Whisper Hearing Center

Dr. Valla is a phenomenal audiologist with a fabulous bedside manner. For some reason, he is no longer working at the Whisper Hearing Center. Thankfully, I managed to locate him at the UCSF Audiology clinic, Divisadero campus!

The Whisper Hearing Center team members are my heroes. I have suffered dramatic hearing loss, which was first diagnosed in my early twenties. I am now 65. Since that first diagnosis I have undergone 5 surgeries; three at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and two at the Stanford Ear Institute.
I have encountered so many clinicians, audiology surgery specialists, operating suites, clinical therapists, testing booths and headsets, that I feel more than qualified to opine. And that only represents the physical aspect. Then there is the monumental and very personal emotional rides of anticipation and disappointment, not to mention the day to day challenges of fitting in and being «on game».
I may be a little unusual for my age, as I am extremely fit and active. I run, am an avid horse rider that has ridden cross-​country in 10 different countries (not that long ago!), and constantly hike the hills in Marin. I am not only still riding; I am also training unbroken horses. Additionally, I am a C level professional business person. I depend on my senses and my sensibilities.
I feel that it was a gift finding the Whisper Hearing Center in San Rafael. In my opinion, they are so extraordinary and just plain excellent; offering everything, in every way that someone like me would wish for. They are clinically ahead of the curve… constantly.
They are clinicians that keep digging to uncover the highest, best application while being compassionate and plain great to be around. I have actually reached out to Stanford Ear Institute to convey my appreciation and confidence in this team. I feel like I’m gushing, but … they deserve it!

After nearly five years with my hearing aids, technology advances meant it was time for a change. And while I changed my devices and even the brand I was using, what didn’t change was my relationship with Whisper Hearing Center and my amazing audiologist, Dr. Andy Valla.
Andy helped me understand the latest product introductions and made recommendations based on knowing my life style and what I prioritized and valued most. He has been invaluable in fitting the hearing aids and adjusting them to give me the best sound in every situation, including wireless streaming of phone calls and music from my iPhone.
I checked around on prices to be honest, and Whisper’s were competitive with others (especially when you consider most Internet sellers don’t include the price of audiologist visits to tune and fit your hearing aids to your particular needs. You don’t know the quality of the person you’ll be working with and how much they’ll charge for the multiple visits to get things right and keep things updated over time so beware!).
Whisper’s staff are great — friendly and detail-​oriented. They deliver on their promises and are great on following up on insurance matters (if you’re fortunate enough to have coverage). I’ve recommended several friends to Whisper and they’ve all become fans, too.

I chose this location based on Unilocal reviews, to consider remedying a rock ‘n roll induced hearing loss in my right ear from many years ago. I was a little hesitant about getting to the point where I needed a hearing device, so I especially want to go somewhere that didn’t feel like a factory for aging baby boomers (even if I am one :-)). Well the reviews were right. Andy Valla in particular is both highly qualified and a genuine human being, more interested in making sure you have improved your life than selling you something for the sake of it. He took great care and multiple visits to make sure I had the best device for my situation, and even dissuaded me from more expensive solutions that he felt were either unproven or not as effective. And from a business perspective they were very very fair on extending the free trial period and offering great pricing, yet there was no sales pressure. It’s more like dealing with a doctor or scientist than a salesman — that’s not surprising because that’s exactly what Andy is, a highly qualified expert with great academic credentials. FYI, each Whisper Hearing Center is independently managed, so this review is specifically about the Northgate facility. (The others may be great but my experience and recommendation is for this location.)

When I was 6 years old I suffered a severe case of whooping cough which affected my hearing in both ears. The loss became progressively worse over time and after much resistance, I eventually succumbed to wearing hearing aids by my early 40’s. They helped but over time my hearing loss continued to where I had a severe loss in my left ear and profound loss in my right (with the aids in). Living alone with such a severe loss is extremely isolating, but to my great good fortune two years ago, I met a woman who was willing to consider a relationship with me. It has been such a struggle to communicate that I thought I would lose her. She patiently waited while I saved to purchase new aids at Whisper with Andrew Valla working with me for the past several months. Today I was tested with the new aid in. I could not believe what I was seeing as we reviewed the hearing test together. For the first time since I was 6, I tested near the normal range. It was a very emotional moment for me as I reflected on so many years of living alone in silence. It has been far too long, for you see next month I will be 69.
Thank you so much Andrew!!!

From a referral to a phone call to driving to Whisper Hearing Center from Lafayette, I am happy to know that there is a place that understands customer service. Chris Brignetti and Robin Casper were great cleaning my mother’s hearing aid and telling me everything is o.k. and there is no charge. I was so embarassed that I bought an extra package of batteries. I had attempted to do this at a place in Walnut Creek and they said they needed an appointment and were too busy. In Terra Linda I was welcomed with no appointment and given first class treatment. When my mother gets back to Mill Valley, I will have her go in for new hearing aids! They were worth the drive!!!

Whisper Hearing Center is by far the best Hearing Aid Provider that I’ve encountered in my 15+ years of wearing H/A’s. I am now on my 4^th set and I’ve had experience with just as many Providers. Andrew Valla is far superior in knowledge, patience, attention to detail, and empathy than others I have dealt with. Andrew is a Doctor of Audiology from UCSF and that training and experience shows.
I have a severe hearing loss in both ears due to 37 years in Aviation and, of course, advancing age. My current H/A’s are 4 years old and I have no backups, so it was time for another pair. There are an abundance of high tech aids now available along with sophisticated marketing that claim to solve every hearing problem known to man! Andrew showed great patience and helped me navigate through this maze. We chose 3 top of the line Aids and I tried each one for at least 30 days with some «tweaking» during each trial period. This is where Whisper excels — PATIENCE. I truly believe they were interested in me finding the best Aid for my situation rather than just trying to make a sale. As it turned out, I chose the last one I tried — the whole process took over 3 months. But I know I now have the best H/​A for my hearing curve. A previous provider applied pressure on me to make a choice on the first Aid I tried after a 14 day trial! Note — a 30 day trial period is allowed by law. Whisper has a customer friendly staff and the latest hi tech equipment to analyze a difficult hearing situation.
A separate note — you get what you pay for. You can save money by buying On Line, but good luck on optimizing your H/A’s for your hearing loss. And, if you have a problem — good luck!
So, for me its 5 Stars for Andrew Valla and Whisper for a professional and competent experience.

So, I just got out of another session with Andy that he, again and as usual, accommodated at my last-​minute request. The customer service experience delivered by Andy is absolutely awesome! I can’t think of enough superlatives to describe the level of competence, genuine caring, and confidence-​inspiring treatment that I have invariably experienced since I started seeing Andy in January. The entire staff is super friendly and it is such a pleasure to deal with experts who also really care! It’s a complete 180 change from my short-​lived stint at another hearing center (that I won’t mention by name, but it’s in Greenbrae) since I decided to take a chance on WHC. Andy and the rest of the crew at WHC have won me over as a customer for life.

I found Andy Valla through reviews here and I’m completely thrilled with his attention to detail and truly caring about the patient. I have an unusual situation with a tumor on the nerves on one ear, rendering it useless. He suggested a device that sends the information from the left ear to the right one and it works perfectly. I can now hear someone on my left where I could not before. They have a very friendly staff, plenty of parking and Dr. Valla is just great! Highly recommended!
Craig in Corte Madera

OK, I’ll admit I’m a little embarassed to post this one, but after seeing my audiologist again today, Andy Valla, at the Whisper Hearing Center I decided it’s better to Unilocal even if it is a little embarassing.
I started losing my hearing in about 2000. I went to UCSF for testing /​treatement, and ended up needing to get a hearing aid. My audiologist was SO awesome when he left UCSF to relocate to the Whisper Hearing Center in San Rafael a few years ago I decided to continue my audiology appointments with him there. The Center is equipped with all modern equipment, so testing hearing and fitting a hearing aid if needed is no problem, they have all the means to get it done right.
I simply can’t say enough good things about Dr. Andy Valla (he is a Dr. of Audiology, check out their website at
). He is such a patient, honest, caring audiologist. Truth be told, I’ve had issues with my hearing since birth, so I’ve seen more than a few audiologists and Dr. Valla is the best. He works with you and listens to your frustrations (and believe me there are many with this condition) and keeps working with you until you are satisfied. Not many professionals in any business go the extra mile like he does.
If you are experiencing any problems with dizziness, balance disorders, or hearing, I strongly encourage you to schedule an appt. to see Dr. Valla. I can guarantee you you’ll be glad you did.