Wax protection for in-canal hearing device

A hearing aid assembly comprising:

• a receiver housing defining a receiver cavity to enclose a receiver speaker, the receiver housing defining:
• a receiver acoustic channel, wherein the receiver channel defines an open side along at least a portion of the receiver channel;
• a receiver opening defined in a wall of the receiver channel and in acoustic communication with the receiver cavity;
• and
• a pass-through passage extending from a first side of the receiver housing to a second side of the receiver housing, wherein the pass-through passage is partially defined by the wall defining the receiver opening;
• and
• an earbud configured to fit over at least a portion of the receiver housing, the earbud comprising an earbud inner surface that at least partially covers the open side of the receiver channel when the earbud is positioned over at least a portion of the receiver housing.

A hearing aid assembly comprising:

• a receiver assembly comprising a receiver speaker;
• a receiver housing defining a receiver cavity to enclose the receiver assembly, the receiver housing defining:
• a receiver acoustic channel, wherein at least a portion of the receiver channel defines an open side;
• receiver opening defined in a wall of the receiver channel in acoustic communication with the receiver cavity, wherein a cavity passage is tapered to have an increasing cross-sectional area as the cavity passage extends away from the receiver opening to the receiver cavity;
• and
• a pass-through passage extending from a first side of the receiver housing to a second side of the receiver housing, wherein the pass-through passage is transverse to a longitudinal axis of the receiver opening;
• and
• an earbud sized to fit over at least a portion of the receiver housing, the earbud comprising an earbud inner surface that at least partially covers the open side of the receiver channel and seals against the receiver housing over at least a portion of the open side of the receiver channel when the earbud is positioned over at least a portion of the receiver housing.

A method of making a hearing aid assembly comprising:

• providing a receiver housing defining a receiver cavity to enclose a receiver speaker defining:
• a receiver acoustic channel, wherein the receiver channel defines an open side along at least a portion of the receiver channel;
• a receiver opening defined in a wall of the receiver channel and configured to be in acoustic communication with the receiver speaker;
• and
• a pass-through passage extending from a first side of the receiver housing to a second side of the receiver housing, wherein the pass-through passage is partially defined by the wall defining the receiver opening;
• and
• assembling the receiver housing around the receiver speaker;
• and
• providing an earbud sized to fit over at least a portion of the receiver housing, the earbud comprising an earbud inner surface that at least partially covers the open side of the receiver channel when the earbud is positioned over at least a portion of the receiver housing.