Amplifon Hearing Health Care (formerly known as HearPO) prides itself on being a global leader in hearing care. The company is based in Milan, Italy, but has a presence around the world, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, and Egypt. Their U.S. company — Amplifon USA — is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Amplifon helps customers find hearing care providers to help them find the hearing solution they need, including behind-the-ear (BTE), receiver-in-the-ear, receiver-in-canal, in-the-ear, and in-the-canal hearing aids.

In this article, we will take a look at what Amplifon offers, its pros and cons, and available alternatives.

What Is Amplifon Hearing Health Care?

Amplifon is a network of thousands of hearing health care providers. The network offers a range of hearing aid models from leading brands, such as Oticon and Phonak. Amplifon’s patient care advocates help customers find a hearing aid provider. After matching you with a provider, Amplifon handles the insurance, billing, and appointment scheduling.

As a retailer, Amplifon offers a risk-free service to help you find the right hearing aid for your needs. It also provides you with a free 60-day trial so you can be sure that your hearing aid is a comfortable fit.

All hearing aids come with a three-year warranty that supports repairs, loss, or damage. Also included is a two-year battery supply or a free charging station so you always have power for your device. Amplifon also provides a one-year follow-up care service so you can have your device cleaned or adjusted.

Amplifon’s Process

The first step is to find out if your health insurance covers hearing aids or if your health plan offers Amplifon as a benefit. To do this, fill out the Hearing Aid Insurance Benefit Check form on Amplifon’s website, and one of their patient care advocates will call you to verify your coverage and explain your options.

If you choose to work with Amplifon, their customer service team will match you with a hearing provider in your area and schedule your in-person appointment. At your appointment, your local hearing expert will give you a professional hearing test and help you choose a hearing aid. You may need to pay for the hearing test or be responsible for a hearing test copay depending on your health coverage. 

Once you have chosen the right hearing aids, your provider will place the order with Amplifon, and you will return for an appointment when your hearing aids are ready for pick up. You may need to return for follow-up care appointments if you need your hearing aids cleaned or adjusted.

Amplifon Hearing Aid Options

Amplifon is an elite hearing network that offers hearing aids from the following leading brands: Phonak, Oticon, Unitron, Starkey, Rexton, Sonic, Widex, Miracle-Ear, Resound, and Signia.

Amplifon Sound Levels

Amplifon offers a range of hearing aids based on the number of frequency channels as well as noise enhancement and noise reduction features:

• Level One: Up to eight frequency channels with standard fixed feedback volume control
• Level Two: Up to 24 frequency channels with the ability to improve speech when background noise is present. It also adjusts for various situations.
• Level Three: Up to 32 frequency channels with advanced feedback reduction and speech enhancement. It can also eliminate most background noise.
• Level Four: Up to 48 frequency channels with advanced feedback reduction and speech enhancement. It can also eliminate most background noise.
• Level Five: Up to 64 frequency channels with the highest sound quality and adaptive noise reduction and wind noise reduction.

Standard Features With Levels 1, 2, and 3

Each device is equipped with standard features, while the upper-level devices have additional features. The standard features include:

• Noise management options
• Bluetooth and smartphone app control
• Feedback management
• Rechargeable battery
• Water resistance

Extra Features with Levels 4 and 5

As well as the above-listed standard features, levels four and five also offer:

• Environmental responsiveness
• Active noise reduction
• Advanced smart device options

Amplifon Pros and Cons

Now that you know what Amplifon is and what it offers, let’s review some of its pros and cons.

Pros

• A wide selection of hearing aid brands
• A 60-day risk-free trial
• One-year follow-up care
• Battery support
• Three-year warranty

Cons

• Doesn’t provide upfront pricing online — just that customers receive a 56% discount off the MSRP on average
• Requires an in-person appointment

Amplifon Reviews

Choosing hearing aids and a hearing aid provider is an important decision. You want to make sure you will get a high-quality product and service. Let’s take a look at what Amplifon’s users have to say.

To start, Amplifon has a 4.3 out of 5 rating on Facebook.

Reviewer Sandy LaBarber says: “The staff were so helpful in helping me pick out the best option for me in deciding which hearing aid was right for me. I can hear so much better since I started wearing my new hearing aids. It's amazing what I can hear, compared as to before.”

Reviewer Connie Frisk says: “Amplifon hearing aids and health care team has been very accommodating and compassionate. When I first found out that I needed hearing aids, I cried for two days, but then when I finally set up my appointment to discuss the options, they totally made me feel 100% comfortable about all decisions that I made and didn't pressure me about anything. They showed me the options and the differences and allowed me to make my choices. I have all good things to say.”

However, not all of Amplifon’s customers found the service satisfactory.

Reviewer Neil A. Lofgren says: “They don't return calls. No follow-up support. I think I could have done better at Walmart for $100.”

And reviewer Martie Wouter De Waal commented: “This was the worst experience in my life. Very unprofessional.”

In addition, Amplifon Hearing Health Care has received two user complaints on the Better Business Bureau website. Both complaints were related to difficulty getting replacement batteries and were resolved by Amplifon. 

Amplifon Alternative: MDHearingAid

The cost of hearing aids can vary significantly depending on the type of device, the brand, and the company you are purchasing from, so it makes sense to shop around. MDHearingAid is an affordable alternative to Amplifon.

MDHearingAid is an American company that provides hearing solutions for more than 500,000 people. Their hearing aids are FDA-registered and are tested by audiologists. They are dedicated to providing quality service and support to all their customers. Their hearing aid options include:

• MDHearingAid PRO: The PRO can help 80% of people who have hearing loss. It has two settings and a volume control dial. It can also block some of the background noise in your environment. It is ideal for watching TV, having conversations, and talking on the phone. Pricing starts at $199.99.
• MDHearingAid AIR: The AIR has a digital microphone, four program settings, and a volume control dial. It has an improved level of noise reduction compared to the PRO — with quiet, social, and noisy settings. It also has feedback cancellation technology. Pricing starts at $399.99.
• MDHearingAid VOLT+: You can say goodbye to batteries with the rechargeable VOLT+ that gives you more than 24 hours of hearing. This device has dual microphones and is water resistant. It has smart background noise reduction that makes it suitable for all social situations. Pricing starts at $599.99.
• MDHearingAid CORE: The CORE has two directional microphones and four program settings. It adapts to suit your hearing. You can create your own personal hearing profile using the MDHearing app on your smartphone or tablet. Pricing starts at $799.99.

In addition to providing quality hearing aids, MDHearingAid provides support from licensed audiologists and hearing aid specialists. While Amplifon prides itself on being the largest network of independent hearing care providers, if you have normal age-related hearing loss, it’s usually not necessary to meet with an audiologist or provider in person. So with MDHearingAid, you can have a consultation and purchase your hearing aids from the comfort of your home.

Plus, when you go to MDHearingAid’s website, you’ll see exactly what your hearing aids will cost, helping you to make an informed decision. When you go to amplifonusa.com, you don’t see pricing upfront, only that Amplifon provides average savings of 56% off MSRP.

Choosing the Right Hearing Aid

Choosing a hearing aid can seem daunting, particularly if it’s your first time. It’s a good idea to choose a provider that can help you make an informed choice by getting to know how your hearing loss affects your lifestyle, explaining your options, and answering all your questions. 

You may find Amplifon beneficial if you need help choosing the right hearing aid or help with financing. However, you may prefer to see the price of your hearing aid options upfront and to purchase your hearing aid online, without having to make an in-person appointment. In this case, MDHearingAid is the better option.

If you’re having difficulty hearing you may want to check out FreeHearingTest.org’s free phone hearing screening test. You can take the test over the phone in less than 5 minutes.

You can also take a free online hearing screening test at MDHearingAid.com. This test takes less than 8 minutes and includes a free consultation with an audiologist.