Hearing Aid Fitting & Programming in McAllen
A hearing aid out of the box is set to a manufacturer’s best guess. Fitting matches it to your ears, your hearing loss and your daily life.
What is hearing aid fitting and programming?
Hearing aid fitting at Mid Valley Hearing Technologies uses in-situ measurement, so the aid is measured while it is in your ear rather than programmed to a generic first-fit curve. Adjustments, reprogramming and firmware updates are included in both care plans, and we program aids bought elsewhere as well as those bought here.
Two people with identical audiograms need different settings, because ear canals are different shapes and behave differently acoustically. A first-fit curve ignores that. In-situ measurement takes the aid’s own receiver and microphone and measures what is happening in your canal, then programs to that.
Fitting is also about learning to use and care for your hearing aids. New hearing aids sound wrong at first, because your brain has spent years without those frequencies and has to re-learn them. That takes weeks, and it takes follow-up appointments where you come back and say "restaurants are still bad" and we do something about it.
What does this service include?
- In-situ verificationMeasured in your ear, on compatible devices.
- Programmed to your audiogramYour specific hearing loss.
- Physical fit checkedDome size, tubing length, retention. An aid that hurts or falls out will not be worn, no matter how well it is programmed.
- Real-world follow-upsYou come back after living with them. That is when the useful adjustments happen.
- Firmware kept currentManufacturer firmware updates applied, and included in the care plans.
- Aids from anywhereBought online, through a benefit network, or at a clinic that has closed. If we service the brand, we will program it.
What happens during the visit?
Physical fit first
The right dome or shell, seated correctly and comfortable enough to wear all day.
Programmed to your loss
Your audiogram loaded, and in-situ measurement run on compatible devices.
Listen and adjust in the room
Your own voice, a conversation, some background noise. First round of tuning happens here.
Go live with them
Wear them everywhere for a couple of weeks. Keep a note of what is still hard.
Come back and tell us
Second round of adjustments against real situations. A good fitting makes all the difference in how much you enjoy wearing them.
Bought online or through a benefit network?
If you bought hearing aids online, we can adjust and program them here. We will program those. It is a different service from selling you a device, and it is one of the more useful things we do. A well-programmed mid-tier aid beats a badly programmed premium one every time.
Hearing Aid Fitting & Programming: questions we get asked
The hearing aid measures your hearing while it is sitting in your own ear canal, using its own speaker and microphone. Because it accounts for the acoustics of your specific ear, the resulting program is more accurate than one derived from headphone thresholds alone. It requires compatible hearing aids, and we will tell you whether yours support it.
Plan on two or three in the first couple of months, then annually. Adjustments are included in both care plans, so come in as often as you need.
Yes, for any brand we service: Starkey, Phonak, Oticon, Widex, Signia, ReSound and Unitron. Bring the aids and, if you have them, the original fitting details.
That is normal in the first few weeks and it is your brain re-learning frequencies it has not processed in years. It should ease. If it does not, that is a programming issue and it is fixable. Come in and let us adjust them.
Any time your hearing changes, and at least at your annual test. Hearing changes over time, so your hearing aids may need reprogramming.
Related services
Hearing Aid Consultation
Sit down with Jordan and go over your hearing aid options.
Learn moreHearing Test
Air conduction, bone conduction, speech and QuickSIN testing, with your results explained.
Learn moreHearing Aid Cleaning
Deep cleaning, vacuum drying and disinfecting while you wait.
Learn moreSchedule your visit with Jordan
Call (956) 576-3593 or send a request and we will get back to you the same business day. Walk-ins are welcome Monday through Friday, 9 to 5.