"What hearing aids are the best?" is a pretty difficult question to answer, as there are so many different choices when it comes to shopping for hearing aids today.

A better question is, "What hearing aids are the best for me?"

The major hearing aid brands - sometimes referred to as the "Big Six" -  are Signia Siemens, Phonak, Oticon, ReSound, Widex, and Starkey. The parent company of Signia Siemens (Sivantos) recently merged with Widex, so that Big Six has now been whittled down to a Big Five.

As with so many products today, there are just a handful of companies manufacturing most of the hearing aids. In addition to Signia Siemens and Widex, Sivantos is also the manufacturer for Rexton hearing aids, another major brand.

All told, these five companies make about 80% of hearing aids sold worldwide. You aren't going to see a lot of differences from one brand to the next, and they're all pretty dependable and reliable.

So, if brand isn't important, how do you find out what hearing aids are the best for you?

1) Get a hearing test. Having your hearing tested will give you an excellent idea of the type of hearing aid you need.

Completely-in-the-Canal (CIC) hearing aids are the smallest and are nearly invisible since everything is inside the ear canal. But they tend to not be great for people with severe hearing loss. And, they don't always work for everyone in terms of comfort. Some people with very small ear canals may find CICs to be be uncomfortable.

Behind-the-Ear (BTE) and Receiver-in-the-Terminal (RITE) can generally provide a greater range for greater hearing losses. And, they are sometimes more comfortable for folks who can't wear CIC models. Since they fit behind the ear, they are a little more noticeable (though they are still very small, and it's unlikely that anyone can tell a person is wearing this type of hearing aid unless they're closely looking at the wearer's ears).

2) Look for features that are important to you. Today's modern hearing aids can be as simple as devices that make quiet sounds louder and unwanted loud sounds quiet, or advanced enough to wirelessly stream music and phone calls and come with rechargeable batteries for up to 24 hours of use.

The iHear Advantage Recharge and iHear RITE Rechargeable each feature rechargeable batteries, and the RITE Rechargeable adds built-in Bluetooth.

3) Finally, price. Online hearing aid sales are bringing costs way down. At EarMall, we've been selling hearing aids, batteries, accessories, and repairing all makes and models since 1998. With our brand, iHear, we're able to avoid the middleman and provide all the latest technology and features for prices that are much more affordable than the big brands.

We offer a one year warranty (two year on some models) and a 30 day money-back guarantee.

To check out our full line of iHear Hearing Aids, click here now.