Best CROS and BiCROS hearing aids in 2026
- Koorosh Nejad
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
Single-sided deafness is not very common, but still, some patients have lost all hearing on one side and are keen to improve their hearing experience. In this article, I present the best CROS and BiCROS hearing aids in 2026.
This post is best read in conjunction with the following articles:
I will elaborate on the topic by answering the following questions:
What is a single-sided deafness (SSD)?
What is the difference between a CROS and a BiCROS hearing aid?
Are CROS and BiCROS the only options for single-sided deafness (SSD)?
Do CROS and BiCROS hearing aids help with hearing speech in noisy venues?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using CROS and BiCROS hearing aids?
Which one works better, a CIC or an RIC CROS hearing aid?
What are the best RIC CROS hearing aids?
What are the best invisible CIC, CROS and BiCROS hearing aids?
What is a single-sided deafness (SSD)?
Single-sided deafness (SSD) is a condition in which a patient has lost all hearing in one ear. A CROS hearing aid has a transmitter on the deaf ear that transmits sound from the deaf side to the hearing aid on the healthy side, so the patient can be aware of the sound on the deaf side. Please read more about SSD, CROS and BiCROS hearing aids in this article.
What is the difference between a CROS and a BiCROS hearing aid?
They are basically identical. A CROS or BiCROS setting consists of a transmitter on the deaf ear and a normal hearing aid on the healthy side. If the healthy ear has no hearing loss, the hearing aid on the healthy ear does not do much amplification, and this setting is called CROS. If the healthy side has some level of hearing loss, the hearing aid on that side will be prescribed with the result of the hearing test on that side, and it works as a standalone hearing aid as well as a receiver for the signal sent from the deaf side. This setting is called BiCROS. Please read this article to learn more about CROS and BiCROS hearing aids.
Are CROS and BiCROS the only options for single-sided deafness (SSD)?
BAHA (Bone Anchor Hearing Aids) and CI (Cochlear Implant) could also be options depends on the profile of the deafness on the deaf side. Some people choose to have no fitting on the deaf side. And some would rather have a CROS hearing aid for occasions when they attend gatherings where they sit at the table and need to have better spatial awareness. My advice is to discuss your options for managing your single-sided deafness with your audiologist.
Do CROS and BiCROS hearing aids help with hearing speech in noisy venues?
Not really. IN a noisy restaurant, the transmitted sound on the deafside trasmits the sound to the good ear and the result often is that the noise is multiplied. A better solution would be to have a Phonak Roger microphone, such as Phonak Roger On iN, which has noise management options to support the use of monaural or a CROS setting hearing aids. Please read more about how a CROS or a BiCROS hearing aid setting functions in a noisy restaurant in this article.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using CROS and BiCROS hearing aids?
Both CROS and BiCROS hearing aids can help the user and improve their quality of life in communicating with people around them. Is that I need to remind you of the limitations of the system. If you are having a conversation with a few friends in a not-too-busy coffee shop, around a family dinner at home, or on a flight, they can help with spatial awareness, so the user does not need to turn their head to hear the message received from a person on his/her deaf side. Is that the CROS and BiCROS are not much of help in the presence of loud noise, such as a festival, a very busy restaurant, a loud pub, etc.
Which one works better, a CIC or an RIC CROS hearing aid?
I have elaborated in full about how to choose a RIC versus a CIC CROS/BiCROS hearing aid in a separate article that I would like to invite you to take a look at, so I can keep this article short and brief.
What are the best RIC CROS/BiCROS hearing aids?
The merit in my assessment is sound quality and battery life. Please note that since both units of the hearing aids are constantly in communication with each other, a CROS/BiCROS setting hearing aids drain faster than a binaural standard hearing aid. As you can guess, battery-powered CROS hearing aids are more favrable specially if you are a heavy user of streaming and hands-free calls (who isn't these days?). The bad news for CROS users is that most manufacturers are moving away from disposable batteries, and almost all of the new hearing aids released in 2025 are rechargeable.
At the time of publishing this article, the best RIC CROS/BiCROS hearing aids on my list are the following.
Rexton Reach Plus IX CROS
Phonak Infinio CROS - Phonak Infinio does not offer you the best battery life for a CROS setting, but one of the best sound qualities specially if you need a BiCROS. More importantly, you will be able to use Phonak Roger remote microphones with the Phonak Infinio CROS setting to improve your experience in noisy environments.
What are the best invisible CIC CROS/BiCROS hearing aids?
If you are looking for an invisible CROS or BiCROS hearing aid, then I have some good and bad news for you. The bad news is that there is no invisible IIC CROS hearing aid. Also, another piece of bad news is that most custom-made hearing aids do not support the CROS setting. In addition, you need to be aware that the CIC hearing aids are often only good for mild to moderate levels of hearing loss, so if you need a BiCROS setting and the hearing loss in the better ear is severe, then your options for an invisible CIC BiCROS setting might be a bit limited. The good news is that there are a few CIC models that you can use in CROS and BiCROS mode, and guess what, they are rechargeable with long battery life.
My choices of a CROS and BiCROS CIC system are:
Rexton Reach inoX CIC CROS - A great option for mild to moderate BiCROS or just a CROS setting
Signia Insio custom-made CIC- Since Signia Insio is custom-made, it can be made with a Power speaker unit, hence it is suitable for a moderate to severe and severe level hearing loss, either as a binaural fitting, or a BiCROS setting.
Questions?
Please book a free online consultation if you wish to discuss your hearing loss and the options for managing single-sided deafness with available CROS and BiCROS hearing aids.
