When it comes to hearing aids, the smaller the better, hard to argue that. If you are in the market for a new pair of RIC or miniRITE hearing aids then this article is for you.
Note: I am yet to receive a demo set of Widex SmartRIC that's why you don't see it here in this review.
Some manufacturers call them RIC for receiver-in-canal, and some RITE for receiver-in-the-ear. But in essence, this is a group of hearing aids that the main body of the hearing aid sits on the top and behind your ear and the signal is sound through a little thin wire to a little piece that goes in the ear canal. That piece is called 'receiver' by some and 'speaker' by other manufacturers.
In 2024 hearing aid manufacturers released the best of their technology. They strive to bring better technology for speech understanding in the presence of background noise for the wearer of their hearing aids, but some also did a better job making them smaller and more stylish.
Figure 1: Side by side from left to right, Resound Nexia, Signia IX, Starkey Genesis, Oticon Intent, Phonak Lumity
What are the smallest RIC hearing aids of 2024?
As you can see in Figure 1, Starkey Genesis is the smallest hearing aid in the RIC category among the 5 brands presented in this study. Resound Nexia, Signia IX and Rexton Reach are just about the same size as Starkey Genesis. Phonak Lumity and Oticon Intent are the biggest of all RIC hearing aids. Phonak Lumity uses classic Bluetooth and hence has a bigger size to allow for bigger electronics and antenna. The Oticon Intent holds a size 13 battery which makes it one of the thickest RIC introduced in the market in 2014.
Does the size of the hearing aid matter?
Yes, the smaller the hearing aid the more it becomes invisible. The pinna of the ear in some patients is quite small hence bigger hearing aids are more noticeable. Female patients, in particular, have smaller ears and are more conscience of the size of the RIC hearing aid and rightly wish to have a smaller hearing aid than a bigger one.
Bigger and heavier hearing aids can also impose more pulling stress on the speaker wire and make a sensation on the bending point on the top of the ear.
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