To many people, hearing loss represents another step in the dreaded march to old age. In fact, only about 20% of the 36 million Americans who could benefit from a hearing aid actually use one, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Diseases.

Now, a wave of new devices that are smaller, hipper and sold over-the-counter are trying to win over more consumers—and appeal to the growing number of younger people with hearing damage from loud music.