Best Hearing Gear by Category

Roundups with a beginner, intermediate and expert pick in every category: over the counter hearing aids at each price tier, amplified telephones, television listening systems, alerting and signalling devices, batteries, drying and cleaning equipment, and hearing protection.

6 pages in this section.

Amplified phones

• Best Amplified Phones Five amplified telephones from $55.65 to $299.97, chosen for their published decibel boost and features rather than a vague marketing volume claim.

Batteries

• Best Hearing Aid Batteries The best hearing aid batteries organized by size, 10, 312, 13 and 675, since a reader needs the exact size their own device takes, not just a brand name.

Care and cleaning

• Best Hearing Aid Dryers and Cleaning Kits Six hearing aid dryers and cleaning kits from $12.09 to $299.00, chosen for moisture and earwax, the two causes behind most apparent failures.

Hearing aids

• Best OTC Hearing Aids Six FDA regulated OTC hearing aids ranked across three budget tiers, from a $129 first try to a $1,995 device with audiology support bundled into the price.
• Best OTC Hearing Aids for Seniors Five OTC hearing aids picked for ease of handling and available support rather than price alone, from a $129 first try to a $1,650 bundled-support device.

TV listening

• Best TV Listening Systems Six TV listening systems for hearing loss, from $73.49 wireless headphones to $219.00 hearing aid streamers, picked by who actually needs one.

Not medical advice, not a hearing test, not a diagnosis. Everything in this section is general information compiled from published standards, regulatory classifications, manufacturer specifications and the consensus of verified owner reviews. The charts explain what a measurement shows. They cannot tell you what your hearing is, and nothing on this site can measure it. Only a licensed audiologist or physician can evaluate hearing. If hearing changed suddenly, affects one ear only, or comes with pain, drainage, dizziness or ringing alongside weakness or numbness, contact a doctor promptly rather than reading a chart.