Why do hearing aids whistle?
A hearing aid picks up sound through a microphone, makes it louder and plays it into your ear canal. If some of that louder sound escapes and reaches the microphone again, it is amplified a second time, then a third, and so on. The result is the high-pitched whistle or squeal known as feedback. It is the same effect you hear when a microphone is held too close to a speaker.
A little whistling when you put your aids in, or when you cup your hand over your ear, is normal. Whistling while the aids are sitting in your ears during normal use is not, and it usually means sound is escaping somewhere it should not.
What are the common causes of hearing aid feedback?
The hearing aid is not in properly
This is the most common cause. If the dome, earmould or custom shell is not seated deep enough, there is a gap for sound to escape. Take the aid out and put it back in carefully, following the angle of your ear canal.
Ear wax in the canal
A build-up of wax can bounce sound back towards the microphone instead of letting it travel to the eardrum. If you have had whistling that started gradually, wax is worth considering. The NHS page on earwax build-up explains the usual signs.
Worn or wrong-sized domes
Domes soften and change shape over time. A dome that no longer fills the canal snugly lets sound leak out. Our guide to hearing aid domes explains when to replace them.
Cracked tubing or a loose earmould
On behind-the-ear aids, tubing hardens and can crack with age. Earmoulds can also become loose if your ear shape changes, for example after weight loss, or as the mould itself shrinks slightly with time.
Something close to the ear
Hats, scarves, a high-backed chair, a pillow, a hug or holding a phone against your ear can all reflect sound back to the microphone. This kind of whistling stops when you move away.
Volume or settings
Turning the volume up a long way can push an aid past the point where it stays stable. If you often need to turn your aids right up, your hearing or the fit may have changed, and the aids may need adjusting rather than more volume.
A fault in the hearing aid
Occasionally a damaged receiver, a cracked casing or a loose microphone causes feedback that none of the home checks fix.
How to stop hearing aid whistling: quick checks
- Reinsert the aid. Take it out, check the dome or mould is clean, and put it back in firmly.
- Check the dome. Make sure it is pushed fully onto the receiver and is not worn or split.
- Clean the aid. Brush away wax, change the wax filter and clear tubes. See how to clean hearing aids.
- Look for cracks. Check tubing, the receiver wire and the casing.
- Turn the volume down a step to see if it settles at a normal listening level.
- Move away from nearby objects such as a hat brim or chair back.
Do modern hearing aids still whistle?
Modern hearing aids have feedback management built in. It detects the start of a whistle and cancels it, often before you hear anything. This has made feedback much less common than it once was. However, feedback management can only do so much. If the fit is poor or the ear is blocked, it may limit the amplification to stay stable, which can make speech sound less clear. So it is still worth finding and fixing the cause.
Whistling from custom aids and earmoulds
Custom in-the-ear aids and earmoulds are made from an impression of your ear at one point in time. Ear canals can change shape slowly with age or weight change, and the jaw movement of talking and chewing can loosen the fit, so feedback that only starts when you eat or speak is a useful clue. A worn shell or mould can sometimes be refitted or remade. If your custom aid or mould is several years old and has started whistling, mention when it happens, as this helps your audiologist find the cause quickly.
When should I see an audiologist about whistling?
Book an appointment if:
- The whistling continues after you have tried the checks above.
- You need to keep turning the volume up to hear well.
- Your earmould or custom aid feels looser than it used to.
- The whistling started after the aid was dropped or got wet.
- You think you may have wax build-up.
Your audiologist can look in your ears, check the fit, replace worn parts and re-run the hearing aid’s feedback test so it is set up for your ear as it is now.
Help with whistling hearing aids in Sutton Coldfield
At Sutton Hearing Care in Streetly, we can check your hearing aids and your ears in one visit. Video otoscopy shows us whether wax is involved, and if it is, we can offer ear wax removal by microsuction. We service and adjust most makes, including aids bought elsewhere, through our hearing aid repairs service.
If your hearing aids are getting older or your hearing may have changed, a free hearing test with one of our HCPC-registered audiologists will show whether the settings still suit you. Call 0121 369 0780 to book.