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What Is the Difference Between a Hearing Amplifier and a Hearing Aid?
Date Updated: July 28, 2025
Written by:
Rachel Lustbader is a writer and editor with a background in healthcare and technology. Her work has been published on websites including HealthCare.com, BiteSizeBio.com, BetterHelp.com, Caring.com, and PayingforSeniorCare.com. She studied health science and public health at Boston University.
Both of Rachel’s grandmothers had very positive experiences in senior living communities, and Rachel saw firsthand the impact that kind, committed caregivers and community managers can have on seniors’ and their family members’ lives. With her work at Caring, Rachel hopes to help other families find communities, caregivers, and at-home products that benefit elderly loved ones and make life less stressful for family caregivers
The main differences between hearing amplifiers and hearing aids are that amplifiers make all sounds louder without distinguishing between their distances or frequencies while hearing aids are specially tuned to increase the volume and clarity of specific sounds.
As people age, it’s natural for them to experience hearing loss. However, the nature and magnitude of their hearing loss will determine whether a complex medical device is required or if the more affordable hearing amplifier will suffice.
Why Someone May Choose a Hearing Amplifier Instead of a Hearing Aid
Hearing aids have traditionally required a prescription and an evaluation from an audiologist. Although some hearing aids can now be purchased over the counter, they’re still much costlier than hearing amplifiers.
Because hearing amplifiers aren’t designed to actually correct hearing loss, they’re most popular among people who want an easier time hearing distant sounds in certain situations, though seniors with mild hearing impairment may still find them beneficial. Unfortunately, amplifiers may end up worsening some seniors’ hearing ability due to these devices’ across-the-board sound enhancement.
Functional Differences Between Hearing Aids and Hearing Amplifiers
The way hearing aids and hearing amplifiers are designed cause them to treat sounds differently. Amplifiers are great at increasing all sounds; however, they’re unable to filter or isolate specific frequencies, nor can they remove other common unwanted sounds such as wind noise.
If increasing the sounds of their environment is all that’s needed, some seniors may find hearing amplifiers to be their ideal solution. Additionally, hearing amplifiers, or personal sound amplification products, may even help some older adults get accustomed to the feel of wearing devices in their ears. Being consumer electronic products, amplifiers aren’t regulated by the FDA, and how well each product works could vary significantly.
Hearing aids, which are regulated by the FDA, come in several different styles and use either air conduction to treat the inner ear or bone conduction to treat the outer or middle ear. Whichever type of hearing loss seniors have, they can generally choose from one of these five main styles:
- Behind the ear
- Receiver in the canal
- In the ear
- In the canal
- Completely in the canal
On top of the medical benefit of hearing aids, modern devices often come with additional features, such as Bluetooth for connecting to digital devices (phones and tablets) and directional microphones to enhance sounds coming from specific directions. Ultimately, whether someone should purchase a hearing aid or a hearing amplifier depends on their hearing ability, budget and preferences.