Similarly, if a person has a loss in lower frequencies, those are the ones that are boosted. Unfortunately, most hearing aids do not discriminate between background noise and the sounds you want to hear. Any sounds of the targeted frequencies are amplified. However, many situations, especially classrooms and group meetings, do not provide this ideal scenario. An ALD consists of a microphone that takes in the sound, a transmitter that will send sound signals across a distance, a receiver to convert these signals, and some type of coupling device to transmit either the sound to the listener s ear or the signal to the listener s hearing aid.
ALDs amplify only the sounds coming across the device s microphone.
When you use the two devices together, you have only the targeted sounds AND the targeted frequencies amplified to fit the individual user. This is the incredible benefit of using ALDs. The ADA specifies effective communication. Hearing aids alone are often not adequate for class lecture or group meeting situations. ALDs are used to improve the listening environment in these situations so that effective communication can take place.