NewEar Digital Ear Hearing Amplifier Beige

My grandmother is hard of hearing. It has made her depressed and very anti-social. She was so tired of always having to ask people to repeat themselves and feeling left out of the conversation. After I bought her a pair of headphones for Christmas to connect to her tv....she cried because it was the first time she could clearly hear the tv in years. She doesn't have hearing aids because they are too expensive and her insurance doesnt cover them. So I started researching alternative hearing devices and found the NewEarTM BTE Hearing amplifiers. I originally purchased the one without T-Coil because I didn't see it until after, but Amazon was able to cancel the original purchase and send this one to me. I am looking into ways to utilize the T-Coil function but i figured for the extra $15-20 I would rather have it than not have it.-Out of the box-Very simple. Put the battery in, turned the power switch to on and worked it great. I turned my volume down on my TV to the point where I could barely hear it. I put the amplifier in my ear and could hear everything. I could even hear my dog chewing on her bone in the next room. I was satisfied and brought it to my grandma for her to try it out. I showed her how to put it on and flipped the switch on for her. I moved about 10ft away from her and started to talk and her face lit up! She was like a kid going all over her condo and asking me to talk to see how far she could hear me from (she could hear me from 20ft away in a normal voice but it did seem to work much better when I was in front of her). I can't tell you the joy it brought me being able to give my grandmother a gift that made her so happy.-Notes-Buttons are a little difficult to operate with the device on your ear, mainly because they are so small.When the device is on, you will receive feedback from the earpiece getting too close to the microphone when putting it on your ear. Can be avoided if you learn how to navigate the buttons with the device on your earIt does also amplify your own voice, so you can hear yourself talk in the device. There is no delay and I see this as a positive factor so you know if you are talking too loud while wearing the device.The sound is clear but not perfect. For the price and the result of being able to have a conversation with my Grandma without yelling is a complete victory.-Paul

I received two products that I ordered. One was fine. I used it to replace my Costco hearing aides while they were being repaired. The second package was not sealed in plastic as the first. Is had been opened and batteries were inserted in to the NewEar. It did not work. I ordered a different rechargeable amp for the other ear and used them for the two weeks until my good ones were repaired - actually replaced. The two amps amplified, but were not as good as the high priced fitted aides. My wife did not like that they were so big and had the shinny bass part. I am saving these for emergencies only. Amazon just emailed me that I will receive a refund for the bad aid. It is weird that one good one and one obvious bad item would be packaged and mailed out by this company.

This was my third try at finding an inexpensive hearing aid to replace the very expensive one that broke. The first ones I bought (came as a pair for a ridiculously low price on a popular auction website) actually worked really well. Battery life was short, maybe two days. But they were loud, so loud that I only needed to keep them on the lowest setting. My second one, bought on Amazon, had an annoying buzz to it. The buzzing when away when I turned it off, so it wasn't just me.This one is as close to perfect as I would want. It fits. It's loud enough on the lowest setting. The battery really lasts. And believe it or not, I get complements on how it looks! The gold trim on it catches people's eyes. This is a mixed blessing, I really didn't want to draw attention to it, but at least it gets style points for this. It even has an on/off switch. All the others I've used have you open the battery door to turn it off. The power switch is a welcome addition.I haven't figured out what the mode button does. It works, I hear the different beeps, but I don't notice any difference in the sound. I really like the rocker switch for the volume. It beeps as you press up or down for volume, and there's a triple beep when you reach max loud or max soft. Although I usually keep it at max soft, I do turn it up once in a while if needed.It comes 3 different earpieces. The smallest one works for me. Note that if it "squeals." you don't have a good seal and probably need the next larger size.I wish it were programmable, but nothing at this price point is. I wish it was less noticeable, but again, not at this price point.

Received and thought it was fine for TV watching. But after about 3 weeks, the external sound stopped, and all I got was a loud "static" sound. I changed batteries, made sure it was clean. Cycled through all the "mode" settings. No help. The "FDA approved" does not mean this particular device is approved. It means that this is not a "hearing aid" but a "personal sound amplification device" which is a category of product that FDA allows to be sold. Another vendor on Amazon offers the exact same "imported" product. Guessing it's from people who make it cheap without much quality control. If you have a serious, ongoing need hearing and can't afford a high-end custom "hearing aid," this is definitely not it. On Amazon, it appears that the "LifeEar Hearing Amplifier" is the best bet, and when I get the money, I'll order it. It is $380 with strong reviews. I guess the old adage -- "you get what you pay for" -- applies here.