> Hearphones may be cheaper, but they aren't a substitute for hearing aids. The fact that they are cheaper means that they are a substitute for hearing aids.

> Hearphones may be cheaper, but they aren't a substitute for hearing aids. The fact that they are cheaper means that they are a substitute for hearing aids. They may not be quite as good right now ... but we've been over the affordability aspect already. For people without access to USD $5k for hearing aids, a 'poor substitute' may be a perfectly reasonable alternative.