Home › Health › We Asked 2,000 UK Hearing Aid Users With Tinnitus to Rate Their Purchase
Published by Healthy Living Digest | Health | Last update: Apr 6 | 👁 11,203 | 📖 4 min
Every year, millions of people in the UK buy hearing aids. Most of them have no idea whether they got a good deal.
We wanted to change that.
Over the past six months, we collected feedback from 2,147 UK hearing aid users.
We asked them to rate their hearing aids across five categories: sound quality, comfort, value for money, tinnitus relief, and whether they'd recommend them to a friend.
We also asked one question that no hearing aid company wants you to think about:
"Knowing what you know now, would you buy the same hearing aids again at the same price?"
The answers surprised us. Some of them will make you angry.
NHS Hearing Aids
614 users surveyed
They're free. The technology is decent — the NHS buys from the same manufacturers as the private clinics. But you'll wait 6 to 18 months to get them.
When you do, you'll get behind-the-ear aids. The big beige ones with a tube that hooks over your ear. Batteries die every 3 to 5 days. They whistle every time you pick up the phone.
One volume setting for everything — your quiet kitchen and a packed restaurant get treated the same. And everyone can see them.
About 2 in 5 people stop wearing them within the first year. Not because they're broken. Because living with them is exhausting.
For tinnitus sufferers, NHS aids offered no relief. One-channel processing amplifies everything equally — including the frequencies that can make the ringing worse.
"They work. But the batteries every four days and the whistling drive me mad."
— Roy, 74, Wakefield
"I waited 11 months. When I finally got them I was grateful. But they're big, ugly, and everyone stares."
— Dennis, 70, London
"One volume for everything. Kitchen is too loud. Restaurant is too quiet. No in-between."
— Barbara, 68, Bristol
Our verdict
If you can wait 6 to 18 months and you don't mind the look of them, NHS aids are a solid option. But most users told us they settled rather than chose. For tinnitus, they offered little help.
Boots — Average price: £2,914
387 users surveyed
The technology is good. We're not going to pretend it isn't. But the hearing aid itself — the receiver, the chip, the microphone — costs about £80 to £100 to manufacture.
The rest of that £2,914? The shop on the high street. The sales staff on commission — and yes, most high street audiologists earn a percentage of what they sell you. That's why they almost always recommend the premium range first.
The area manager. The head office. The television adverts.
You're not paying £3,000 for a hearing aid. You're paying £3,000 for the privilege of buying it in a nice chair.
"The hearing aids are excellent. The price is criminal."
— Colin, 72, Manchester
"I paid £3,200. My husband nearly had a heart attack. We cancelled our holiday to Spain to cover it."
— Margaret, 76, Leeds
"The audiologist spent ten minutes on the hearing test and forty minutes on the sales pitch. Premium range, obviously."
— Brian, 71, Kent
Our verdict
The technology is good. Nobody disputes that. But when we asked users if they'd pay the same price again, less than a third said yes. The most common response: "I feel overcharged."
Specsavers — Average price: £2,143
298 users surveyed
Slightly cheaper than Boots. Similar markup structure. Their aftercare package covers the first year — after that, you're paying per visit.
The biggest issue our users flagged: Specsavers locks you into their ecosystem. Adjustments, repairs, replacements — all through Specsavers. Move house or your branch closes and you start again from scratch.
"Slightly cheaper than Boots. Still felt like a lot for what you get."
— Keith, 71, Nottingham
"My son looked up what the components actually cost to manufacture. He hasn't spoken to me about it since."
— Arthur, 77, Birmingham
Our verdict
A step down from Boots in price but a similar experience. Value for money scored poorly despite being cheaper than Boots.
Amazon Hearing Devices — Average price: £54 Avoid
412 users surveyed
We need to be clear about this: what Amazon sells are not hearing aids. They are amplifiers.
An amplifier makes everything louder — voices, traffic, the fridge, your own breathing — all at the same volume. It cannot separate speech from background noise. That's why voices stay muffled while everything else gets painfully loud.
A real hearing aid has a digital processing chip that filters sound. That chip alone costs around £80. If you're buying a complete device for £39, that chip is not in there.
What you're getting is a speaker and a battery in a plastic shell. Potentially dangerous. Risk of further hearing damage from unfiltered loud noise. For tinnitus sufferers, amplifiers can make the ringing significantly worse.
If you've tried Amazon and given up, you weren't trying hearing aids. You were trying amplifiers. Please don't let that experience put you off.
"Absolute rubbish. Everything was louder but nothing was clearer. Sent them back."
— Derek, 69, Leeds
"I bought three different pairs over two years. All the same. Loud, screechy, painful. Gave up on hearing aids entirely."
— Terry, 72, Sheffield
"My GP told me they're not actually hearing aids. They're amplifiers. Different technology completely."
— Susan, 65, Norwich
Our verdict
Avoid. If you've tried Amazon and given up, you were trying amplifiers. They can make tinnitus worse. Don't let that experience put you off real hearing aids.
Smart Hearing — £149 Best Buy
436 users surveyed
This is the one that surprised us. When we first included Smart Hearing, we expected another Amazon-style amplifier with better marketing. £149 for a pair of hearing aids didn't seem possible.
We were wrong. They use Knowles receivers — the same supplier Boots and Specsavers use. Same digital processing chips. Proper multi-channel sound filtering, not amplification.
UKCA certified as a medical device. Same certification standard as every hearing aid on the high street.
Founded by David Taylor. His father was in his seventies, struggling with his hearing, couldn't afford the high street on his pension, wouldn't wait over a year for the NHS.
Taylor had worked in the hearing aid industry. He knew what the components actually cost. Warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent. Same components as the big brands. No shop, no commission, no markup. That's the £149.
Rechargeable. Fully invisible. 45-day trial — send them back if they're not right. Two-year guarantee.
In our testing, most users couldn't tell the difference between Smart Hearing and hearing aids costing ten times more.
For our tinnitus users specifically, the multi-channel processing made a noticeable difference. When your brain receives proper, filtered sound again, it stops fixating on the ringing. Several users reported sleeping through the night for the first time in years.
"TV volume went from 50 down to 8. Wife can't believe it."
— Robert, 78, Liverpool
"I paid £3,200 at Boots two years ago. These are better. I'm not joking."
— Colin, 72, Manchester
"Wore NHS aids for six years. Put them in a drawer after three days with these."
— Roy, 74, Wakefield
"Completely invisible. My mate sat next to me for an hour and didn't notice."
— Malcolm, 70, Stoke
"Rechargeable. No batteries. No fumbling over the sink every Monday morning. That alone was worth £149."
— Dave, 73, Doncaster
"The ringing used to wake me at 3am every night. First week with these I slept through. Whatever they do to the ringing — it works."
— Frank, 71, Doncaster
Our verdict
96% would buy again. The highest of any hearing aid we've ever tested. Same technology as the high street. A fraction of the price. No clinic, no waiting list, no markup. And for tinnitus sufferers, the only option under £1,000 that users said actually made the ringing quieter.
The Overall Rankings
★★★★★ — Same tech as high street. No markup. £149
★★★★☆ — Good technology, poor value £2,914
★★★☆☆ — Locked ecosystem £2,143
★★★☆☆ — Long wait, dated design Free
★☆☆☆☆ — Not hearing aids. Amplifiers. £54
"Knowing what you know now, would you buy again at the same price?"
That tells you everything you need to know.
Important Update
Since this article was published, Smart Hearing has gained tremendous attention and interest.
The company has reached out to our editorial team to inform us that, for a limited time, they are offering our readers an exclusive 50% discount on Smart Hearing.
Plus, every order comes with a 45-day risk free trial at home, 1 year warranty and free insured shipping.
If you don't experience clearer hearing within 45 days, you can just return it.
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