Well, there is many!

• We also offer low priced hearing aids, starting from as low as $1695. And as an ethnical audiology clinic, the difference with us is we provide quality hearing aids at fair prices, not any hearing aid at a low price. The devil being in the detail here. But don't just take our word for it - spend some time online researching the repuation of the manufacturers we work with, and verify this yourself.

• We proudly display our prices online, instead of merely stating it. Within the industry, many independent clinics assert on their websites that their pricing is "transparent," yet a thorough search of their entire site often reveals no pricing information at all. This tactic is typically employed because they maintain approximately 25% flexibility in the prices they can charge for their aids. Let's be clear about this - it's a dirty tactic of overcharging clients when they can get away with it. It reflects poorly on our industry, and calls into question clinical integrity.

• We are not affiliated or owned by hearing companies or large corperate body, ensuring you receive unbiased advice. Also, we are a local family practice, so your support is directly reinvested into the community, not sent overseas.

• Low-quality hearing aids being sold by chains is prevelent within Australia, due to the corperate saturation that now exsists, prioritising bottom dollar over the end-user. Corperate bodies (generally) will have preferential purchasing agreements with low cost vendors. 

• Indepedent clinics, such as ours, provide more individualised patient-focused care and longer appointment times, enabling you to develop trust and rapport with your audiologist.

• We offer a comprehensive home-visit service. And unlike our competetors, we use state-of-the-art testing testing equiptment for this, because our business is specifically designed for it. Home visits are a great option for those who have mobility and transport issues!

• That being said (and since we are so honest) there are still times when a chain clinic may still be a better option for you over our clinic. If you are planning on moving to another state/city in the future, chains offer a network of clinics around Australia, making it easier for you to switch providers. Furthermore, our home-service is not bulk billed, meaning some people may not be able to afford this service. 

This is a complex one that can't be summarised. The primary reason many individuals fail to wear hearing aids lies with first-time users who prematurely discontinue hearing aid usage before allowing their brains to adapt fully. This poses a common problem, especially in those who have long-term untreated hearing loss. In these people, it’s most crucial for them to engage the brain in regular hearing aid use, for the adaptation process to complete its course. During the acclimisation 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, all I hear is noise". But here's the kicker - this will diminish over time, as long as the person wears their hearing aids daily for atleast 8-10 hours. Because of this, it's crucial that people uses their hearing aids consistently from the outset. Otherwise they run the risk of forming a inaccurate perception of how hearing aids sound.

Alternatively, other common reasons for non-use is not matching chosen hearing aid technology to  match their hearing 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 technology levels. For this reason, it's important to ensure hearing expectations match chosen technology levels.

In summary, by selecting the appropriate hearing aids tailored to specific hearing needs and consistently using them for a minimum of 8 hours each day, along with consulting your audiologist for support when necessary, these challenges can almost always be prevented.

We sell all styles of hearing aids available on the market, including rechargeable and battery options, in the following styles:

• receiver in the ear/canal  (RIE/RIC)

• behind the ear (BTE)

• in the ear (ITE)

• in the canal (ITC)

• invisible in the canal (IIC)

If people look after hearing aids, they can expect to get 4-6 years of life from their hearing aids. 

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.

The level of technology that you need is largely determined by your hearing expectations, which is influenced by the type of lifestyle you lead. All hearing aids we sell (from the cheapest to the most expensive) are equipped with an array of features designed to enhance speech clarity while reducing background noise. However, these features are much more sophisticated in hearing aids of higher technology levels, such as our Excellence or Aristo range.

A good way to think about which technology level you may need is by focusing on where you would need / expect to hear better with hearing aid use - for instance, if you are still in the workforce and need to hear better during office meetings, at large family events, and in restaurants and cafes, you will certainly need higher technology, available in our Superior or Excellence range. This also applies for retirees who maintain a moderate active and social lifestyle.

For adults of more advanced age (85 years or older), such as those in aged-care facilities, or just anyone who leads a very much sedentary lifestyle, primary hearing goals may be to simply hear better in one-on-one conversations and watching TV. In these cases, opting for lower levels of hearing aid technology such as our 'Standard', would be most appropriate.

There is also a rationale that the worse a hearing loss is, the more you may have to spend on hearing aids. While I agree that this is true, I would argue this point isn't nearly as important as the first one.

In summary, when it comes to hearing aids, the truth is much like many aspects of life - you get what you pay for!

The advantages of rechargeable-hearing aids over battery-hearing aids is 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, appoximately 70% 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 few packets of batteries in your bag and you're good to go for a month!

Yes you can bring exsisting hearing aids to our clinic. We work with the majority of hearing aids on the market and can program, service and look after your hearing aid needs. In majority of cases, regardless of where it's come from.

In relation to warranty coverage, if you are an eligible client under the Australian Government Hearing Services Program (eligible DVA/pension card holders), even if your devices were purchased elsewhere, they will remain under warranty for a period of 5 years since purchase if you are seen by us.

For private client's, if your hearing aids are still under the manufacturer warranty, we will do what we can get get them covered for you - in a majority of cases, we will be able to honour private client hearing aids if still under warranty. However please note, we are not ultimately liable for warranty coverage for private clients hearing aids when purchased elsewhere. 

As of April 2025, according to "HearAdvisor lab" (an independent hearing aid performance tester  free from affliation with hearing aid companies) the worlds best hearing aids for hearing speech in noise are rated as follows:

1. Phonak Infinio Sphere

2. Oticon Intent 1 

3. Starkey Evolv AI 2400 

4. Otion Real 1 

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

At Southern Hearing Excellence, we can provide most of these devices on this list.

Modern hearing aids are more water proof than most people think. For example, many 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 to keep hearing aids as dry as you can.

While there is certainly some validity to this, the roots of this widespread perception are mostly misinformed, as it wrongly attributes the issues at hand. In truth, it relates more to the intregity of the individual's auditory system, the technology level purchased, and the stage of life when the person first started using hearing aids.

Firstly, hearing aids do NOT amplify all sounds indiscriminately; instead, they enhance the necessary sounds through non-linear amplification. Thanks to directional microphones, noise reduction technology, beamforming, and target speech recognition, they constantly scan the sound scape to prioritise speech over background noise. 

One common reason individuals express frustration with hearing aids amplifying background noise is related to a condition known as hyperacusis along with people never overcoming the acclimisation period. Hyperacusis occurs when a person's tolerance to sound is diminished, causing their remaining healthy hair cells to become overstimulated. Not overcoming acclimisation is when the person simply hasn't worn their hearing for the correct length of time, resulting in on-going poor tolerance to noise sounds. It's easy for someone who has been largely deaf for 15 years to forget that normal-hearing people have to put up with annoying background noises too!

Your audiologist can always help to reduce unwanted noise if it disturbs you. But remember, a reduction in noise usually means a reduction in speech intelligibility, so keep this in mind. In simple terms, with appropriate hearing aid use and addressing hearing loss proactively before one becomes significantly older, most people can overcome this problem.

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 challanging, such as background noise environments. However, research shows that 90% of people who are prescribed hearing aids should wear them daily for at least 8-10 hours per day. Those with moderate to severe hearing losses should be wearing them even longer.

Yes - the majority of the hearing aids we sell include phone streaming capabilities as standard, including our cheapest ones. 

Majority of mobile phones people use these days are capable of steaming calls to hearing aids, however it's important to note, not all of them can. iPhones are the best phones for phone streaming (less than 10 years old). And the majority of late model Android phones will, but some of the cheaper model Android phones will not. 

Your audiologist will always check if your phone is compatable for phone call streaming at your hearing assessment appointment. 

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

If you want a descrete option - such as an completely-in-the-canal (CIC) or a in-the canal (ITC) hearing aid, over a slightly larger hearing aid, there will be no price change.

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. It 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.