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    How to Hear Better at Home

    Small tweaks, like adjusting lighting and TV settings, can make a big difference

    Having difficulty hearing the TV or the dinner table conversation? A few simple steps may make a big difference—with or without a hearing aid.

    more on hearing help

    Try these tips from James Willcox, CR’s senior electronics reporter covering TV, and Clarice Myers, AuD, a faculty audiologist in the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Bethesda, Md. Myers is also the audiological consultant for CR’s over-the-counter hearing aid testing.

    To reveal each tip, click or hover your cursor over the dots (or tap on a mobile device) on the illustration below.

    Click on dots to learn more.

    Illustration: Chris Philpot

    CR tests large appliances for noise levels; members can find our ratings here. And our ratings of prescription and OTC hearing aid brands and retailers can help you find the right device for you.

    Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the March 2024 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.


    Catherine Roberts

    Catherine Roberts is a health and science journalist at Consumer Reports. She has been at CR since 2016, covering infectious diseases, bugs and bug sprays, consumer medical devices like hearing aids and blood pressure monitors, health privacy, and more. As a civilian, her passions include bike rides, horror films and fiction, and research rabbit holes. Follow her on X: @catharob.