Can people share their experiences and opinions of RITE vs. BTE with regard to durability, sound quality, and cleaning?
I prefer BTE, although my loss now means that is about the only choice.
Years ago I had ITE, occlusion was bad and the aids failed often.
I didn’t like the feeling of having devices stuck in my ear/canal.
The BTE aids seem to work much better for me, many options, and are very reliable.
The microphones are larger and have more spacing, making zoom features work better,
BTE can provide much more power if you need it later.
Also, I prefer generic domes and not custom molds with my BTE.
In a discussion about RITE/RIC vs. BTE, the argument about options, mics and power is largely moot. The RIC option list is often more extensive, especially in terms of colour choices etc. (True about the comparison with ITE though).
If you prefer a moulded tip that’s equally possible on both types too.
The main difference is where absolute power is required or the ear/environment has a tendency to leak fluids into the aid. This would guide me to a BTE. Some RITE don’t have telecoils and the controls on BTE are easier for people with handling issues because they are larger. The downside being that not all moulds are easy to insert / though RIC wires can be fiddly too.
The reasons for not going with a BTE include; size objection, tubing/mould visibility issues, tubing resonace issues, tubing condensation problems, mould pressure soreness etc.