Fitting rationale for hearing aids

When fitting hearing aids, it is about much more than simply “turning up the volume”. The goal is to provide you with the best possible speech understanding while ensuring that sound feels natural and comfortable in a variety of situations. The fitting rationale selected for your hearing aids can play a crucial role in determining whether you experience the sound quality of your hearing aids as natural, comfortable, and well balanced.

A fitting rationale is a professional fitting model available as a digital option in the software we use when programming hearing aids. The selected fitting rationale calculates how much amplification you need at different frequencies, based on your individual hearing loss. This provides us with a solid starting point when fitting your hearing aids using the manufacturer’s software.

At the same time, we know that no two ears, hearing profiles, or everyday listening environments are exactly the same. That is why we use fitting rationales as a guide, combined with measurements taken directly in the ear and your own experiences, to tailor the best possible hearing aid solution for you.

A good example is NAL-NL3 (National Acoustic Laboratories – Non-Linear version 3), the latest universal, research-based fitting rationale released as of 2026. It is designed to balance optimal speech understanding with listening comfort, while taking factors such as age, previous experience with hearing aids, and individual preferences into account.

Hearing aid manufacturers have also developed their own fitting rationales, which are optimized for their specific technology and sound processing. These can result in different listening experiences and approaches to amplification. In practice, we should therefore consider, test, and choose between both universal and manufacturer-specific fitting rationales in consultation with you as a hearing aid user. The goal is to find the fitting rationale that works best for your individual hearing needs.

An Individual Process Focused on Results

Ultimately, good hearing aid fitting is about finding the solution that works best in your everyday life. By combining knowledge, technology, and close follow-up, we make sure that your hearing aids do more than simply follow a theoretical prescription—they should actually provide better communication, greater participation, and a more comfortable listening experience.

If you are struggling to get the full benefit from your hearing aids, taking a new hearing test and fine-tuning your hearing aids—for example, by changing the fitting rationale—may be a possible solution for improving your hearing and getting more out of your hearing aids.

Kind regards,

Jorid Løkken

Authorized Audiologist, Tinnitus Therapist, Managing Director AudioPlus Norge AS Tel: +47 990 99 779Contact us