How to fit a personal sound amplifier so it stops whistling and starts helping
By Jamal — SEO & partnerships at Ovara
A note on what this site is. Ovara sells a personal sound amplifier. It is not a hearing aid, it does not treat hearing loss, and nothing here is medical advice. If you notice a change in your hearing, book an appointment with a hearing-care professional first.
Most "it doesn't work" verdicts on a personal sound amplifier are fit problems, not sound problems. The wrong ear dome size, the tube sitting badly, the volume set too high on day one, or one ear left out of the box: any of these makes a perfectly good device whistle, fall out or sound tinny. This guide is the fitting routine we would walk a relative through at the kitchen table. It applies to most behind-the-ear amplifiers, not only ours.
Before the first wear: charge it fully
A rechargeable amplifier that arrives half-charged behaves oddly: the volume drifts and the low-battery tone confuses people. Charge both units to full before the first use. The Ovara Sound Amplifier charges by cable and is rated for about 48 hours of use per charge; leaving both on the bedside table to charge overnight is the habit that sticks.
Step 1: choose the ear dome that seals, not the smallest one
The box holds several soft ear dome sizes. People almost always pick the smallest because it looks most comfortable, and then complain about whistling. The whistle (acoustic feedback) happens when amplified sound leaks back out of the ear and reaches the microphone. A dome that gently seals the ear canal stops most of it. Try the medium first. If it feels loose, go up a size; if it aches after twenty minutes, go down one. A good seal feels like a soft foam earplug, not like pressure.
Step 2: sit the body behind the ear, tube over the top
The unit rests behind the ear with the thin tube running over the top of the ear and into the canal, the same way glasses sit. If you wear glasses, put the amplifier on first and the glasses arm over it. The dome should point slightly forward into the canal, not straight in. A twist of a few degrees is normal. If the tube is too long and the dome sits shallow, feedback returns; if the tube is too short it will tug. Either way, do not force it.
Step 3: start on the lowest volume and the L mode
Switch on with the volume dial at its minimum and the mode switch on L (the quiet, one-to-one setting). Then raise the dial slowly until speech across a quiet room is comfortable, and stop there. The most common day-one mistake is turning the dial up until everything sounds loud, which is exhausting within an hour and makes background noise unbearable. Our guide are hearing amplifiers safe? explains why loud is the wrong target.
Step 4: use H only where you need it
H is for busy rooms where voices get lost. It lifts more, so it also lifts more clatter. Use it for the family lunch, then go back to L. Switching modes should take one second with a fingernail; if you find yourself leaving it on H all day, the volume is set too low on L, not the other way round.
Step 5: wear both, not one
The price covers a full pair, and two ears matter: the brain works out where sounds come from by comparing both ears, so one amplified ear feels lopsided and noisier than two balanced ones. If one ear is clearly the "better" one, you will still usually prefer wearing both, with that side turned down a notch.
The first week: short sessions, quiet rooms
Wear it for an hour or two a day in quiet situations first: television at normal volume, a conversation at the table, a phone call on speaker. Build up to longer wear and busier places over a week or two. Your own voice will sound odd for the first few days; that fades. What does not fade is discomfort, and a dome that hurts after twenty minutes is the wrong size, full stop.
Troubleshooting in thirty seconds
- Whistling: larger dome, push it in a little further, or turn the volume down one notch. Cupping a hand over the ear will always cause it; that is normal.
- Sounds tinny or hollow: the dome is not sealing. Go up a size.
- Falls out when you chew or talk: the tube is too long or the dome too small.
- Everything is loud, speech is not clearer: volume too high and the room too noisy. Lower it, switch to L, and try again in a quieter room.
- Itchy after a few days: wipe the domes with a damp cloth daily and let them dry; sweat and wax build up faster than people expect.
- Nothing helps: it may simply not be the right product for that person. Our 30-day money-back guarantee exists for exactly this, and our guide on whether hearing amplifiers work is honest about who they do not suit.
When fitting is not the problem
If both ears feel blocked, one ear is much worse than the other, the change was sudden, or there is pain or discharge, no fitting tip applies. Stop and see a hearing-care professional first. An NHS hearing test is free, and it is the right first step before any purchase, including ours.