Receiver In The Ear Devices (RITE)

RITE devices are the most flexible as they can cater for most hearing losses.  They have Bluetooth capability, so can link directly to cellphones to give handsfree streaming of calls and other media.

RITEs also give the option of rechargeability allowing you to charge the devices every night, eliminating the need to change batteries.

The main body of the device sits on the top of the ear, similar to a BTE style, but instead of a tube channeling sound into the ear, a small speaker (receiver) is placed in the ear canal and linked to the device with a flexible plastic coated wire.

These style of devices are very popular as they can be very small and discrete, often being less visible in the ear than most custom made devices.  The small speaker sits into either a flexible rubber dome, or a custom made mould, which both allow for maximum venting (allowing both air and sound to pass by the speaker).  This style of fitting gives the best blend of natural and amplified sound and is the ideal choice if you have a sloping, high pitched hearing loss.  They are very flexible and can be fitted to all types of losses, however, with even Severe to Profound losses being catered for.

Depending on the size of the device, RITEs give the option to have both volume controls and a programmable push-button.  These allow you to adjust the sound level louder and softer and to change the way the devices work by selecting different listening programs for different situations. Devices can be set up in many different ways, but an example would be:

Program 1 =  Fully Automatic (the devices will adjust themselves to adapt to your listening environment)
Program 2 =  Noisy Environment  (the devices will give extra noise reduction and focus on speech from in front of you)
Program 3 =  Music  (the devices will be less automatic, to allow loud and soft elements of music to be enjoyed)

Everything has its drawbacks.  We do find that RITE styles are sometimes too fiddly if you have any difficulties with your fingers.  Hear Again offers a 45 day 100% Money-back Satisfaction Guarantee which allows you to try for yourself to find out if this is an issue for you.  If so, there are many other styles of devices which will be options for you at no extra cost.