The importance of hearing devices in today's society and the need to take care in protecting one's hearing from the very negative effects of hearing loss is becoming more and more apparent. It has been estimated that over 120 million Americans need to hear while working on the job or recreationally. Moreover, professional sources also estimate that over 35 million Americans need to hear better due to hearing loss. However, only 7-8 million of those have been willing to use the current distribution model of a traditional hearing clinic to get help.
There may be a variety of reasons why more people do not take advantage of the different options currently available for hearing enhancement. For example, one reason more people are not getting help may be due to the inefficiencies and expenses associated with the current distribution model of a traditional hearing clinic. In such settings, hearing devices are often customized for use with a particular individual. And, although there may be other options available, such as personal sound amplification products (“PSAP”) which can be used to improve hearing performance in a variety of situations, there may still be some disadvantages associated with PSAP products currently available on the market. One such disadvantage is that ear size varies greatly across the general population such that a particular PSAP device that fits comfortable and in a stable fashion in one person's ear is not likely to have the same sort of fit in another person's ear.