Hearing Testing in Janesville, Portage, WI and Freeport, IL

With hearing aid centers in Wisconsin and Illinois, Hearing Aid Associates Inc. proudly provides hearing testing to individuals throughout Janesville, Portage, and Freeport. If you believe you are suffering from hearing loss, help is available. If any of the following statements apply to you, it’s important to get your hearing checked by one of our hearing instrument specialists to see if hearing aids would help you.

  • When meeting someone for the first time, you are unable to hear them clearly.
  • You listen to the television or radio at a volume level which is uncomfortably loud for others in the room.
  • You frequently ask people you are speaking with to repeat themselves because it sounds as if they are mumbling or their speech is muffled.
  • You have frequent ringing in your ears that doesn’t go away.
  • You find it difficult to hear conversations in noisy places – such as restaurants, airports or parties.
  • You are unable to hear important sounds that occur during your day, including the alarm clock, cell phone notifications or the timer bell on the oven.
  • You have trouble hearing phone conversations, particularly cell phone conversations or phone calls with a great deal of background noise.
  • You feel as if your inability to hear is impairing your social life.
  • You find yourself trying to read lips.

If you are experiencing any of these warning signs, call or text Hearing Care Associates Inc. at 608-200-4093 and make an appointment for a hearing test in Janesville to see if hearing aids might help you.

What Does a Hearing Test Detect?

A hearing test can detect issues as simple as an earwax obstruction, or as serious as permanent hearing loss. During your hearing test at Hearing Care Associates Inc. in Janesville, we will measure the threshold at which you are able to hear specific sounds by having you listen to a series of tones at different volumes.

After the test is completed, your hearing aid professional will create an audiogram that shows your hearing sensitivity. Using frequencies measured in Hertz (Hz), and loudness measured in decibels, the audiogram measures the lowest volume levels at which you can hear certain sounds. The louder it takes for a sound to be heard, the greater the level of hearing loss.

We will review your hearing test results with you and determine whether a hearing aid would help you hear.

How to Read Your Hearing Test Results

The normal range of hearing for a healthy adult is considered between 20 and 20,000 Hz. Most sounds we hear are between 250 and 6,000 Hz. A healthy adult should be able to hear sounds between 1 and 20 decibels at any frequency. Hearing loss of 25 decibels or less is considered typical hearing loss for an adult, and a hearing aid probably isn’t required.

Mild

Adults with hearing loss in the 26 to 40-decibel range are said to have mild hearing loss. Symptoms include difficulty understanding quiet conversations or difficulty hearing speech from across the room.

Moderate

Hearing loss in the 41 to 55-decibel range is defined as moderate hearing loss. Those with moderate hearing loss have difficulty hearing conversations at normal volume levels, and listening in noisy environments is extremely difficult.

Moderately Severe

If you have hearing loss in the 56 to 70-decibel range, it is considered moderately severe hearing loss. Symptoms include difficulty hearing quiet conversations or ringing telephones.

Severe

Severe hearing loss is defined as hearing loss that falls between 71 and 90 decibels. With severe hearing loss, you can only hear people who are standing next to you and speaking very loudly.

Profound

Hearing loss measured at 91 decibels and higher is considered profound hearing loss. These individuals are unable to hear loud speech or the everyday sounds around them.

If you suffer from any form of hearing loss, call or text Hearing Care Associates Inc. at 608-200-4093 to set up an appointment.

What Happens During Your Hearing Test in Freeport, IL and Janesville, Portage WI 

A comprehensive hearing evaluation at our Freeport, IL location is painless, takes less than an hour, and gives you a clear, clinical picture of your hearing health. Here’s what our hearing instrument specialists do: 

Otoscopy & Health History Review Before any testing begins, your specialist will take a brief medical history — including any medications, noise exposure history, or family history of hearing loss — and examine your ear canals visually using a small instrument called an otoscope. This rules out physical blockages like earwax that can affect results. 

Pure-Tone Audiometry You’ll wear headphones and listen to a series of tones played at different pitches and volumes. You’ll indicate each time you hear a tone, and your responses are recorded on an audiogram — the visual map of your hearing that shows which frequencies you hear clearly and which ones you struggle with. 

Bone Conduction Testing A small device placed behind your ear sends gentle vibrations directly to your inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear entirely. By comparing these results to your pure-tone test, your specialist can determine whether your hearing loss is sensorineural (caused by inner ear or nerve damage, typically permanent) or conductive (caused by a blockage or middle ear problem, often treatable). Knowing the type of hearing loss determines the right treatment path. 

Speech Testing Instead of tones, you’ll repeat spoken words played through headphones. This measures how well you process and understand speech — since many patients can detect sound but struggle to make out words clearly in conversation, especially with background noise. 

Results Review After testing, your specialist reviews your audiogram with you in plain language, explains your hearing loss type and severity level, and walks you through your options — including whether hearing aids would help, and what type would suit your lifestyle and budget. There’s no pressure to make any decisions on the same day. 

We encourage you to bring a family member or close friend to your appointment. They often notice hearing changes you may have missed, and having a second set of ears during your results conversation is genuinely helpful. 

Hearing Test FAQs
Freeport, IL and Janesville, Portage WI 

We offer complimentary hearing consultations at our Freeport, IL office. Contact us to learn what’s included and to schedule with no obligation or pressure.

A comprehensive hearing evaluation at our Freeport location typically takes less than an hour. This includes your health history review, the tests themselves, and a full review of your results. 

Not at all. Hearing tests are completely non-invasive and painless. You’ll wear headphones and respond to tones and words — nothing enters the ear canal except a small, soft probe for one optional inner ear test. 

A hearing screening is a quick pass/fail check — it can flag a potential concern, but it cannot identify the type, degree, or cause of your hearing loss. A comprehensive hearing evaluation at Hearing Pros uses calibrated diagnostic equipment to produce a detailed audiogram and give your specialist the information needed to recommend the right next steps. 

A comprehensive evaluation can identify sensorineural hearing loss (inner ear or nerve damage, typically from aging or noise exposure), conductive hearing loss (caused by earwax, fluid, infection, or eardrum problems), and mixed hearing loss. Understanding which type you have is critical — conductive hearing loss is often medically treatable, while sensorineural loss is typically managed with hearing aids. 

No referral is required to schedule directly with our Freeport team. However, if Medicare coverage is needed for a diagnostic hearing evaluation, a referral from your primary care physician is typically required. We’re happy to help you navigate this. 

Coverage varies by plan. Many private insurance plans include some hearing benefits, and Medicare may cover a diagnostic evaluation with a physician referral. Contact our Freeport, Janesville and Portage office and we’ll help clarify your coverage before your appointment. 

Your specialist will explain your results in plain language — what type and degree of hearing loss you have, which sounds and frequencies are affected, and what your options are. If hearing aids are recommended, we’ll discuss styles, features, and what fits your lifestyle and budget. You’re never pressured to make a decision on the spot. 

Adults with no known hearing loss should have a baseline evaluation and recheck every three to five years. If you already have hearing loss or wear hearing aids, annual testing is recommended to track any changes.