Hello! If you’ve landed on this page, it’s likely that you’re considering Oricle Hearing Aids, or have already purchased them.
I want to preface this by telling you that we are not Oricle Hearing Aids; we are Oracle Hearing Center. We have received so many calls in confusion with Oricle Hearing Aids, that we have decided to make an Oricle Hearing Aid Review.
My hope is that some of the information I provide can give you insight on how we as audiologists decide what type of hearing aid is appropriate for you.
My name is Dr. Yasmin Battat. I am a Doctor of Audiology, and I own Oracle Hearing Center.
We are a small audiology practice in Lawrenceville, New Jersey that provides audiology services – like hearing tests, hearing aid fittings, and ear wax removal – and are partners with hearing aid brands like Oticon, Phonak, Resound, Starkey, Unitron, and Widex.
Oricle Hearing Aid Review
The Importance of How A Hearing Aid Fits: A Good Fit is Key
A lot of times you might be experiencing difficulty using hearing devices such as Oricle Hearing Aids, simply because you cannot get the right fit in your ears. These types of Over-the-Counter devices come with a standard size.
Ear canals can vary vastly in terms of size, shape, and length. If you cannot insert any hearing device properly, such as Oricle Hearing Aids, it is likely because their size and shape are mismatched with your ear canals. Oricle does provide a few additional dome tips. I would suggest experimenting with the different dome tips to see if one size fits more than the others.
From an audiologist’s perspective, how a hearing device is physically fit and is seated in your ear canal can have a significant impact on how well you can hear with it. When I place an Oricle hearing aid into my ear, I cannot help but notice that getting it to stay in my ear (and not fall out) is difficult.
Additionally, it protrudes (likely because it does not fit easily into my tiny ear canals, regardless of whatever dome tip I use). Because this hearing device does not fit well, it is considered to have poor retention (meaning it falls out easily).
Earwax & Hearing Aids
You may run into feedback (squeal) if you have a buildup of earwax and you insert a device (like the Oricle hearing aids) into your ears.
In the Oricle hearing aid manual, they suggest you use a cotton swab (such as a Q-tip) to swab out earwax from your ear(s).
As an audiologist, I would recommend against using a cotton swab to remove earwax. Doing so may unintentionally push the earwax in further and impact it, creating a wax of wax in your ears, which may exacerbate the feedback rather than relieve it.
If you have chronic wax buildup and your ears are impacted with earwax, you may want to visit a professional, such as an Ear-Nose-Throat physician, or an audiologist, to have it professionally removed. Over-the-counter drops such as EarWax MD can help soften the earwax if you choose to manage your earwax build-up at home.
Hearing Aid Volume
Oricle hearing aids may be helpful for an individual with mild hearing loss. You may struggle to hear well with them if your hearing loss is more moderate to severe. An individual with a mild hearing loss may find that they are hearing too much ambient noise with these devices since they function to amplify a broader range of frequencies instead of targeting your specific hearing loss (which may only be a high-frequency hearing loss).
Oricle hearing aids do include a small screwdriver that may help you raise or lower the volume. If you have vision or dexterity issues (such as numbness, or tingling of your fingers/hands), this would be a difficult adjustment to make.
Additionally, you need to remove the device from your ears to adjust it (this may not always be convenient when you move from one listening environment to another). There is an on/off switch that you can toggle from one side to another to operate. This is helpful, however, dexterity issues may again be a limiting factor in operating it with ease.
Hearing Aid vs Amplifiers
Oricle hearing aids appear to be more amplifiers than hearing aids. It is important to note that the best outcome with hearing aids is when they are prescriptively programmed to your hearing loss and physically fit to your ears by an audiologist.
Purchasing an over-the-counter device may provide some volume but may not serve your hearing needs, especially when the majority of the difficulty is when you are trying to hear soft speech or in noisy environments. An Over-The-Counter with a similar flat amplification across the frequency range may not meet those needs.
Hearing Aid Care & Maintenance
One thing that sets real hearing aids apart from Over-The-Counter devices is how your service provider/audiologist supports you and the technology. It is about how the device is programmed and fits more than the actual device.
Hearing aids that are programmed by an audiologist to your specific needs, that are custom fit for your ears, and that is well maintained (ie. cleaning both the hearing aids and your ears to prevent issues caused by ear wax) will give you the most successful outcome, and help you hear more effectively in those difficult listening environments (like a restaurant).
Hearing Aid Costs
It may be easy for us to assume that buying a hearing device for $100-200 over the Internet will solve our problem, but if your problem is a sophisticated auditory issue, an Over-The-Counter hearing device may not always be the right fix for every kind of hearing loss/communication demand.
Are Oricle Hearing Aids causing you issues?
My advice to any individual who has purchased Oricle hearing aids or any devices over the internet and has struggled with them (or heard incrementally better and wants to hear even better) is to consider getting your hearing checked with a local audiologist.
An audiologist can determine what kind of hearing loss you have, and whether or not getting hearing aid devices that target your specific kind of hearing loss (such as high-frequency hearing loss) would serve you better than getting amplifiers that pretty much only amplify all frequencies (including those you don’t need).
If you’ve tried OTC hearing devices, it’s likely that you have acknowledged that you’re having some difficulty in some listening situations and want to be more fully engaged with your friends, family, and community. Perhaps you want to remain independent and better hearing helps you achieve that. My hope for you is you get the help that you deserve and need.
Oracle Hearing Center (not Oricle Hearing Aids)
Oracle Hearing Center’s mission is to provide audiology and hearing healthcare services to patients of all ages. Our Doctors of Audiology are able to customize your hearing needs with the most advanced hearing aid products and technology.
We are not Oricle Hearing Aids – a brand of over-the-counter hearing amplifiers.
We work with leading hearing aid brands like Oticon, Phonak, Resound, Starkey, Unitron, Signia, and Widex to provide high-quality, targeted hearing solutions for each patient.
Finding An Audiologist Near You
If you are in the Lawrenceville, NJ area or nearby, give us a call to set up an appointment or request an appointment online. Oracle Hearing Center is committed to providing world-class hearing solutions through expert audiologists and hearing aids in Lawrenceville NJ, and nearby communities.
If you are not local, you can check Ask An Audiologist to find an audiologist near you.