About Mind Body Life

About the Author — Max

I came to hearing health writing the long way: through my father, who started losing his hearing in his early 60s and spent years avoiding hearing aids because the ones he pictured were the bulky beige things he'd seen on his own parents. When he finally tried an OTC hearing aid in 2019 — before the FDA rule change made them widely available — I watched the experience from the outside: the research, the confusion, the false starts, the eventual payoff.

I've been writing about OTC hearing aids since the category barely existed. I've reviewed dozens of devices, tracked how the technology has improved, and talked to hundreds of real users about what actually works and what doesn't. I don't have a clinical background — I'm a journalist and researcher. What I do have is a lot of accumulated knowledge about how these products actually perform in real life.

The most common question I get: "Are you an audiologist?" The answer is no. And I think that's worth being transparent about.

Our Editorial Approach

Every product review on this site is written to answer the same question: would most people with mild to moderate hearing loss benefit from this device, and is the price justified?

We evaluate hearing aids across five core criteria:

• Sound quality — How well does it handle speech clarity in quiet and noisy environments?
• Comfort & fit — Can you wear it all day without discomfort? Does the design suit the ear?
• Battery life — Does it last a full day? Is charging convenient?
• App & usability — Is the setup reasonable? Does the app add value or frustration?
• Value — Does the price match what you're actually getting?

Scores reflect how a product performs across these criteria relative to its price category. A $297 hearing aid that scores 4.5 isn't being held to the same standard as a $2,950 one — we're comparing within categories.

How We Handle Affiliate Relationships

Mind Body Life earns a commission when you click our links and purchase a hearing aid. This is how the site stays free — no paywalls, no subscription, no sponsored content.

Here's how it works in practice:

• We link to manufacturer websites and approved affiliate programs. We don't link to third-party resellers at inflated prices.
• A commission never influences a review score. A product we believe is overpriced at $2,950 will say so even if we earn a higher commission on that product than on a $297 one.
• We don't accept free products in exchange for reviews. If a manufacturer sends us a unit, we note it. If we purchase at full price, we note that too.
• We don't have exclusive deals with any brand. If a brand launches a bad product, we'll say so.

Our full affiliate disclosure is available here.

How We Test Products

For a full explanation of our testing methodology — including whether products are purchased or supplied, how scores are determined, and what "medically reviewed" means on this site — see our How We Test page.