Preferences for Over-the-Counter and Prescription Hearing Aid Processing Across Listening Environments

This study compared listener preferences for nonspeech environmental sounds processed by over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids (HAs) and premium-level prescription (PRSC) HAs among young adults with typical hearing sensitivity.

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Audiologists counseling patients on OTC versus prescription hearing aids should monitor this research; if OTC devices show comparable or situation-specific listener preference for environmental sounds, it may inform fitting recommendations and patient education, but clinical decisions should await peer-reviewed outcome data from this study.

As OTC hearing aids gain market share, head-to-head preference data against premium prescription devices in realistic listening environments is critical for evidence-based patient counseling and fitting decisions.

1. 01Study directly compares listener sound-quality preferences between OTC and premium prescription hearing aids.
2. 02Testing used nonspeech environmental sounds across multiple listening environments — a real-world relevant design.
3. 03Published in the American Journal of Audiology (PMID 42622515; DOI 10.1044/2026_AJA-26-00009).
4. 04Results have direct implications for how audiologists counsel patients considering lower-cost OTC alternatives.
5. 05OTC hearing aids became legally available in the US without a prescription in 2022, making comparative studies increasingly important.

PMID

42622515

DOI

10.1044/2026_AJA-26-00009.

Journal

American Journal of Audiology

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

2b

Population

Hearing aid users or listeners evaluated across multiple environmental listening conditions

Intervention

OTC hearing aid signal processing for nonspeech environmental sounds

Comparator

Premium prescription hearing aid signal processing