The Best Hearing Aids for Tinnitus in 2024

Hearing aids are the #1 most popular and effective tool for tinnitus relief. That's because tinnitus is a common symptom of hearing loss. And when you have hearing loss, making everyday sounds audible through amplification can mask tinnitus sounds and, over time, retrain your auditory system to function more normally again.

For those with severe tinnitus that doesn't resolve naturally with regular hearing aid use, I would suggest exploring specialized tinnitus relief features, like customizable tinnitus masking sounds, which are included in many of today's popular hearing aid models. So, if you're an experienced hearing aid user suffering from persistent tinnitus, read on an overview of the top models with advanced tinnitus relief features for 2024, including a deep dive on each model's tinnitus relief features.

The Best Hearing Aids for Tinnitus Relief

Wearing a well-fit hearing aid could be enough to tame your tinnitus. If amplification alone doesn’t do the trick, many modern hearing aids offer sound masking features that provide additional assistance. Each hearing aid manufacturer takes a slightly unique approach. Here is how my top-rated hearing aids help you to overcome your tinnitus with sound enrichment therapy.

Widex Zen Therapy

Widex has been a pioneer in the realm of tinnitus therapy since the creation of its Zen Tinnitus Management Program in 2012. Widex is recognized for its Zen programs, which must all be activated in the COMPASS GPS hearing aid software by your audiologist. The use of sounds known as fractal tones is used in this Zen therapy approach, exclusive to Widex. Widex hearing aids with tinnitus characteristics are available in various styles and technology levels in the Widex Moment and Evoke hearing aid lines.

Fractal tones are harmonic and melodic tones that sound like wind chimes and are presented in a completely random manner, which is one of the reasons they're so effective. Because the sounds are random, the brain will not correlate them with any other traditional music that the patient has previously heard. Passive listening is utilized to create this unpredictability, which is necessary for habituation and alleviating the harmful effects of your tinnitus.

Jumping into the COMPASS GPS software reveals the various Zen therapies you can choose from:

• Zen aqua
• Zen coral
• Zen green
• Zen lavender
• Zen sand

They also have their Zen noise which is pretty standard compared with the other maskers that Widex provides.

The musical sounds of the fractal tones are meaningful compared to some of the other noises out there, and I've found that tinnitus sufferers respond positively to them. Widex takes it a step further by allowing for more control over Zen therapy's pace, pitch, and volume. And, once again, working closely with your audiologist to identify the best appropriate treatment for you is essential.

ReSound Tinnitus Sound Generator

This is one of the most versatile tinnitus programs available, providing more freedom and control to both you and the audiologist than any of the other programs I'll be discussing today. It can be triggered through ReSound's Smart Fit hearing aid fitting software and is available in various styles and technology levels. It's available in the ReSound Nexia, ReSound Omnia, and ReSound Enzo Q lines of hearing aids.

ReSound has two categories of masking sounds.

Firstly, their broadband sounds with four types of noise to choose from including:

• High frequency noise
• White noise
• Speech noise
• Pink noise

They also offer a great deal of freedom, allowing you and the audiologist to customize the amplitude modulation, modulation speed, and even the spectrum of pitches included in the noise. All of this is done to customize things for you manually. It's not a fully configurable procedure like Signia or Starkey. Using the manual handles, though, this technique can be just as effective in customizing the perfect sounds for you.

ReSound also provides a selection of natural sounds, which are, again, different types of ocean waves. Similar to that of Oticon and Signia. There are six in total:

• Breaking waves
• Water creak
• Calming waves
• Beach surf
• Ocean
• Shoreline

Rather than the nature sounds that we've seen from other hearing aid makers, Phonak focuses on broadband noises. And you have three options from which to choose. The first choice on the list is a masking sound tailored to your hearing loss, which works similarly to Oticon's Shaped Tinnitus feature in that it adapts to your unique hearing loss. As I previously stated, I have found that patients prefer this option over the others. Phonak also offers white and pink noise.

Starkey Multiflex Tinnitus Feature

Starkey's Multiflex Tinnitus function is available in all its hearing aid models, and some of the more advanced features, like Stimulus and Audiogram-shaped customization, were recently made available in lower technology tiers. Starkey Pro Fit and Inspire X fitting software are needed to program the tinnitus features Evolv AI, Genesis AI, and Edge AI, respectively.

Starkey offers personalized tinnitus relief solutions with all its product models and technology levels. The company's Multiflex Tinnitus Technology, adjustable via the My Starkey and Thrive smartphone apps, generates tinnitus masking sounds that the user can customize to bring relief from ringing and other noises in the head. With Starkey Multiflex Tinnitus, you can choose from three different tinnitus maskers:

• White noise: Based on your pure-tone frequency/pitch average from your audiogram, this distributes tinnitus masking sounds evenly across the hearing spectrum.
• Audiogram-shaped noise: Because not everyone's audiogram is the same, this algorithm sets the level of each individual noise band in relation to your unique hearing configuration—and not to an overall pure-tone average as most programs do (e.g., see "White noise" above).
• Stimulus personalization tool: This expands on audiogram-shaped noise with a more customized spectral shape for the tinnitus masker with the aim of placing the masking noise in the best frequency (pitch) bands, based on real-time automatic measurements by the hearing aids.

The patient's particular hearing thresholds are what’s used in the Audiogram-shaped signal. This helps to accommodate the loss of low-frequency sounds from acoustic leakage by reducing the risk of the signal being excessively loud or too soft in specific frequency ranges.

The White Noise signal is based on your pure-tone average and distributes energy evenly across the frequency range. If you don't have a perfectly flat hearing loss, the difficulty with white noise from any hearing aid manufacturer is that a flat response can occasionally result in parts of the stimulus being too loud or too soft. That's one of the things I appreciate about this system: you can alter the individual bands of noise and adjust the modulation to your liking. And Starkey takes this idea a step further with their Customized Signal stimulus, enabling even more precise tailoring.

Setting the minimum detection threshold for masking is part of the setup process. You're looking for a level where the masking sound is no longer audible. After that, the identical noises are amplified to determine the lowest masking level when you can no longer hear your tinnitus.

The hearing aid is programmed with your hearing thresholds vs. the tinnitus masking level, and a masking sound is created that is tailored to your unique tinnitus.

According to patient feedback, this personalized strategy has a better impact on assisting patients in putting their tinnitus to the back of their minds.

Oticon Tinnitus Sound Support

Tinnitus Sound Support functions are available in various Oticon hearing aid models and technology levels. Audiologists use Oticon's Genie 2 programming software to configure and enable all tinnitus capabilities in the hearing aids. The software contains two categories of tinnitus relief: broadband and nature sounds. Four broadband sounds can be selected.

The shaped sound, for example, is tailored to follow the pattern of your hearing test findings and to exactly replace the voids left by your hearing loss. In my experience, patients respond extremely well to this form of noise as a masker out of all the noises available. Oticon also has white noise, pink noise, or red noise to choose from. It really is down to you to choose which is the most effective for your tinnitus relief and has the greatest impact on reducing your tinnitus.

Working with your hearing provider to determine the masking sound that has the best positive effect on your unique tinnitus is critical. The level of masking can also be modified to suit your needs, and specific programs can be set up so that the hearing aid can either take up environmental sounds or the microphones can be entirely muffled. You can even have a specialized program with distinct masking noises if you want.

Phonak Tinnitus Balance

The last on my list are Phonak Infinio and Phonak Lumity hearing aids. Phonak takes a similar approach to tinnitus treatment as Oticon, but with fewer alternatives and a little more freedom. Tinnitus Balance is the name of Phonak's tinnitus feature, and it can be enabled by your hearing care provider using the Phonak Target hearing aid software.

While the hearing aid program will estimate the correct level for your hearing loss, you have the option to increase or reduce it further. If you're going to utilize this strategy to try to get rid of your tinnitus, I'd recommend having it just on the verge of becoming audible. Taking it a step further, Phonak's frequency response may be further customized using the graphic equalizer to add more bass, mids, or treble, depending on your preferences.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention Phonak Lyric, the industry's only 24/7 hearing aid placed deep in your ears for several months. As I've noted in a short video, this is an excellent option for people who are good candidates for the device, want a 24-hour-a-day option, and may have trouble sleeping due to tinnitus.

Signia Notch Therapy

Signia's tinnitus therapy, like that of several of the other manufacturers featured today, is available in various styles and technology levels and must be customized using their Connexx software by your hearing provider. Almost all of the company's latest products, including its flagship Signia Pure Charge&Go IX, Silk IX, and its Signia AX line of products, can accommodate this option.

Signia offers three different sound enrichment settings, depending on your needs:

• Static noise therapy
• Ocean wave therapy
• Signia's unique tinnitus Notch Therapy

To begin, they provide Static Noise tinnitus therapy, which allows you to select from five different noise signals. You can also tailor the sound to your individual requirements.

You can choose from:

• White noise
• Pink noise
• Speech noise
• High-tone noise
• Brownian noise

These share the same characteristics of the various types of noises discussed earlier.

Second, they offer four different ocean wave therapy signals that are supposed to sound like the ocean. These nature sounds include the following:

• Boulder beach
• Rocky beach
• Pebble beach
• Paradise beach

Each one has different characteristics, and some of them are more likely to have a more significant impact on your tinnitus than others. One of the things that I liked about these different ocean-like sounds is that they don't have too much of a pattern to them, so I tend to find them more relaxing and less annoying than some of the standard white noise sounds out there.

Finally, Signia has the Signia Tinnitus Notch Therapy, explicitly designed for those experiencing tonal tinnitus. Such as ringing, buzzing, or whistling. This approach is very different from using a masking sound, and Signia claims that the concept behind notch therapy is not to drown out the tinnitus but to teach the brain how to ignore it completely.

Signia claims that your tinnitus frequency is targeted, and amplification of the sound is turned down and relegated to background noise, making it easier for your brain to ignore. In theory, this way, you don't waste your energy on your tinnitus, and your stress level should reduce as you are not actively trying to shut out the sound. Unlike the ocean wave and static noise sound therapies, this method is inaudible. So you might not even realize that you're going through tinnitus sound therapy.

This setup process for Notch Therapy is unique to the Signia range and similar to the diagnostic tools used regularly in clinics called Tinnitus Match and Mask. First, there is a test designed to identify the frequency or pitch of your tinnitus. It works by presenting you with two different signals of which you have to choose from the closest match to your tinnitus.

This process is then repeated until it's narrowed down to the closest sound of your tinnitus. This information is then used for the configuration of the tinnitus therapy to target that Notch Therapy. By combining amplification to compensate for hearing loss, while suppressing tinnitus-associated neural hyperactivity, Notch Therapy attacks tinnitus from multiple angles.

How Hearing Aids Help With Tinnitus

What role do hearing aids play in the treatment of tinnitus? Is there a way to get rid of tinnitus with them? Well, not quite. Tinnitus is a condition for which there is no recognized cure. Hearing aids, on the other hand, can significantly reduce tinnitus in two ways: by ‘filling in the gaps’ created by hearing loss and by using integrated sound maskers to regulate the symptoms of tinnitus.

Hearing Aids Work to “Fill the Void”

Although research is still needed, hearing aids appear to be the #1 most effective relief for tinnitus, probably because they "reinsert" or "fill in" the sounds that your auditory system is missing while reducing the annoying feeling that sounds and voices are being masked by tinnitus.

If you experience tinnitus and haven't yet had a hearing test, the first thing you should do is make an appointment with an audiologist. They'll be able to examine your ears thoroughly, test your hearing, and determine whether you have any hearing loss. If they discover any temporary causes of hearing loss, they should be able to assist you or recommend you to the appropriate professional to address the problem causing your tinnitus. If your hearing loss is due to permanent hearing damage, the best thing you can do is start wearing hearing aids.

Using hearing aids to manage your hearing loss can fill the sound void that you're experiencing with hearing loss. According to a poll of healthcare experts conducted in 2007, around 60% of their tinnitus patients indicated that wearing hearing aids provided at least some alleviation. Appr

The Role of Sound Maskers

The second main treatment for tinnitus with hearing aids is something called sound enrichment therapy, otherwise known as sound masking. This can provide you with a temporary relief from your tinnitus by playing another sound on top of your tinnitus to hide or mask the sound of it.

This is known to provide relief when the sound is present. In addition, there is also a phenomenon known as residual inhibition, which means that even after the masking sound is switched off, your tinnitus may appear lower, if not completely gone. This doesn't work for everyone, but studies suggest that if you're one of the lucky ones, the alleviation can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

Every major hearing aid maker now has a tinnitus sound enrichment program built in. To conceal your tinnitus, they all employ different sorts of noise. In this context, noise refers to a combination of different frequencies and sounds. And the amount of energy in various frequencies varies depending on the type of noise.

It's typical for the predominant tone of tinnitus to correlate with the area of hearing loss with the most damage if there's a hearing loss present. As a result, using a masking sound with more intensity in that area is more likely to provide you with greater relief from your tinnitus.

Can you wear hearing aids at night to get to sleep with tinnitus?

Technically, you can wear your hearing aids at night, but it's not practical because they may fall off, become uncomfortable, get damaged, or start to feedback (whistle). Additionally, if they're rechargeable hearing aids, you'll need to find a way to recharge them other than when you sleep.

"You could [wear hearing aids at night], but why when there are other more comfortable and effective alternatives?” notes Audiologist Harriet Jacobster, AuD. “The cons would be discomfort, injury to your ears, and the possibility of breaking or losing the aids. A better alternative for sound therapy would be any of the specifically designed [sound generating and tinnitus masking] machines that you can play in the background all night. Examples are sound pillows, Bluetooth speakers pre-programmed with tinnitus and calming sounds, even an Alexis device or an app on your cell phone, etc.”

In addition to sound generators, some people gain tinnitus relief from a burbling aquarium or fan. The Phonak Lyric hearing aid is also a 24/7 solution that fits deep in the ear canal and may help those with tinnitus.

The Best Apps for Tinnitus

The majority of the hearing aids I've talked about today include Bluetooth capabilities, allowing you to connect your hearing aid to your smartphone. This means that each hearing aid comes with an app that allows you to customize the sounds coming from the hearing aids and the tinnitus features.

The ReSound Smart app, Oticon ON app, and Starkey Thrive/My Starkey apps, in my opinion, are the best apps for this job. They not only let you change the tinnitus masker's intensity compared to the microphones' sensitivity, but they also let you change the tinnitus masker settings.

With Oticon and ReSound, you can even modify the pitch of the masking and, in a way, create the tinnitus program that works best for you.

Widex and Signia both offer some versatility in adjusting the balance between environmental microphones and masking sounds.

Phonak is the least adaptable, enabling you to modify the level of the masker or volume but not the two separately.

Although not part of the Phonak Tinnitus Balance feature set, I should mention that Phonak's parent company, Sonova, recently introduced SilentCloud, a self-paced subscription-based medical app designed to empower patients to manage their tinnitus. The new app can be used at home and the service includes trained hearing care experts for guidance.

Choosing the Right Hearing Aid for You

All of the hearing aids discussed here provide not just the required power to help you overcome your hearing loss, but also a broad spectrum of masking noises to help you deal with tinnitus. As a result, you shouldn't just choose a hearing aid based on its capacity to control your tinnitus; you should also consider the features of the hearing aids to ensure that they can cope with your daily hearing issues and your audiological profile.

I recently posted a video that covers the best hearing aids of 2024—which are by far the most popular style—and all of their characteristics. If you're looking for hearing aids right now, I'd recommend looking at that as well. And I sincerely hope it aids you in your search for the best hearing aids for you.

When to Seek Medical Advice for Tinnitus

If you experience either of the following, it's best to speak to your doctor:

• Pulsatile tinnitus (tinnitus that follows your heartbeat).
• Tinnitus that's just in one ear.
• Tinnitus that's changed in nature over a very short period.
• Tinnitus that is stopping you from sleeping or contributing to anxiety or depression.

Also, if you develop a sudden sensorineural hearing loss, either with or without tinnitus, then you need to get yourself to an emergency room or an urgent care ENT clinic as soon as possible to investigate that cause of hearing loss for immediate treatment.

Other Tinnitus Treatment Pathways

While they remain the most tried-and-true way to reduce tinnitus symptoms, hearing aids are not the only means for treatment of tinnitus. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), relaxation techniques, and other treatment pathways exist (see the video at the top of this page). Additionally, many new tinnitus reduction systems are emerging, some with very promising results.

For example, people who are in serious need of a tinnitus solution may benefit greatly from the new FDA-approved Lenire device from Neuromod. While this system looks very odd—it combines traditional sound therapy with a Tonguetip that applies electrical stimulation to, yes, your tongue—it has proven quite effective for reducing tinnitus in clinical studies. I've reviewed this device in the video below.

Similarly, Tinearity G1 is a compact sound generator developed by Swedish MedTech startup Duearity that received FDA clearance in June 2023. Specifically designed for people with normal hearing or mild hearing loss, it generates tinnitus masking noise that is transmitted directly to the inner ear via bone conduction, offering a unique approach to tinnitus treatment. I've reviewed this system in the video below.

My key point here is that, for those people who are suffering from tinnitus, help is available now, and more options are coming. We're seeing greater awareness about how tinnitus negatively impacts people's lives and many new hearing aids, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, apps, and other treatment strategies are being developed. Please bookmark this page and HearingTracker will continue to update it so you keep abreast of some of the best hearing aids for tinnitus.