The object is to ensure that device signals intended, for example, to inform hearing aid wearers about program changes or the end of a battery's life are perceived independently of ambient noise. Provision is therefore made, for instance, for reducing the level of the input signal with the aid of a gain adjuster (12) so that a device signal from a generator (4) driven via a control element (6) such as, for example, a program-changing switch, and via a control logic (5) can be perceived. Other possible solutions are to change the level of the device signal as a function of the level of the input signal or to mute the input signal while the device signal is fed out.