing aids in the Signia range.  Signia have also worked really hard (and succeeded) in creating as ‘natural own voice and best understanding in noise, even when the hearer is in motion’ experience.  Something which is so important to our positive adoption of hearing aids.

Do the Signia Pure Charge & Go sound good? Yes, they do! They have also really focussed on the media streaming element.  Concentrating on great music sounds and Ultra HD e2e and Bluetooth connectivity.  In order to make sure that the extra audio quality doesn’t effect the battery life they have also upgraded the cell to receive 20% more charge so you really can not just ‘go’ on your ‘charge’ but ‘go’ on a ‘charge’ for longer.  

As part of a general overhaul on the charging for the ‘Charge & Go’ range they have also updated the inductive charging device for the upper technology bands.  The upgraded charger has a lid to not only protect the hearing aids whilst charging but also to turn it into a smart carrying case.  The charger features fast charging options, as well as drying functions (via the inductive charging).  They’ve also included intuitive left and right LED’s for status information so you know exactly what is going on.  A very comfortable place within the Top 10 Hearing Aids 2024.

NHS Hearing Aids. Inevitably the ‘unique selling point’ of an NHS hearing aid and why it has made it on to our Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024 is that it is FREE. The second most important thing about these hearing aids is that they are available to everyone. It’s sometimes a relatively long and sometimes time consuming process but with patience they are available to anyone, free of charge.  We’re really proud of our ‘Won’t be Beaten on Price’ guarantee but we’re also really proud of our amazing NHS. There’s a huge difference between the NHS hearing aids and the top of the range hearing aids. With several thousand pounds separating them of course there will be.

Several thousand pounds is unaffordable to many people. Meaning that the majority of people are priced out of being able to afford and benefit from the private technology.  This is why we have launched our reasonably priced, refurbished alternatives.  They are fully serviced and often offer manufacturer warranties.  Great sustainable hearing aids, kind to you and kind to our planet!

An NHS Hearing Aid alternative without breaking the bank?

An NHS Hearing Aid alternative without breaking the bank?  Our reasonably priced refurbished hearing aids are a great alternative and will hopefully help bridge the gap between the two current hearing aid solutions (private and NHS).  We learn more and more each day about hearing loss and our brains.  Particularly of the effect one has on the other.  It’s long been known that hearing loss creates social isolation.  That it is incredibly tiring, often exhausting.  However, more recently we have become aware of the link between uncorrected hearing loss and the onset of dementia. 

We are so fortunate in the UK…..

We are so fortunate in the UK to have access to life changing hearing aids, free of charge.  Hundreds of millions around the world are not as fortunate.  Through our sister organisation Hearing Aid Recycling we aim to work towards addressing this in any small (or hopefully BIG) way we may be able to.  Over the past 12 months (at time of writing) we have redistributed over 15,000 hearing aids (and counting!!).  As well as Hearing Aid Recycling working to ‘Help others Hear’ around the world we also have our ‘Free to a Good Home’ section to go alongside our new and refurbished hearing aids at Hearing Aids Direct.

Widex Moment – a musical place on the Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024. They have completely focussed on their sound quality. Not to say they have dropped the ball on any of the rest of the functionality you would expect from them – they haven’t! They call the new sound experience that they have created ‘PureSound. I found it interesting when I first looked into the Moment, Widex feature Steve Lukather (from Toto) speaking incredibly passionately about these fabulous hearing aids. He refers to “It’s really been life-changing. Suddenly, I’m hearing sounds I haven’t heard in 25 years.” He comments that the difference having really brilliant hearing aids made to his life brings tears to his eyes. I’m the same.

Hearing loss doesn’t discriminate, one size really does fit all!

Hearing loss doesn’t discriminate, one size really does fit all! Although I was several decades younger than Steve when I got my first hearing aids. Mine were NHS ones – thank you NHS! He discusses his development of tinnitus whilst gigging with Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck. It reassuring to realise that even though he is a world famous musician working with fellow superstars his experience is just the same as us ‘regular Joe’s’. He talks about a few years of either saying ‘what’ to everyone or just nodding and pretending to be part of the conversation.

It was during an exchange along those lines that his mate Brad Whitford of Aerosmith whipped out his Widex Moment and told Steve in no uncertain terms that he needed to get himself one.  Which feels high enough praise to us to warrant a place on the Top 10 Hearing Aids 2024.

Tinnitus and hearing aids.

Tinnitus and hearing aids. A great hearing aid like the Widex Moment can really help diminish the debilitating effect of tinnitus. By bringing superb quality natural sound into the ear distracting the brain away from the ringing, popping, whooshing etc sounds of the tinnitus.

Oticon More 1 (Top Tech refurbished hearing aid from Hearing Aids Direct).  As with the Oticon Intent further up the list the Oticon More is all about ‘brain hearing’.  Oticon have embedded their Deep Neural Network (DNN) on the chip within the hearing aid.  The DNN is trained with over 12 million sounds from real life.  Meaning it can recognise and adjust to support you with your hearing in all situations.  I currently wear Oticon OPNS1’s.  These are a generation earlier than the More’s and they are fantastic hearing aids.  The Oticon ‘Brain Hearing Technology’ helps with speech clarity in busy environments.  Which massively reduces your listening effort.  Meaning that your brain will be less fatigued and will be able to retain and remember more information.  Which is clearly incredibly helpful on a day to day basis but also really helps fight off dementia!

Intuitive: real time reactions to real life situations.

Intuitive: real time reactions to real life situations.  I trialed the More’s a while ago and I found them every bit as intuitive and sensitive as their predecessors the OPNS1’s.  I found that even though it was comforting to have the flexibility of control over the aids through the app, in reality I mostly left these clever little aids to it.  They managed to get themselves into the right mode in each situation.  Any changes they made to settings were done seamlessly and smoothly so you are as unaware that you are wearing hearing aids as it is possible to be. 

New or refurbished – Top 10 Hearing Aids 2024

At the time of writing Oticon still sell and support new More 1 hearing aids.  You can see more detailed information about them here.  We also have some available on our website here.  We get them in all the time so please excuse us if the link has expired.  If you search under our refurbished section here for Oticon – here then I’m sure we’ll have some for have some very soon.

Refurbished Oticon More 1’s.  Kind to you, your wallet and our planet.  Very deserving of a place on the Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024.

Phonak V30 Hearing Aid. I love these hearing aids. They really sum up a lot of what our refurbished section is about. They are so deserving of their place on the Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024. I reviewed them recently, you can see how I got on soon. They are slightly older than most of the refurbished hearing aids we have available to buy. They precede seamless bluetooth streaming but you can buy accessories to ‘bluetooth enable’ them. Most of which we have available too. However, they are really super little hearing aids and are so affordable.

Is the Phonak V30 any good?

Is the Phonak V30 any good?  Yes!!  They are the 30 level of technology, which is entry level for Phonak, however, they are great. Offering a good level of amplification and helpful with speech in noisy situations. If you work a lot on the phone or want to use your hearing aids to stream a lot of music or audiobooks on the go then they may not be the right pick for you. If you want any help with how to pick the right hearing aids then you can read our post here. Or why not get in touch with us in any of the following ways:

By phone: 0330 230 3333
By email : info@affordable-hearing.co.uk
or book a virtual appointment here?

Birds, Roberts and the Grandkids?

Birds, Roberts and the Grandkids? I think I would sum these hearing aids up by saying that if you are just testing the ‘hearing aid wearing’ water they are a brilliant place to start. if your motivation is to be able to hear the wonderful sounds of nature more? Listen to the radio in the kitchen more? Hear the TV better? Or even focus on the sounds of other’s voices then these are a wonderful solution for you.

Economical, available through Hearing Aids Direct here (or keep checking back here, if not), fully tailorable to your individual hearing loss and they don’t come with an NHS waiting list. What’s not to love? Such a deserved place on the Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024!!

‘Free to a good home!’.  We mentioned this slightly earlier in our list of the Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024.  We talked about the NHS waiting lists.  Sometimes no matter how careful we are things get lost or broken.  In the case of NHS hearing aids (which are only ever on a longterm loan to you) if you lose or one of your hearing aids breaks then you will probably need to contribute towards the cost of its replacement.  This varies from £50-£70 upwards depending on your area.  In the case of a broken aid then you will need to wait for an appointment to get it looked at and replaced or sent off for repair. 

‘Emergency Aids’

At Hearing Aids Direct we really understand how reliant you are on your hearing aids and how daunting a period of time without them can be.  For this reason we have launched our ‘Free to a good home!’ section.

How does the ‘Free to a Good Home’ at Hearing Aids Direct work?

How does the ‘Free to a Good Home’ at Hearing Aids Direct work?  In very simple terms we have a selection of hearing aids which are in fully working order.  However, they are slightly older.  Mostly ‘receiver in canal’ aids so offer a good listening experience.  They still need to be programmed to your exact audiogram.  Not to do so would potentially be very damaging and therefor contravenes the regulations around hearing aid dispensing.  If you get in touch with us in any of the following ways:

By phone:  0330 230 3333

By email :  info@affordable-hearing.co.uk

or book a virtual appointment here?

Please contact us to chat though your situation and requirements and see if we can help you.  These aids should generally be viewed this as a stop gap ‘helping’ situation.  We do need to recoup the cost of programming and fitting the aids but if you fulfil the criteria then we’d be delighted to help you.  If you need an audiogram we can arrange this with our audiologists at a very reasonable rate.  However, hopefully you already have a copy of a recent hearing test.  In which case the hearing aid itself is completely free.  Please do get in touch if you would like us to try and help you.  So, lastly but not leastly our ‘Free to a Good Home’ hearing aids take a very well earned number 10 on the Top 10 Hearing Aids of 2024.