Best Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Hearing Loss of 2026

A standard hearing aid can’t help an ear with little or no usable hearing. CROS and BiCROS systems work around that. A small transmitter on your deaf ear picks up sound and sends it wirelessly to a receiver or hearing aid on your better ear. If a CROS or BiCROS system doesn’t work, bone-anchored hearing devices or cochlear implants are options but require a surgical procedure. 

In binaural hearing, your brain and ears process sound from both ears at the same time, making it louder and clearer. When you have unilateral hearing loss, also known as single-sided deafness (SSD), or hearing loss in one ear, sounds on one side can seem to disappear. It gets harder to tell where a voice is coming from or follow a conversation in a busy room. Single-sided hearing loss often comes on suddenly. Sudden sensorineural hearing loss strikes between one and six people per 5,000 every year, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), and it frequently affects only one ear.

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Compare Our Top Hearing Aid Picks

Company	Best for	Device type	CROS options	Availability
Signia	Variety of styles	RIC, CIC, Earbud style	4 models	With a prescription
Phonak	Bluetooth calls and streaming	RIC	1 model	With a prescription
Oticon	Streaming without missing a conversation	RIC	3 models	With a prescription

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How We Chose the Best Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Hearing Loss

We started with the 32 hearing aid brands in our best hearing aid companies guide, which included device testing and conversations with four audiologists. For this guide, we narrowed the list to manufacturers that make CROS or BiCROS systems, since those are the hearing aids built for single-sided hearing loss. We checked each brand’s current lineup, compatibility, battery life, and streaming claims against the manufacturer’s website. We also looked at how many styles each brand offers and whether it supports BiCROS for people with hearing loss in their better ear.

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Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Hearing Loss Reviews

• Battery life: Not specified
• BiCROS available: Yes
• Bluetooth streaming: Yes
• Rechargeable: Yes

Why we chose it

Signia’s CROS IX line includes four transmitter styles on its current Integrated Xperience (IX) platform. Pure Charge&Go IX has a classic receiver-in-canal (RIC) shape. Styletto IX is slimmer and more fashion-forward, and Active IX looks like an earbud. Silk Charge&Go IX sits inside the ear canal. Signia calls it the world’s only ready-to-wear rechargeable CROS completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aid. Each style can be set up as a CROS or BiCROS system, so you can choose based on look and comfort.

Pros

• Four CROS styles, including an in-canal option
• Supports both CROS and BiCROS
• Rechargeable with app control on iPhone and Android

Cons

• Signia doesn’t list battery life for its CROS models
• Streaming isn’t listed for its in-canal Silk style.

CROS system details

Signia uses what it calls skewed directionality, a microphone setting. The transmitter’s microphones focus toward your deaf side to help you understand speech coming from that direction. The devices charge wirelessly and connect to the Signia app. Active IX also handles hands-free calls and streaming.

For more information, read our full Signia review.

• Battery life: 16+ hours
• BiCROS available: Yes
• Bluetooth streaming: Yes
• Rechargeable: Yes

Why we chose it

Phonak’s current hearing aid platform is Infinio. Its CROS Infinio transmitter pairs with the Audéo Infinio, Phonak’s rechargeable RIC hearing aid, on your better ear. Phonak designed it for people with hearing loss on one side that a regular hearing aid can’t help, whatever the hearing level in the other ear. That means it can work as a CROS or BiCROS system. The standout is universal Bluetooth, which connects to iPhones, Android phones, and other devices for hands-free calls and streaming.

Pros

• Hands-free calls with most Bluetooth phones
• Works with Phonak’s Roger wireless microphones
• Rechargeable battery lasts a full day

Cons

• Pairs only with Phonak’s Audéo Infinio RIC hearing aid
• Roger microphones are a separate purchase

CROS system details

Phonak says CROS Infinio has four times more wireless transmission power for a steadier connection, and calls and streaming reach twice the distance. If you struggle in noisy restaurants or meetings, Phonak’s Roger microphones can send a speaker’s voice to your hearing aids from up to 80 feet away.

For more information, read our full Phonak review.

• Battery life: Not specified
• BiCROS available: Yes
• Bluetooth streaming: Yes
• Rechargeable: Yes, on CROS RE and CROS PX

Why we chose it

Oticon’s newest hearing aid family is Reveal, which Oticon calls the world’s first hearing aid powered by a Dual AI system. Oticon sells three CROS transmitters. CROS RE is the newest, and it works with Reveal and other recent Oticon hearing aids. CROS PX is also rechargeable, and the original Oticon CROS uses a disposable battery. Oticon says its CROS can be fitted as a CROS or BiCROS system.

Pros

• Stream audio and hear your deaf side at the same time
• Rechargeable and disposable battery options
• Nine color choices on CROS RE

Cons

• Battery life is not listed for CROS models
• Oticon doesn’t say which hearing aids work with each CROS model
• Rechargeable CROS models come only in a miniRITE (RIC) style

CROS system details

Oticon’s TwinLink technology runs two wireless technology systems at once. One sends sound from your deaf ear to your better ear, and the other handles streaming from your phone or TV. Oticon reports a 50% average improvement in awareness of speech around you while streaming.

For more information, read our full Oticon review.

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Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Deafness Buyer’s Guide

Choosing a solution for single-sided hearing loss starts with how much hearing you have in each ear. From there, you can compare device types, features, and costs with a hearing care provider.

Key insights

• CROS and BiCROS hearing aids send sound from your poorer ear to your better ear without surgery.
• CROS systems and bone-anchored devices don’t restore your sense of where sounds come from. Cochlear implants can improve it.
• Original Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids, but Part B can cover bone-anchored implants and cochlear implants for eligible adults.

Types of Hearing Aid Companies for Single-Sided Deafness

There are a few types of hearing aids that help with one-sided hearing loss. For the purposes of this guide, the focus is on those systems that don’t require surgery.

CROS and BiCROS System Manufacturers

Hearing aid manufacturers like Signia, Phonak, and Oticon sell CROS and BiCROS systems through hearing care providers. There’s no surgery involved. These devices use contralateral routing to pick up sound from your deaf ear and move it to your better-hearing ear. You pay for the devices and fitting, the same as with a regular prescription hearing aid.

Bone-Anchored Hearing System Makers

Bone-anchored systems are bone-conduction devices that send sound through your skull to the inner ear on your hearing side. Most require minor surgery to place a small implant behind the ear, and a sound processor attaches to it. Costs include both the device and the surgery.

Cochlear Implant Manufacturers and Surgical Providers

A cochlear implant is surgically placed in the deaf ear and directly stimulates the hearing nerve. The FDA approved cochlear implants for single-sided deafness in 2019. It’s the only option that gives the deaf ear its own hearing back, which can help you tell where sounds come from. It also involves the most surgery and costs the most.

What to Look For in the Best Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Deafness

Shopping for single-sided hearing loss is different from buying a standard pair of hearing aids. A regular hearing aid makes sound louder in an ear that can still use it. When one ear has little or no usable hearing, the goal shifts to getting sound from that side to your good ear.

If you aren’t sure what level of hearing loss requires a hearing aid, an audiologist can test your hearing in each ear to show your level of hearing loss and which type of device fits you. An ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor checks for medical causes that need treatment first and can discuss surgical options.

Ease of Use

CROS and BiCROS systems are the easiest hearing aids to start with for single-sided hearing loss. Your hearing care professional fits both devices and pairs the transmitter with your hearing aid during your appointment. You don’t have to do any setup yourself.

Expect an adjustment period while your brain gets used to hearing on your deaf side through your good ear. Plan on a few follow-up visits so your hearing care professional can fine-tune the settings. Make sure you’re aware of the trial period before you buy.

Features and Specs

Most CROS and BiCROS systems share the same core features, but how each brand handles them varies. Compare these features with your provider when choosing a system.

• Wireless transmission: Every CROS system sends sound wirelessly from the transmitter to the hearing aid on your better ear. Some brands use a separate short-range link for this, called near-field magnetic induction (NFMI), so Bluetooth streaming isn’t interrupted. Oticon’s TwinLink works this way.
• Bluetooth streaming: Lets you take calls and stream music or TV to your better ear. Check that the CROS hearing aids you choose support it.
• Rechargeable batteries: Most current CROS transmitters are rechargeable. Among our picks, Phonak is the only brand that publishes a battery rating for its CROS system, at more than 16 hours per charge.
• App control: Lets you change volume and programs from your phone.
• Directional microphones and feedback management: Help you follow speech in noise and cut down on whistling. Signia, for example, focuses its transmitter’s microphones toward your deaf side.
• BiCROS support: You’ll need this if your better-hearing ear also has hearing loss.

Eligibility Requirements

Start with a hearing test that measures how well each ear hears and how well you understand speech.

CROS is for when one ear doesn’t benefit from a regular hearing aid, and you have normal hearing in the other ear. BiCROS is for when your better ear also has mild to moderate hearing loss. If that loss is significant, you might need hearing aids for severe hearing loss.

Cochlear implants have stricter requirements. Candidates need profound hearing loss in one ear and normal or mildly reduced hearing in the other. For implants from MED-EL, a major cochlear implant maker, FDA approval also requires at least one month of trying a hearing aid, CROS, or other device without any benefit.

Before you choose a hearing aid, you should have a medical exam to rule out underlying causes of hearing loss. Sudden hearing loss from something like a head trauma is a medical emergency, and it’s most often treated with corticosteroids. When sudden loss affects only one ear, doctors should rule out tumors on the hearing nerve. An ENT doctor may order an MRI to check for an acoustic neuroma. Conditions like Ménière’s disease also need a diagnosis before you choose a device.

Hearing Aids For Single-Sided Deafness Costs and Pricing

Hearing aids for single-sided hearing loss typically range from a few thousand dollars to $100,000, depending on device type, insurance or Medicare coverage, and whether a surgical procedure is required.

CROS and BiCROS systems cost the least because there’s no surgery. None of our picks publish prices. As with other prescription hearing aids, the price depends on your provider and technology level and usually includes your fitting and follow-up visits. Prescription hearing aids cost $4,000 to $12,000.

Surgical options cost far more because the price includes the procedure. A bone-anchored implant averages about $11,600 for a design with a post through the skin and about $13,900 for a magnet-based design, according to CareCredit. Cochlear implants cost $50,000 to $100,000 for the device, surgery, and rehabilitation, according to Duke Head and Neck Surgery.

Original Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids, and this includes CROS hearing systems. It does treat bone-anchored implants and cochlear implants as prosthetic devices, so Part B can cover them for eligible adults. You’d typically pay 20% after the Part B deductible. Some Medicare Advantage plans offer hearing aid benefits, and most private insurers help cover cochlear implants.

Limitations of Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Hearing Loss

CROS and BiCROS systems don’t restore hearing in your deaf ear. They move sound to your good ear, so you still may not be able to tell where a sound is coming from. In a noisy room, background noise from your deaf side also gets sent to your good ear.

Bone-anchored systems carry surgical risks, and skin problems around the implant are the most common. Cochlear implants involve the most surgery and cost, plus ongoing programming visits and hearing rehabilitation.

Pros and Cons of Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Deafness

For most people newly diagnosed with single-sided hearing loss, a CROS or BiCROS system is the least invasive place to start. It brings back awareness of sound on your deaf side without surgery. Surgical options can do more for some people, but they cost more and carry more risk.

Pros	Cons
Hear sounds on your deaf side	Doesn’t help you determine sound localization
CROS and BiCROS don’t require surgery	You wear a device on both ears
Group conversations can be easier to follow	Noise from your deaf side transfers to your better ear
Bluetooth and streaming are on many CROS systems	CROS are not covered by original Medicare
BiCROS also treats hearing loss in your better ear	Surgical options like bone-anchored and cochlear implants cost a lot more

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Hearing Loss

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Concluding Thoughts on Hearing Aids for Single-Sided Hearing Loss

CROS and BiCROS are the most affordable and easiest place to start when it comes to the best hearing aids for single-sided deafness. They move sound from your deaf ear to your better ear. If a CROS system doesn’t work, then you would need to discuss surgical options like a bone-anchored system or cochlear implant. To start the process, have a hearing test done by a hearing care professional and get checked out by an ENT to rule out a medical condition. Once you understand the device you need, compare features such as style, battery life, and streaming options.