If you purchase hearing aids from our clinic, we include with the sale price:

• No-obligation, free trial period of 1 week (on selected models). 

• The costs for the hearing aid fitting appointment.

• The costs for two follow-up appointments.

• After these 3 appointments are completed, you are still entitled to Aftercare services for a period of 3 months, in which you can attend clinic for as many appointments as you require for on-going support and maintenance costs.

• We also include spare domes, filters and batteries to last you for at least 6 months of use.

• All hearing aids we sell also come with a 3-5 years of manufacturer warranty.

At our clinic, we only work with the best hearing aid brands on the market - Oticon, Phonak, and GN ReSound. With nearly a decade of trial and error behind us, we know who we can trust.

In contrast to local competitors in Albany who advertise as "independent", we are not owned by large foreign hearing aid companies, meaning we do not have to over-charge for our devices. And because we don't have head departments taking a cut of our profits, our prices are always highly competititve.

If you want to review the companies we work with, they can be found below by clicking the link.

• Oticon

• Phonak 

• GN ReSound

You must visit our clinic for a hearing assessment before your trial. We'll explain everything you need to know to make an informed decision about your devices. Afterward, we order the devices, which typically take 7 working days to arrive. You'll return for your fitting appointment, and once fitted, you have a week to try the devices. During this time, you can also visit our clinic for adjustments and counseling at no extra cost. After the trial, you can decide to purchase the hearing aids, explore other options, or return them.

Trials are available for Standard Plus, Aristo, Excellence and Tribe.

Trials are not available on Standard technology devices or Custom devices.

When you attend your hearing assessment, your audiologist will discuss technology aspects in greater detail, enabling you to make a completely informed decision on your technology choice. That being said, there are some things you can start to think about prior which will give you a bit of insight how hearing aid technology works.

The best way to assess the technology you need is by considering the hearing situations where better hearing matters the most to you. For example, if you are still a moderately social person or spend a bit of times outdoors, you should consider investing in mid to high-level technology, sold in our range of Tribe, Excellence or Aristo.

However, if you are mostly at home with easier hearing needs - such as wanting to hear better in one-on-one chats or following TV dialogue well, generally lower-technology will be suffice - as sold in Standard or Standard Plus.

There is also a rationale that the worse a hearing loss is, the more someone may need to spend on hearing aids. While this is true, matching hearing aids that are able to perform to listening environment expectations, is a more important factor.

Yes, if your private health fund provides hearing coverage, you may be entitled to a rebate for your hearing aids. The amount provided depends on your specific health fund policy. You will need to speak to your health fund provider first to determine the amount you are entitled to. If you have hearing on your policy, you'll likely be entitled to around $800-1200 towards your hearing aids (total rebate amount for two devices). 

We are not Hicaps registered, therefore, the rebate amount can only be provided from your health fund after the purchase is made from the invoice we provide you.

No, they are not. We charge based on the technology level, not style of device sold. 

Yes, we sell AI hearing aids at our clinic - available in our technology range of Excellence and Aristo. Our AI hearing aids are produced by GN Resound (Belton), Oticon and Phonak.

Yes, if the hearing aid is produced by Phonak, Unitron, Oticon or GN ReSound, we can source it for you! 

The hearing aids we cannot provide include the brands Signia, Widex or Starkey.

Absolutely! If you're not entirely satisfied with the initial style of hearing aids, we will offer a second fitting option for your convenience. You will only be charged for any price differences between the hearing aids, with no additional fees involved.

Once your hearing assessment is finalised, we can fit you with hearing aids within 7 working days.

If you chosen order is for a custom-made hearing aid (in-the-ear), please note that these are crafted in Sydney or Brisbane, and thus necessitate a longer production time. In most cases these can be fitted within 2.5 weeks.

Private clients are entitled to a 3-year warranty on our Standard, Standard Plus and Tribe range of hearing aids, while the Excellence and Aristo range come with a 4-year warranty.

Eligible pensioners/HSP clients are entitled to a 5-year warranty on any technology of hearing aid purchased, as mandated by HSP regulations.

Most smartphones today support app connectivity, allowing hearing aids to connect effortlessly for volume and setting adjustments. However, streaming audio and calls to hearing aids can be tricky, as only specific models work with certain phones.  We address streaming compatibility in full at all hearing aid discussion appointments. If a client's phone isn't compatible, there are solutions.

Below we have listed the smartphones that are fully compatible for phone streaming, in relation to the hearing aids we sell.

Compatible with streaming:

• All Apple iPhones (models 10 or newer)

• All Samsung Galaxy S-series (models 22 or newer)

• All Google Pixel (models 7 or newer)

• Oppo smartphones (if higher-end models and newish)

Not compatible or unlikely to be compatible with streaming:

• Samsung Galaxy (A-series)

• Nokia smartphones

• Oppo smartphones (if older models or cheap models)
  

Hearing aid maintenance costs include batteries (for non-rechargeables), filters, and domes. Behind-the-ear models may need speaker unit replacements. Other expenses include annual audiology visits for re-tests, adjustments, sound tweaks, and firmware updates. Similar to car servicing, yearly reviews maintain the hearing aids' performance.

Considering this, private clients can expect to spend $200-$250 annually on maintenance for hearing aids.

At our clinic, eligible pensioners (under the Hearing Services Program) only have to pay a $45 yearly co-payment maintenance fee. The rest of the expenses are covered by the program.

We do also provide on-going maintenance plan options. If you are interested, please reach out to us for details.

Devices from other clinics will retain their warranty at our clinic, unless they arrive damaged and out of warranty. In such cases, we may decline acceptance due to repair costs. Nonetheless, we assist clients with warranty repairs for devices not purchased from us, just like those bought at our clinic. If your device is under warranty and has issues, we will strive to provide the necessary service.

Yes, absolutely. We are happy to accommodate individuals who need to travel long distances. If you wish to have your hearing assessment and hearing aid fitting completed in one visit, we simply require a bit of notice to ensure the time is available. 

Yes - we always perform REM when prescribing hearing aids, at yearly review appointments, for new-incoming clients, or when we think you may need it. This is available at both our home-visits and in-clinic appointments using our state-of-the-art wireless REM equipment.

Why is REMS important? REM effectively measures a hearing aid's performance by evaluating the sound it's producing at the persons eardrum in real-time which also factors in the acoustic coupling and accounts for the persons ear canal's unique resonance - allowing audiologists to provide tailored frequency-specific amplification that directly targets the user's hearing loss at each frequency. This ensures sound is delivered where it's needed, and not, well, where it is not.  This results in a more natural sound and improved hearing. REM is the most vital procedure we perform as audiologists.

REM is the main reason why over-the-counter and on-line sold/self programmed hearing aids are inferior to prescription based hearing aids.

People can expect to get 4-6 years of use from hearing aids. However, this will depend on the quality of care they receive and the environments in which they are used in.

The recent MarkeTrak 2023 consumer survey of 10,000 hearing aid users, suggests most people use their hearing aids on average for 4.75 years.

When you encounter significant discounts on hearing aids from various clinics, it's essential to remain cautious. Why? Because these clinics are still managing to make a profit, even after applying these discounts. This suggests that when such substantial reductions aren't available, you could be overpaying considerably. Here's an important insight: no hearing aids should be priced at $10,000 or more.

If you're contemplating taking advantage of one of these seemingly enticing offers, we highly recommend that you perform a price comparison of the specific device with other providers. That enticing deal may not be as advantageous as it seems!

Yes, there is no GST on hearing aid purchases. Section 38-45 (1) of the GST Act lists hearing aids as medical devices, meaning all hearing aids and associated repairs and parts are free from GST payments.

As of January 2026, according to "HearAdvisor lab" , which is an independent hearing aid performance-tester (free from affiliation with any hearing aid companies) the worlds best hearing aids for hearing speech in noise are rated from the best to the 3rd best as:

• Phonak Infinio Sphere

• Oticon Intent 1 

• Starkey Evolv AI 2400 

(www.hearingtracker.com/hearing-aids/best-hearing-aids-background-noise) 

At Southern Hearing Excellence, we can provide 2 of these 3 devices.

Audiologists will nearly always agree that the advantages of custom devices are far less than that of receiver-in-canal devices, and the only real advantage of these devices lies in management (ease-of-use), along with cosmetics (less visible devices).

That being said, customs are shaped to fit the user's ear, therefore, they generally fit very well, and are a great choice for the very elderly or those with dexterity issues. 

Therefore, if optimal hearing (especially in noisy environments) is your main goal, we always recommend receiver-in-canal hearing aids over customs (unless management is a primary concern).

The advantages of rechargeable-hearing aids over battery-hearing aids are that they are easier to manage, because you don't have to insert small batteries into them weekly. For people with dexterity issues, this is a clear advantage. It's also just less fiddling around in general. Because of this reason, approximately 75% of hearing aids we sell are now rechargeable.  Furthermore, they are more environmentally friendly, with no constant e-waste being produced. 

However, there are some advantages of battery-operated hearing aids over rechargeable. If you are someone always on the go, or travels often, battery operated hearing aids may be a better option for you, as you don't need to worry about wall-charging every 16-20 hours - i.e. grey nomads. Just throw a packet of batteries in your bag and you're good to go for a month!

Modern hearing aids are more waterproof than most people think. For example, nearly all hearing aids are now IP68 rated, meaning they can withstand being submerged in fresh water up to 1 metre deep for 60 minutes. However, this protection does not extend to chlorinated or salty water, which can damage them.

In essence, nearly all hearing aids are designed to withstand rain, brief dips in water, and unintentional splashes, without damage. Nevertheless, to ensure longevity (and just to be safe) we always advise our clients to keep hearing aids as dry as possible.

You'll spend around $80 per year on batteries (Private clients).

If you are eligible for the HSP program, your batteries are always supplied free of charge.

This is a complex one, which gives hearing aids an unfair stigma. The primary reason many individuals fail to wear hearing aids lies with first-time users who prematurely discontinue hearing aid usage along with hearing expectations not matching chosen hearing aids/budgets.

In relation brain adaptation, this poses a problem more frequently in people who have left treatment of hearing loss too late in life. In these people, problems are usually overcome, however, they do have more issues, and require stricter, regular hearing aid use that the average hearing aid user. Regular use allows the brain to correctly go through the adaptation process that comes with neuroplasticity. In audiology we call this the "acclimatation period". During the acclimatation period, the person may find certain sounds (particularly high-frequency sounds) overwhelmingly loud and intrusive, expressing "these hearing aids are just too tinny" or "they simply don't sound right" or "all I hear is noise". But here's the kicker - this response in most cases is normal and will diminish as time goes on. Often this gets blamed on incorrect hearing aid programming or bad hearing aids. And while this is true in some cases, the reality is, in most cases it is not.

Alternatively, other common reasons for non-use is when people do not match chosen hearing aid technology to their expectations. For example, if people expect to only hear better in one-on-one situations and follow dialogue on the TV more easily, they do not require high-end technology hearing aids. However, if people expect to hear well at restaurants, cafes, and business meetings, they will require higher levels. For this reason, it's important to ensure hearing expectations match hearing aid budgets. 

In summary, by selecting the appropriate hearing aids tailored to your hearing needs, and consistently using them from the outset, these challenges are nearly always be overcome.

Some individuals with mild hearing loss may not need to wear hearing aids constantly, opting to use them primarily during social interactions or in environments where speech understanding is challenging, such as background noise environments. However, research shows that 80% of people who are prescribed hearing aids should wear them daily for at least 8 hours. Those with moderate to severe hearing losses should be wearing them even longer, around 10-14 hours per day.