Automatic hearing aid volume control

Your hearing aids probably have built-in automatic volume control. This means that the hearing aid volume is adjusted automatically in accordance with your sound environment. Loud sounds picked up by the hearing aid are amplified less than soft sounds, and the level of amplification will always depend on your hearing loss.

Manual hearing aid volume control

Sometimes you may want to adjust your hearing aid volume yourself. Many hearing aids also have manual volume controls, which are shaped like small levers. According to Widex mechanical designer Niels Christian Damgaard Jakobsen, Widex designed these controls to be intuitive: “We use tactile switches in our new hearing aids,” says Niels. “For example, the volume and program buttons on Widex FASHION give the users a ‘click feeling’  –  so that the response they get is not only audio but also tactile, for example as a feeling in their fingers.”

When designing the switches, we focus on makes the use of these functions as natural as possible: “From a usability perspective, the idea of having a toggle key for the volume on the top side of the hearing aid and a push button for programs on the bottom of the hearing aid was to divide the interaction intuitively. By doing so, the user would use one finger for volume adjustment and another finger for program toggle,” says Niels.

Tips for using manual volume control

• Push the lever, or upper part of the control, upwards to gradually raise the volume.
• Push the lever, or lower part of the volume control, downwards to gradually lower the volume.
• Each time you operate the volume control, you will hear a beep – unless you have chosen to deactivate tones.
• When you raise the volume, you will hear a higher beep-tone for each step the volume is raised.
• When you lower the volume, you will hear a lower beep-tone for each step the volume is lowered.
• A steady tone will sound when the maximum or minimum volume is reached.

NOTE: Any adjustment of the volume setting will be cancelled when your hearing aid is turned off, or if you change program.

If your hearing aids are InterEar, the volume is adjusted by using the volume control on just one of the hearing aids. For example, when you adjust the volume control on the right hearing aid, the volume automatically changes to the same level on the left hearing aid.

Using a remote control

Assistive listening devices allow you to adjust the volume on your hearing aids via a remote control. To adjust the volume using our RC-DEX and RC4: Press the volume up key (+) briefly to raise the volume. Press the volume down key (-) briefly to lower the volume.

When you activate the volume keys, you will hear a brief beep. When the maximum or minimum adjustment level is reached, you will hear a long beep-tone.

Getting used to hearing aid volume levels

Hearing aids can take some getting used to. During the first couple of days, the sound reproduced by the hearing aids may seem a bit overwhelming, and it may be difficult to recognize and distinguish between various sounds. If you use your hearing aids every day, you will gradually get used to the new sounds. Here are 5 tips to ease the transition:

1. Start slow: Wear your hearing aids for one or two hours at a time.
2. Keep it quiet: In the beginning, use the hearing aids in situations with few people and little noise.
3. Go gradual:  Start gradually using the hearing aids for longer periods of time and in noisier environments.
4. Relax: Allow yourself a couple of breaks during the day.
5. Avoid pain: If your ears get sore, contact your hearing care specialist. He or she can help you find the reason.