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An estimated 1.8 million U.S. residents age 12 and up have severe hearing loss.1 And older adults are more likely to experience severe hearing loss than other age groups. For many, wearing power or super-power hearing aids can help enhance their quality of life and ability to interact with the world around them. Below, we’ll take a look at the best power and super-power hearing aids on the market, along with the common features to look for in devices for severe hearing loss.
Phonak has spent more than 70 years researching, developing, and distributing cutting-edge hearing aids. The Phonak Naida Marvel caters to seniors with severe to profound hearing loss. Not only does it provide ample power, but it’s reliable and effective as well. In testing, this device reduced listening effort by 24 percent and improved memory recall by 10 percent.2 And it features an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. If you spend a lot of time by the water, that added level of protection is invaluable.
Other features we love about the Phonak Naida are its Bluetooth connectivity and Roger microphone. Effortlessly connect your hearing aids to any iOS, Android, or other Bluetooth-enabled device to enjoy hands-free calling and audio streaming. Some of Phonak’s power hearing aids can also pair with hearing implants. The Roger microphone accessory streams directly to your hearing aids too, helping you understand speech better in noisy environments.
The Phonak Naida is a powerful hearing aid filled with top-level technology and features. You can control settings right from your smartphone with the myPhonak app. Just keep in mind that Phonak doesn’t advertise pricing online. For purchasing, you’ll need to visit a hearing care professional, which is a best practice for managing severe hearing loss anyway. Learn more about our thoughts on Phonak hearing aids by checking out our 2023 Phonak review.
Oticon, one of the big six hearing aid manufacturers, claims to have created the world’s most powerful hearing aid. The Oticon Xceed provides the support those with severe to profound hearing loss need to follow conversations, enjoy media, and remain aware of their surroundings. Instead of focusing on the noises right in front of you, Xceed provides an open sound experience with whistling prevention. You can hear people talking from all directions, and the hearing aids also differentiate speech from noise.
The Oticon Xceed is also a Made for iPhone hearing aid. Stream music, TV shows, audiobooks, and other media from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch directly to your hearing aids. You can switch between which Apple device your hearing aids are connected to. Made for iPhone (MFi) hearing aids also work with Apple Hearing Controls. Adjust hearing aid volume and change settings right from your lock screen.
The Oticon Xceed features BrainHearing technology, an open sound experience, and whistle and static prevention to deliver better hearing in any environment. You also can’t ignore the convenience of the MFi design. Connect your hearing aids to any Apple device, and have an easier time hearing not just conversations, but music, movies, and more. Of course, all of this great tech doesn’t come cheap. Oticon doesn’t publish pricing information online, so you’ll need to visit a hearing care provider for more information.
Did You Know? When you buy hearing aids from an audiologist’s office or hearing aid center, your purchase typically includes follow-up care like hearing tests, fittings, and in-office or remote adjustments.
Want to learn more about Oticon? Check out our Oticon review for 2023.
For nearly 80 years, ReSound has been helping those with hearing loss stay connected. The ENZO Q line is their innovative hearing solution for older adults with severe to profound hearing loss. These powerful behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids deliver high-quality sound, comfort, and direct streaming. Wearers can connect the device not only to their phone for Bluetooth streaming, but also to certain hearing implants.
Best of all, your ReSound hearing aid purchase includes access to ReSound’s third-generation telehealth platform that lets users access remote care when they need it. No need to venture outside your home for assistance. Instead, you can use the ReSound Smart 3D app to talk directly to your hearing care professional. Then, you can download any adjustments right to your hearing aid using wireless technology. Whether you’re at home, at work, or on vacation, ReSound keeps hearing care within reach.
ReSound offers the technology and remote care that olders adults with severe hearing loss need. This includes a range of add-on hearing aid accessories that help you hear conversation partners, phone calls, and your television more clearly. To learn about ReSound accessory and hearing aid pricing, you’ll need to visit a hearing care specialist. Check out our review of ReSound for more information.
Want to know more about ReSound and Oticon? See how the two stack up against one another in our ReSound vs. Oticon comparison guide.
In 2018, Starkey invented the world’s first Healthable hearing aid. Today, the Starkey Livio AI hearing aid continues to provide older adults, even those with severe hearing loss, with the best combination of hearing aid, physical wellness, and medical alert features. The hearing aid, in conjunction with a smartphone app, can even detect falls and send an alert message to your selected contacts. Hearing and balance are closely related, so this feature is invaluable, especially since seniors already face an increased fall risk.
Other app and hearing aid features include heart rate measurement, mask mode, activity tracking, hearing aid usage tracking, medication and task reminders, conversation transcription, and TeleHear. With TeleHear, you can request remote adjustments to your hearing aids using the video chat function in the Starkey app.
The Starkey Livio AI is more than just a hearing aid. It helps you monitor your physical well-being, detect falls, and complete helpful tasks like transcribe conversations. Available in four different hearing aid styles, there’s a Starkey Livio AI for all types of hearing loss. Your Starkey hearing professional can recommend which style suits your needs best, as well as share Starkey pricing information. For a closer look at Starkey and the Livio AI, give our latest Starkey review a read.
Signia relies on the latest technology and the highest level of customer care to deliver innovative hearing solutions. The Signia Motion Charge&Go X BTE hearing aid line includes two options for severe hearing loss: the Motion Charge&Go P X and Motion Charge&Go SP X.
Signia’s power and super-power hearing aids are both rechargeable, lasting up to 61 hours on a single charge. That’s wonderful news if you forget to charge your devices every night. The Motion X line also includes acoustic motion sensors, so the devices constantly adapt as you move, ensuring you don’t miss a single sound.
If you’re in need of a hearing solution for severe to profound hearing loss, the Signia Motion Charge&GO P X and SP X devices are solid choices. Wearers enjoy enhanced speech understanding, telecoil functionality, and Bluetooth streaming for a better listening experience no matter what you’re doing. Unfortunately, Signia’s pricing isn’t available online. Instead, you’ll need to visit an audiologist or hearing center to inquire about pricing or the right model for your level of hearing loss. Prepare for your appointment by reading our review of Signia hearing aids.
Widex is a leading provider of technologically advanced hearing aids. The Widex Moment BTE line, when paired with the Widex Zen app, can help older adults manage severe hearing loss and tinnitus. Widex Zen uses comforting sounds and music to relax you and prevent tinnitus flare-ups. Within the app, you can set up a timer for the tinnitus masker and adjust your hearing aids individually. The Widex Zen app works flawlessly with the Moment BTE D, BTE 312, and BTE R D hearing aid models.
Widex’s advanced hearing aids with PureSound and ZeroDelay enable seniors with severe hearing loss to hear naturally. Through the Widex Zen app and other Widex apps, wearers can manage tinnitus, stream phone audio, and adjust volume and pitch. If Widex sounds right for you, visit your audiologist or a hearing specialist. They can walk you through the different styles and review pricing information, which isn’t available online.
To learn more about Widex, read our latest Widex hearing aid review.
Helpful Hint: Want more hearing aid options? Check out our list of the best hearing aids. All of the providers in this article made the cut!
Whether you’re buying your first pair of hearing aids or shopping for your next pair, it’s difficult to wade through the sea of hearing aids for severe hearing loss. To help you out, we narrowed down the choices to our top hearing aids for severe hearing loss. We evaluated factors like price, features, user-friendliness, Bluetooth connectivity, mobile app compatibility, and reputation.
Individuals with severe or profound hearing loss can’t use just any style or type of hearing aid. Instead, they need power or super-power hearing aids. These types of hearing aid tend to come in the BTE style with a component that sits behind your ear and another component that fills your ear. The style and larger size provides room for more powerful receivers, amplifiers, and processors.
Other hearing aids come in smaller styles, like the invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) style. An invisible style is too small to include the power and features that a person with severe or profound hearing loss needs. You can visit our list of the best invisible hearing aids to learn more about IIC devices.
You can find power and super-power hearing aids in rechargeable or battery-powered styles. For example, Signia’s Motion Charge&GO SP X features a rechargeable battery, while Oticon’s Xceed relies on disposable batteries.
Super-power hearing aids amplify sounds, but that’s just the start. The technology also focuses on making sounds clear and distinct so that wearers can process what they’re hearing. A big part of this is transposing hard-to-hear frequencies.
It’s common for those with severe or profound hearing loss to struggle to hear low- or high-frequency sounds. No amount of amplification would improve the wearer’s ability to hear at those frequencies. That’s why power and super-power hearing aids detect sounds in those hard-to-hear frequency ranges and then transpose them to a more moderate frequency. The transposed frequency, paired with sound amplification and feedback cancellation, helps the wearer to hear clearly.
All of the top players in the hearing aid industry sell hearing aid solutions for severe hearing loss. However, you’ll need to visit an audiologist or hearing center for purchase and fitting. The audiologist will test your hearing, review purchase options and pricing, and make a mold of your ears. Hearing aid earmolds come in a variety of colors, but clear or skin-tone molds offer the most discretion.
When deciding which hearing aids to purchase for severe hearing loss, research or ask your audiologist about the following features:
Hearing aids do not correct hearing loss or restore your hearing.5 While in use, hearing aids do help you hear better.
Power and super-power hearing aids are the best option for older adults with severe hearing loss. If that’s you, focus on models that meet your budget and come with the features you need, such as Bluetooth streaming and remote microphone compatibility.
Oticon claims to have the world’s most powerful hearing aid: the Oticon Xceed. This device offers a true-to-life hearing experience and eliminates whistling and static.
If you have hearing loss in one ear and normal hearing in the other, you can purchase one hearing aid. However, age-related hearing loss often occurs in both ears, even if one ear is better than the other.6 In that case, using two hearing aids can give you a better listening experience.
Ruth Reisman, AuD MBA, is a licensed audiologist and hearing aid dispenser in New York state and is certified by the American Speech and Hearing Association. After serving as an audiologist in the New York downstate hospital system, Dr. Reisman led the… Learn More About Dr. Ruth Reisman
National Library of Medicine. (2016). Prevalence of Hearing Loss by Severity in the United States.
Phonak. (2022). Phonak Naída™ Marvel.
WebMD. (2022). Frequency Shifting Hearing Aids: How They Work.
National Library of Medicine. (2020). A comparison of the severity of tinnitus in patients with and without hearing loss using the tinnitus functional index (TFI).
UCSF Health. (2022). Hearing Loss Treatments.
Harvard Medical School. (2019). One hearing aid or two?
