Hearing works best with two ears.
Binaural hearing aids consist of two hearing aids, one for each ear, with the dominant ear tuned to recognize higher frequencies. The auditory signal from one side is delayed before being sent to the brain, allowing the person to locate the sound's origin and providing a sense of balance. The three types are CROS (contralateral routing of signals), BiCROSS (Binaural Contralateral Routing of Signals) and MultiCROS (Multiple Contralateral Routing of Signals).
CROS (Contralateral Routing Of Signals)
A CROS (contralateral routing of signals) hearing aid works for people who have normal hearing in one ear but are deaf in the other. It consists of a microphone worn on the deaf ear that captures sound, briefly delays it, then sends it by FM transmitter to a receiver and amplifier on the good ear. These two signals reach the brain, one slightly after the other, allowing the person to locate the sound's direction or origin.
BiCROSS (Binaural Contralateral Routing Of Signals)
People who are deaf in one ear and also have mild to moderate hearing loss in the other are better off with a BiCROSS (Binaural Contralateral Routing of Signals) hearing aid. It consists of a microphone worn on the deaf ear that sends sound by FM transmitter to a microphone, amplifier and receiver on the usable ear, which also acts as a hearing aid. It provides an auditory signal to the brain from the deaf ear and also amplifies the signal from the usable ear.
MultiCROS (Multiple Contralateral Routing Of Signals)
A MultiCROS (Multiple Contralateral Routing of Signals) hearing aid is best when the person doesn't want to pick up noise from the deaf or bad ear, such as wind noise when riding in a car. It is a BiCROSS hearing aid with a toggle switch that turns off the hearing aid on the bad side, allowing the person to use it as a single hearing aid.
Binaural Hearing Aid Advantages
Binaural hearing aids provide better understanding of speech, better understanding in group and noisy situations, localization (ability to locate the direction or origin of sounds), better sound quality and smoother tone quality with less distortion and better sound reproduction. They also provide a wider hearing range, reduced feedback and whistling, better distinguishing between similar noises and words, and they prevent deterioration of hearing in the weaker ear by keeping it active.
Tags: Routing Signals, Contralateral Routing, Contralateral Routing Signals, allowing person, BiCROSS Binaural
