Q&A

Q: My hearing aid whistles. Is this normal?

A: No. Most hearing aids will whistle if you cover them up with your hand, but they should not whistle during normal use.

Whistling is caused by sound from the loudspeaker part of the hearing aid getting around the aid and back into the microphone. This feedback of the sound causes the whistling noise. If the hearing aid fits properly, the output sound should not be able to feed back into the microphone

Several things can cause a hearing aid to develop a tendency to whistle, such as a loose fit, a poor fitting, a crack in the aid case, or changing ear size. Just as your glasses can dent the skin on you nose, your hearing aid can compress the tissue in your ear, allowing the hearing aid to be loose in the ear. The solution is to get your audiologist to build-up or enlarge the hearing aid case to better fit your ear. Sometimes the aid may need to be recased by the manufacturer. All of these things are covered under most hearing aid warranties.