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MDHearingAid is a firm based in the Midwest that focuses on offering high-quality, low-cost hearing aids. The company sells FDA-registered medical-grade hearing aids in four different models. The hearing aids are assembled on American soil in an ISO-certified facility in Chicago.
MD Hearing Aids are answering the many calls for a more affordable hearing solution for those with hearing loss on a tight budget, as many custom hearing aids out there cost thousands of dollars. While the company's devices don't have as many high-tech features as traditional prescription hearing aids or employ a custom earmold fitting, they include the most fundamental features and a few bells and whistles for a lot less money.
All MDHearingAid hearing aids have a similar behind-the-ear design, and the Volt is no different. Programs are controlled via buttons on the rear of the hearing aid, and there is also a volume wheel on the device. This level of control is great to see and is a significant plus in my book.
In comparison to the competitors, this is quite a large-sized hearing aid. My rough estimates suggest the Volt is a third to a fourth the size of a competing company's top-of-the-line rechargeable hearing aid. If you're concerned about looking too conspicuous while wearing a hearing aid, the Volt may pose problems for you.
Another area of concern was the choice of colors. I was only able to find this in one color; there were no other possibilities. So, if you don't have white or beige skin, or if your skin is darker in tone, you might want to look into other hearing aids.
Dual directional microphones on the Volt help it pick up specific sounds from various directions.
It's also water-resistant, and I've seen videos online of people immersing the aids in water and having no problems. If you spend much time outside, I think you'll like the Volt's water-resistant coating, which protects the internal components from rain, sweat, and other forms of moisture.
The rechargeability of these hearing aids is by far the most excellent feature. The MDHearingAid Volt is a rechargeable hearing aid that saves you time and effort by eliminating the need to buy and change batteries every other month. As I mentioned in other reviews of rechargeable hearing aids, this eliminates the need to fiddle with tiny hearing aid batteries. And if you have poor vision or dexterity in your fingers, a rechargeable system like this is something you should look into.
The hearing aids can even be charged three times in the provided magnetic carrying case before it needs to be recharged. This feature makes it an excellent choice for folks who are constantly on the move.
Unfortunately, there is no smartphone/Bluetooth connection. Many of the newer hearing aids I see coming out today can connect to a smartphone to manage volume, program adjustments, and, in some cases, stream phone calls directly into the hearing aids, which is a fantastic feature. Unfortunately, the Volt does not connect to a smartphone, so none of those features are available to you should you commit to this device.
There are a few things going for the Volt. One plus is that they are very inexpensive. Hearing aids can be a substantial investment. So finding a pair of them for under a thousand dollars piqued my interest, no doubt.
But one thing I didn't mention was how tricky they are to set up. If you don't have them set up perfectly or if anything is close to your ear, or even worse, if it's hanging out of your ear, you will experience feedback. So, if you're not sure what you're doing and that's the sound you hear, your family will assume the hearing aid isn't working. And you're unlikely to wear it. Because you aren't using it, you may choose to return it or store it in the drawer of your bedside table. So that's the main risk of attempting to accomplish something on your own; it makes getting the right sound more complicated.
The rechargeable MDHearingAID VOLT is MDHearingAid's most popular hearing aid, so the company is clearly doing something right. Overall, the Volt could be a good choice for you if you don't mind a little trial and error with your hearing aids. On the other hand, if you want someone to guide you through the entire process, you might choose to go to an in-person audiologist and acquire a more traditional hearing aid from one of the legacy hearing aid manufacturers in the process.
We are here to review the MD hearing aid Volt. I have worn this hearing aid. I have tested it out. And I'm making this video to help you make a better decision about whether or not you want to buy these hearing aids to help you with your hearing loss. Hi, my name is Ben Thompson, I'm an audiologist. And I'm going to guide you through the pros and cons of what you need to know about the MD hearing aid Volt. So I tried out the MD hearing aid Volt. And I'm actually wearing it on my ear. I wanted to show you guys how it looks from this side. And then from the back. Before I get into the pros and cons and the full review, I invite you to subscribe to my YouTube channel, where I educate you on hearing loss, hearing aids. You press that subscribe button. And I would love for you to stay connected to us. Now, let's get into the MD hearing aid Volt review.
Overall, MD hearing aid is offering a pair of rechargeable behind the ear, hearing aids with adjustments for volume and some changes to the quality of sound, what we would call programs, in this rechargeable case for $1,200. This is the MD hearing aid Volt. The rechargeable hearing aid battery case. Opening it up here. You can see there's both hearing aids labeled right and left. That's nice that they label it right and left for you. You take it out of the charging case. And just looking at the style here, this is the piece that goes up in behind the ear. This is a clear tubing that goes alongside the ear. And then this rubber tip goes into the ear canal. This little plastic hook is meant to keep it locked in place and not fall out of your ear. On the top of the hearing aid, first, you see off. That's actually the way to turn it on. It's also the volume switch. So you can go along the different volume settings, 1 being the softest, 3 being the loudest. This button down here, that's how you control the programs. So that's the adjustments on the device. You have volume and program, which is pretty basic for all hearing aids. Pretty easy to snap it back in there. And when you do, you'll see the lights come on which show you how much the case is charged.
So let's talk about the pros of these hearing aids. The first pro is that they are affordable. Typically, hearing aids costs upwards of $2,000 for one hearing aid. So to find a pair of them for around a thousand dollars definitely has us interested. But we must remember, there's a reason why there's such lower price. We want to make sure the value you're getting justifies even paying anything. So that's what this video is hopefully going to educate you about. The second pro of these hearing aids are that they do have the adjustments for volume and program change on the device itself. The third pro of these hearing aids are that they are rechargeable. This means you no longer have to mess with the small hearing aid batteries. And if you're a senior or someone with limited vision or reduced dexterity in the fingers, then a rechargeable system like this or in other hearing aids are definitely in your best interest to find. All right, still with me.
So let's get into the cons of why you might not want the MD hearing aid Volt. Con number one, it's very large. It's about 30% to 40% as large as the top of the line rechargeable hearing aid from a different company. I just want to show you that. So you can see the size difference is pretty substantial. Where the MD hearing aid, the beige hearing aid is much larger than a more modern standard hearing aid. The second con here is that I only found this came in one color, I didn't see any color options. So if you're someone who does not have white or beige skin color, if you have darker skin color, then you may want to consider other hearing aids. Now, I may be wrong, they may come in different colors. If someone wants to correct me on that, please comment on this video. But I only found one color on there. The third con I want to describe about these hearing aids is that there is no smartphone connection. Most modern hearing aids do connect to a smartphone to control the volume, to make changes to the program, and often to take phone calls through the hearing aids which is a really cool feature. Unfortunately, the MD hearing aid Volt does not connect to a smartphone. So you can't have any of those nice features.
Lastly, what I want to describe here as a potential con for these hearing aids is the risk for setting them up wrong. Basically, if you're doing it on your own, there's a high risk that you won't set them up properly. So one, that might mean you're missing out on good hearing that another hearing aid could provide better. And two, there's risk for having hearing aids that whistle or make some noise. So for example, I'm putting this in my ear right now. I'll walk a little bit closer to the camera. I'm putting this in my ear. And now, I'm starting to increase the volume. So, so far, that sounds good, that sounds fine. There's no problem with that. I can hear my own voice amplifying. And then just like other hearing aids, I put my hand close to it. That's overall not making a big concern. Just what happens sometimes is that you heard it there. It can really start to whistle. So if you don't have it set up right or if something's really close to your ear, or even worse, if it's hanging out of your ear, then it's really whistling like you're hearing. So if you don't know what you're doing and that is the sound you hear, your family is going to think that hearing aid does not work at all. And you probably won't wear it. You might want to return it or put it in the drawer of your bedside table because you're not using it. So that's the big risk here of trying to do this yourself, makes it harder. If you're looking for a professional to help you with it, MD hearing aid, they do have a customer support team. That support team can help guide you through some of the process. But there is a higher risk of getting it wrong when you do it yourself.
Thank you for watching this video and learning more about these hearing aids. If you want to subscribe to our channel, I would really appreciate that. Because I have new videos coming out every week.