Hearing aids should be chosen according to the individual listening needs, subjective preferences, age, dexterity, cosmetic concern, severity and nature of the hearing loss. Listening needs Premium and high-end hearing aid models are equipped with more sophisticated digital speech processing technologies. However, they are more costly than entry and mid-level models. Subjective preferences, age and dexterity Some hearing aid users may prefer their hearing aids to be as invisible as possible. There are now a wide range of BTEs to suit different degree of hearing loss. Custom-made (ITE/ITC/CIC/IIC) hearing aids may not be suitable for young infants, and people with problems like dexterity, earwax or ear drainage. Cosmetic concern A custom-made hearing aid is smaller in size and plugged into the ear canal. On the other hand, a BTE / Open-fit hearing aid is now more fashionable as it looks just like an ear-worn bluetooth device. Severity and nature of hearing loss Although modern custom-made hearing aids are getting more powerful by utilizing more powerful receivers (up to 70dB), high-powered BTEs can still provide more gain (up to 80dB).