Shopping or a hearing aid can be very confusing, with literally hundreds of products to choose from. But many audiologists sell and support just one or two brands, so it’s important to be aware of what else is out there. The market-leading brands come from six large multinational holding companies that control the lion’s share of the global hearing aid market. Several have multiple brand divisions or subsidiaries, and all of them provide multiple models of hearing aids. Following is a list of the world’s leading brands, with information about their flagship product models and the companies behind them. The premium hearing aids listed are at the highest end of the price scale: when loaded with options they can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000 per pair, sometimes more.* All are worth investigating if you are considering buying a new pair of high-end hearing aids. But each brand also offers less expensive models as well. For more information, click on the links supplied for companies, brands and product