Serving All of Northwest Arkansas for Over 35 Years!

958 S. West End St. Springdale, AR 72764      

                479-756-8750                

  • Free Hearing Test Evaluation and Consultation
  • Next Gen Digital Hearing Aids
  • Hearing Aid Repair Lab
  • Rechargeable Battery Technology
  • Bluetooth Technology

(Hear Cell Phone Through Hearing Aids)

(IOS & Android Compatible)

MARK L. OYLER, BC-HIS, ACA

"Your Hearing Aid Expert "

Real Ear Measurement

 Hearing Aids and Hearing Aid Repair Service
in Springdale, AR

Let's Get Started Improving Your Hearing!

hearing visit

Do You Have Trouble Understanding Voices?

If so, it may be time for a hearing evaluation!

HEARING EVALUATION
hearing aid repairs

Hearing Aid Repair Lab

  • Phonak
  • Signia
  • Oticon
  • Resound
  • Rexton
  • Starkey
  • Widex
  • Unitron
HEARING AID REPAIRS
hearing services

Hearing Aid Product Line

Learn more about how we can improve your hearing!

HEARING AIDS

SPECIAL EVENT


Specialized Hearing Instruments Invites You to Our "Better Hearing Event"

HAVE YOU HEARD?


The NextGen Hearing Aid Advancements

COMMON HEARING AID QUESTIONS

Correcting hearing loss with hearing aids is much different than correcting vision loss with glasses or contacts. 

Unlike a person’s vision and wearing glasses or contacts, which is easy to determine if the objects and text are clear and legible; wearing hearing aids and determining or perceiving if the sounds and volume levels are correct is much more difficult.


Sound and speech are completely different in their composition and how we perceive them both. Sounds consist of pure-tones, (pure-tone sounds are pure musical tones) which are longer in duration, usually louder in volume and wonderfully mixed as when listening to music. Speech on the other hand is complex pure tones, which are short in durations and are mixed into vowels and consonants sounds that become language.


When a person has diminished hearing, the hearing loss is not linear in nature, it does not occur equally in all the pure-tone frequencies. Most hearing losses are sensorineural (inner ear hair cell damage) and occur in the higher frequencies and these higher frequencies are what comprise (make-up) the consonant sounds of words. Therefore, the most common complaint for most hearing-impaired individuals is that they can hear the voice, but they cannot understand the words clearly. The reason they cannot understand speech clearly is because the high frequency hearing loss is not allowing them to hear the consonant sounds that make-up speech. When a person misses a high pitch consonant sound in a word, the low tone vowel sounds run together, which makes it sound like the person speaking is mumbling or not talking clearly. This distortion of speech is caused by a precipitous, high frequency hearing loss, which is usually sensorineural in nature. Most hearing losses are high frequency because of the high-pitched hair cells proximity in the cochlear (inner ear). 

All Hearing aids must be physically fitted to the ear and acoustically programmed to the individual’s hearing loss.

Most if not all hearing aids are originally set by the manufacturer to default settings that do not match or compensate for the precipitous high frequency hearing loss of each individual person. The default settings are used to make the hearing aids sound louder, but these default settings will not make speech much clearer.


It is impossible for the manufacturer to correctly adjust the hearing aids in these higher frequency settings, so instead of running the risk of setting the hearing aids too high or too low, the manufacturer uses an average setting. These average manufacturer settings can be off by as much as thirty to fifty percent from what is actual required to correct an individual’s high pitched hearing loss.

This is where taking advantage our hearing aid professional, Mark Oyler, BC-HIS, ACA, experience and expertise will enable you to receive the most benefit to hearing and understand speech more clearly.

Contrary to widely held belief hearing aids are not a one size fits all amplifier. 

Contrary to widespread belief hearing aids are not a one size fits all amplifier. The physical fitting and programming vary greatly for each individual because everyone has different types and degree of hearing loss; different tolerance levels; different likes and dislikes when it pertains to sound, speech and noise amplification.

Prescription fitted Hearing Aids


Unlike any other type of aid that is fitted and adjusted to the individual’s impairment, the prescription for hearing aids is not written from the hearing test results; the prescription is written during the acoustical programming of the hearing aids with specially designed digital fitting instrumentation. The Real Ear Measure (REM) fitting instrumentation not only determines and writes the hearing aids prescription during the programming process, but it also verifies that the hearing aids are properly fit to the individual requirements to insure the best outcome and benefits. 

Real Ear Measurement (REM) prescription hearing aid fitting and verification protocols


Because of all the mitigating factors that go into properly fitting hearing aids, the digital instrumentation of Real Ear Measurement (REM) is used to help factor in all the unknown elements and their effects on the hearing aid fitting.

Do You Know the Types and Degrees of your Hearing loss?

The type and degree of hearing loss is important to know, whether it is a sensorineural, conductive, or mixed type loss. Along with the size and shape of the external (auditory) ear canal, the tympanic membrane (eardrum) compliance or elasticity will dictate the degree of required high frequency shaping, the gain level, the output ceiling and compression ratios requirements to ensure proper fit and to protect the remaining useable hearing of the patient.

If care is not taken during the fitting of hearing aids, there could be unforeseen risk and consequences to the patient’s remaining useable hearing. A hearing aid is just what the word says, it aids the useable hearing that remains as a result of the hearing loss.

The all-important ear-tip selection and fitting

All great hearing aid fittings start with a correctly fitted and coupled ear-tip to the ear canal. All ear canals differ greatly in volume sizes, shapes, and impedance (eardrums resistance to movement) levels. When fitting a hearing aid to an ear canal, the ear canal becomes the sound chamber of the hearing aid.


If the ear-tip is not properly sized and fitted to the ear canal, then the hearing aid will not provide adequate volume to move or vibrate the eardrum to shape the high frequency consonant sound for speech clarity.


If there is not enough high frequency gain or volume in the ear canal, then a masking effect occurs where the low frequency sounds of the hearing aids are louder than the high frequency consonant sounds. When this masking effect occurs, the low tones cover up the high tones and speech is not made any clearer; only sound and noise is amplified. So, you end up with a noise amplifier in the ear and not a hearing aid, which clarifies speech. The only way to verify the many intricacies of a properly fitted hearing aid is with the prescription fitting of Real Ear Measurement (REM).

Which brand of Hearing aid is the best? 

There are the “Big Six” hearing aid manufactures, Phonak, Oticon, Resound, Signia/Siemens, Widex and Starkey. Although there are distinct differences all six are very comparable when it comes to product design and function.


However, the real question is not which brand of hearing aid is the best; the most important common denominators is the professional who fits and programs the hearing aids to the individual’s ear.


The value of a hearing aid is in the benefit received from the fitting and not the brand name of the product. Brand name of the hearing aid does not equate to value; conversely, craftmanship of the hearing aid fitting equals value.

The Benefits of Healthy Hearing 

Healthy hearing results in positive health outcomes, increases social engagement, improves communication, and lowers the risk of depression.

It is apparent that quality of life can decrease when the sense of hearing is impaired (see consequences of hearing loss). However, it is also important to understand how much can be gained when healthy hearing is present.


  1.   1. It is said that communication is the foundation of relationships. Good hearing health eliminates the frustration of missing out on conversations and being isolated from social situations.
  2. Healthy hearing is also thought to have positive benefits on brain functioning1, such as memory and other physical health benefits.
  3. Good hearing creates independence and security. When you’re able to hear your phone ring, a fire alarm, a doorbell ring, or an emergency vehicle on the road behind you, you are able to be aware of your surroundings and stay safer when alone.
  4. Hearing well can save you thousands of dollars annually and can increase job security

The Effects Of Untreated Hearing Loss

Studies have linked untreated hearing loss effects to:

  • irritability, negativism and anger
  •  fatigue, tension, stress and depression
  •  avoidance or withdrawal from social situations
  •  social rejection and loneliness
  •  reduced alertness and increased risk to  safety
  •  impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks
  •  reduced job performance and earning power
  • diminished psychological and overall health
Research by the National Council on the Aging on more than 2,000 people with hearing loss as well as their significant others demonstrated that hearing aids clearly are associated with impressive improvements in the social, emotional, psychological, and physical well-being of people with hearing loss in all hearing loss categories from mild to severe. Specifically, hearing aid usage is positively related to the following quality of life issues. 

Hearing correction was shown to improve:

• Earning power
• Communication in relationships
• Intimacy and warmth in family relationships. Ease in communication
• Emotional stability
• Sense of control over life events
• Perception of mental functioning
• Physical health

Improve Your Quality of Life

Making the decision to seek help to improve your hearing is far more entailed than just having a hearing test and purchasing hearing aids. In actuality the hearing impaired person is not really looking for hearing aids, they are looking for better hearing, which will lead to an improved quality of life.
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