Why Does My Voice Sound Weird with Hearing Aids?
Welcome to my Q&A series about ear health and hearing aids.
If you ever have questions, feel free to reach out — I’m always happy to help!
Why Does My Voice Sound Weird with Hearing Aids?
Q: I just got my first hearing aids, and my voice sounds strange.
A: You’re not alone — that’s one of the most common things new users notice. The reason actually makes perfect sense once you know how our ears work.
Our ears have three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. Sound waves enter through the ear canal and make the eardrum vibrate. Those vibrations are passed through three tiny bones in the middle ear, which amplify the sound and send it into the inner ear. Inside there’s a part called the cochlea that turns the vibration into signals your brain can recognize as sound.
Normally, we hear our own voice in two ways:
Through the air — the sound leaving your mouth travels through the air into your ears.
Through bone vibrations — the vibration from your vocal cords travels directly through your skull bones to your inner ear.
When you hear a recording of your voice and think, “That doesn’t sound like me!”, it’s because you’re missing the vibration part — you’re only hearing the sound that travels through the air. The same thing happens when you first wear hearing aids. They make the air-conducted sound louder, so your voice suddenly sounds “different” or “echoey.”
If you’ve had hearing loss for a while, you’ve been used to mainly hearing through vibration. So when hearing aids restore the air pathway, your voice might sound off balance. The good news? With the right fitting, your brain usually adjusts within about a week.
If it still feels strange after that, don’t hesitate to stop by your clinic. Hearing aids aren’t like a new phone or TV — they need regular fine-tuning from a professional. Choosing a good hearing aid is important, but what matters just as much is how well it’s adjusted to your unique hearing. And because hearing can change over time, routine checkups help keep everything working comfortably and clearly.
You’ve invested a lot in your hearing — make sure you get the most out of it with proper care!
