Personal sound amplification products (PSAPs) are low-cost hearing devices that can range from just $10 to $500, and can be bought right off the shelf – without so much as a hearing test! They are general sound amplifiers, untailored to an individual's specific hearing loss.
Choosing a PSAP over a hearing aid is understandable. The PSAPs on the market today look identical to hearing aids, are marketed to those with hearing loss just as hearing aids are, and are often much less expensive. In the mean time, if you're just interested in our top picks, here they are:
Top 3 PSAPs
MDHearing Aid Air
A virtually invisible design with advanced digital technology, delivering high-quality sound, the MDHearing Aid Air claims to be America's best-selling hearing technology!
- US-based customer service
- 45-day trial period
- Personal volume control
Summary
While the MDHearing Aid Air is a PSAP, not a hearing aid, it claims to be able to fill every need that a person with hearing loss could have, at a much lower price point.
The PSAP is nearly invisible, and claims to deliver sound as clearly as if you had perfect hearing. It comes with a year's worth of batteries, a carrying case, and free shipping!
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Sound World Solutions Rechargeable CS50 Sound Amplifier
A top of the line equivalent to a hearing aid. The CS50+ allows for multiple customisable sound profiles.
- Takes phone calls
- Cuts out background noise
- Has 3 customisable presets
Summary
Many PSAPs simply make things louder, but the CS50+ allows for customisation unprecedented in PSAPs. Background noise elimination and different sound profiles are features that are commonly found in hearing aids, not PSAPs, so seeing the CS50+ take these steps is a big deal in the PSAP world.
Due to these improvements, they are a bit pricier.
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Bose Hearphones: Conversation-Enhancing & Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones
If you've wanted a PSAP to use when talking or doing a physical activity, but you also want a pair of good quality headphones to use when commuting or chilling out, this is the product for you.
- Directional mics allow for focused sound
- Background noise cancelling
- Bass and treble control
Summary
Most PSAPs exist solely to serve their function as a PSAP. Take it out to a dinner party and use it to hear conversation, then put it back in the drawer when it's done. But if you want to fully get your money's worth out of a product, then it's not a bad idea to get these Bose headphones, that double as a PSAP.
They're somewhat expensive, but the price can be justified by the increased amount of use you'd get from them.
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What is a PSAP?
First and foremost, we will definitively declare that a PSAP is not a hearing aid.
Of course, there are some similarities, but there are also some big differences. The main differences between a hearing aid and a PSAP are the regulations (or lack thereof) and the intended use, as outlined by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Hearing aids are intended to compensate for impaired hearing, while PSAPs are not.
According to the FDA, “PSAPs are intended to amplify environmental sound for non-hearing impaired consumers. They are intended to accentuate sounds in specific listening environments, rather than for everyday use in multiple listening situations.”
The FDA also dictates that PSAPs should not be considered replacements for hearing aids, nor should they be considered an over the counter (OTC) hearing aid.
If you can’t think of a time where a non-hearing-impaired individual would need a PSAP, here are some examples:
- Bird watching/hunting
- Listening to lectures or speakers from a distance
- Listening to soft, distant conversations
Remember: if you think you have hearing loss, a PSAP is not recommended.
Note: many audiologists and hearing healthcare providers agree that a PSAP may be suitable for people with mild conductive hearing loss, but this should be differentiated from a sensorineural hearing loss.
PSAPs vs hearing aids vs hearables
Since the publication of FDA draft guidelines on hearing aids and PSAPs in 2013, other hearing technology, like hearables, have emerged – which only complicates matters.
In addition, a lot of focus in the US hearing healthcare industry within the past few years has been on the affordability and accessibility of hearing aids, which many believe is a big problem. The high cost of hearing aids is believed to be the major reason why so many people with hearing loss do not seek help, or rely on PSAPs for management of their hearing loss.
Before discussing PSAPs in detail, it’s important to understand the differences between different kinds of hearing technology.
Personal Sound Amplification Products (PSAP): Like we said earlier, PSAPs can be purchased directly by the consumer, with no need for a consultation from a hearing healthcare professional. While there are FDA regulations for labeling products as personal sound amplification products, there are no regulations for manufacturing standards of PSAPs.
Hearing Aids: Hearing aids are Class I medical devices that are heavily regulated by the FDA. They are intended for prescription by a hearing healthcare professional, following evaluation and consultation of the person's hearing level.
Hearables: Hearables are a newer type of wireless earpiece that are being used to enhance sound, as well as offering additional features such as health monitoring and audio Bluetooth streaming. There are currently no FDA regulations for hearables when it comes to sound amplification.
Over the Counter Hearing Aids, Non-Prescription Hearing Aids, Ready-to-wear Hearing Aids: Several different names exist for hearing aids being sold directly to consumers without medical evaluation or prescription. There are no current FDA regulations, but there is pending legislation for the creation of this category with regulatory standards. Read more about OTC hearing aids here.
Top 5 PSAPs
| Name | Image | Score | Verdict | Price | Buy now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDHearing Aid Air | Sound World Solutions Rechargeable CS50 Sound Amplifier | Bose Hearphones: Conversation-Enhancing & Bluetooth Noise Cancelling Headphones | Britzgo Digital Hearing Aid Amplifier Bha-220 | | |
 |  |  |  |  | |
| 4.8 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.9 | |
| A virtually invisible design with advanced digital technology, delivering high-quality sound, the MDHearing Aid Air is a great choice for a PSAP. | A top of the line equivalent to a hearing aid. The CS50+ allows for multiple customisable sound profiles. | If you've wanted a PSAP that also doubles as a great pair of headphones, this is the product for you. | A cheaper alternative for anyone looking to dip their toes into the world of improved hearing without making a huge investment. | The most “standard” choice you could make. A reasonable price point, offering a barebones yet quality product that clearly improves incoming sound. | |
| $399.99 | $499.95 (for two) | $500 | $57.50 | $79.99 | |
What makes a good PSAP?
Due to the lax regulation of PSAPs, there isn’t much data on their performance in real-world situations.
But the studies that have been done show that PSAPs aren’t perfect. A few studies have looked at the performance of several PSAPs using real-ear measurements, and found that they under-amplified the high frequencies and over-amplified the low frequencies.
Since most people have greater difficulty hearing high frequencies, this would prove a PSAP to be useless in most cases of hearing loss. To make matters worse, a lot of background noise occurs in the low frequencies, making the PSAP wearer perceive background sounds as “noisy,” with no improvement in speech clarity.
A recent study compared the speech understanding of participants with mild to moderate hearing loss while wearing a popular hearing aid (Oticon Nera), and while wearing five different PSAPs.
The speech understanding improvement without any amplification to the hearing aid was 11.9 points – a positive improvement – while the impr;ovement offered by four of the PSAPs ranged from 4.9 to 11.0 points.
However, one of the PSAPs tested (which retails for $29.99) actually caused the speech discrimination scores to get worse by -11.2 points while wearing the devices, versus wearing no amplification at all.
A second PSAP study verified that low-range (under $100) PSAP devices performed poorer in terms of real-ear measurements than high-end ($100+) PSAP hearing devices did.
Like almost anything, you get what you pay for. Although a PSAP may be a low-cost hearing device, it is important to remember that what you save on cost, you almost always lose in performance.
Onto our top choices. In our eyes, a good PSAP has:
- a good frequency response that includes small differences in the output of low frequencies versus high frequencies
- updated digital sound processing, including noise reduction and/or directionality
- a good design and overall fit for the user
- ease of use with a clear instruction manual
- a positive user rating and reviews
Why should you trust us?
Unlike many of the other hearing aid resources you’ll find online, we are an independent company. We are not compensated by any product manufacturer for our reviews, and when a product is provided to us at no charge, we clearly state that in our review. We aim to provide an unbiased and up-to-date opinion of the hearing resources available to those with hearing loss.
Our staff includes an Audiologist who has several years experience in hearing diagnostics, as well as recommending and fitting a wide variety of hearing aid brands on all levels of hearing loss.
Hearing health and safety is our highest priority when it comes to the recommendations we make on Clear Living. Therefore, for this PSAP review article, we have removed all the personal sound amplifiers that we know have potentially dangerous output levels (>120 dB).
Based on our research, we also found that very low-end PSAP devices (<$50) showed very little hearing benefit and can actually have the opposite effect…actually blocking sounds and acting more like an expensive earplug. Therefore, we have also eliminated the very low-cost PSAP devices from this review (<$50).
You can read more about our expertise and motivations here.
Final thoughts
We have been hesitant to write about PSAPs because we understand the value of the hearing healthcare professional, and believe that anyone who suspects they have hearing loss should see a hearing specialist for proper evaluation and treatment.
When it comes to purchasing a PSAP, no one device is going to be right for every person. It is going to depend on what your individual needs and wants are from the device – for example, some devices have Bluetooth capabilities, but most don't. Some are worn on or in the ear and are very discreet, while others are worn as headphones.
We recommend that you have a hearing evaluation before considering one of the PSAP devices listed above.
You can use our free online tool to get matched with trusted hearing specialists in your area.
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