Receiver-in-Ear hearing aids (RIE hearing aids) are the most popular type of hearing aids. They can also be called receiver in canal hearing aids, RIC hearing aids or RITE hearing aids.
RIE hearing aids are small, discreet and very versatile. These digital hearing aids - which people also refer to as 'Bluetooth hearing aids' - typically offer great connectivity and audio streaming from everyday devices, e.g. smartphones and TVs. They also work with hearing aid accessories and apps. Rechargeable hearing aids are very convenient, giving you power without battery worries, and they are available in the RIE hearing aid style.
Design-wise, RIE hearing aids sit behind the ear. Traditionally, microphones in the main body of the hearing aids send sounds down through a thin, virtually invisible tubing, curving discreetly around the back of your ears, into a receiver covered with a comfortable dome. The dome-covered receiver sits in your ear canal. That is why Receiver-in-Ear hearing aids also belong to the ‘in ear’ hearing aids category, i.e. the sound processing takes place in your ear.
What does a hearing aid microphone do?
Microphones in hearing aids pick up sounds in your environment and convert the sound waves into electrical signals, ready to be sent to and amplified by the hearing aid receiver.
What does receiver mean?
A hearing aid receiver works as your ears’ own speaker system. It plays the amplified sounds received from the microphone in your ear, and your brain gives the sounds context.
What is a hearing aid dome?
A dome is a little plastic or silicone attachment that helps funnel the sound through to the ear and anchor the hearing aid onto the ear.