Telecoil hearing loop & receivers

Assistive Listening Devices
#1

I need to purchase one of these loops, so that I can enjoy going to the theatre etc. I’m currently on a cruise, and was told that they had “hearing loops” on the ship. When the loop was passed to me I knew instantly that it wasn’t going to work. I quickly googled Sennheiser, sure enough that loop is just amplification and doesn’t have anything to do with a telecoil connection.

I spoke to the sound guy he said if I had the telecoil loop and receiver he could connect me to the sound system that they have. Never having used one before I’m at a loss as to what brand to buy. Does anyone have a loop? Does it have an inbuilt receiver or separate receiver? What brand is it please? Are you satisfied with the sound you get from the loop?

#2

I hope you get some answers here, cuz I was just talking to my mom about this yesterday. She wears Phonak aids and can not hear her new pastor, who, being female, has a higher pitch.

I’ve often fantasized about a whole NEW industry: techno geeks who focus on hearing-impaired solutions. Initially, these geeks would maybe work at a dispensary or with an audiologist, but honestly, the market is BIG enough to sustain an entire industry.

If I was a college kid in audiology today, that’s the route I’d take. Practical and very useful. How to connect TV streamers to TVs with/without soundbars. How to hear in theatres, churches, community centers, etc. How to pair one’s phone up with a cell phone. What programs are available for optimal hearing: Speech in Noise, Acoustic Phone, et all. Roger pen devices, telephones and conferencing phones for the workplace. Well this just scratches the surface!

3 Likes
#3

I thought the loop was the aerial that went around the room and the receiver was built into some models of hearing aid. a la What is a hearing loop? - Hearing Link

I was leafing through a pamphlet at the audiologist’s office a few months ago. This pamphlet was specifically focused on hearing assistance in churches. The author’s view was that telecoil was headed the way of the dodo. I doubt we’ll see many new buildings wired up for it.

#4

Deaf_piper: Do your HA’s have a telecoil built-in? Do they have bluetooth? Do they offer a proprietary neckloop?
There are two sides to this (I think still valuable) device. One is amplification from a single source out to a loop. The loop being a wire around a room and the single source being like from a mic. The second is the telecoil in the HA or necklace device that has it’s own telecoil aka induction loop receiver. The telecoil picks up the amplified signal from the loop. If it’s in the HA then it’s hidden and discrete. If it’s in the necklace device then that would be visible over or under clothing and you would need to use headphones or bluetooth from the necklace to the HA’s. Or if proprietary then using their own communication method.

d_Wooluf: I happen to think it should be the other way around. Loop to telecoil is broadcast for all telecoils to receive equally. And if in the HA, they’re discrete. Just because it’s “old tech” doesn’t mean it’s not useful. As I’ve said before…we still use the wheel.

#5

@z10user2 yes both my CI And HA have telecoil abilities, as well as BT. I just need to turn telecoil on when needed.

#6

Right. So your best solution is a looped room with the mic outputting to the loop amplifier. I dont know what the thing was that the guy gave you in your story.

#7

@z10user2 theatres on cruise ships are not looped rooms. They only have facilities for telecoil loops if they have inbuilt receivers. Hence all my confusion.

#8

I’m sorry. I know you’ve been here a few years more than I have but I still can’t shake possible terminology confusion.
So maybe you could clarify what it was that they gave you.
There are necklaces that can receive induction signals and then the necklace is the loop to the telecoil in the HA’s. But why bother if the HA’s have a telecoil. Or they output to headphones.
There are necklaces that can have bluetooth input or audio cable input and then amplify out the neckloop which goes to the HA telecoil.

I don’t have any understanding of the FM type doodads.

#9

Sure, I can see the use. The number of movies I’ve sat through with just the haziest idea of what they were about. I’ve never used it because I’ve never been offered hearing aids that included it and not many places around here are wired for it. I’ve seen signs in hospital waiting rooms and that’s about it. It probably should have been mandated for cinemas and theatres. I do think a digital solution will rise above the pack at some point. Bluetooth 6 maybe.

#10

@z10user2 this is what they gave me. It’s a straight amplification for people who are HOH. I tried it and found it useless.
I’m not IT savvy at all, hence why I’m asking.

image
B12566A6-BCCC-437C-AF46-2730A5638B7D.jpeg1590×2046 1000 KB

#11

Ew. I hope they supply tips. :slight_smile:
So they’re wireless headphones.
If they can somehow output to bluetooth from their sound system then there are neckloop products that can receive the bluetooth and then use the neckloop to transmit to your telecoils. All mono unless you use the ear hooks version. Or maybe your HA’s have bluetooth. Or maybe there’s an mfi broadcast system for facilities to be able to go to mfi HA’s. Or use the HA manufacturer proprietary remote mic/connect clip thingy and place it near an audio speaker. Or an mfi device that you might have up there.

@d_Wooluf: I agree that they’re not at all widespread. They should be. The beauty of the loop to telecoil method is the simple broadcasting and the discrete reception. Bluetooth is still one to one but certainly the same discrete reception. Unlike the headphones in the pic from Deaf_piper. Who knows what the future brings.

1 Like
#12

Hi Deaf Piper - It appears you have been misled on hearing loop/telecoil technology by people who might have been considered experts. Contrary to what you read, the technology is alive and well and growing by leaps and bounds. All major airports in Australia, the UK and elsewhere use it (including even all of the ones in Moscow). Performance halls, places of worship and other “places of assembly” throughout the world have hearing loops as do the TV rooms in millions upon millions of homes. Whether you go to the Sidney Opera House, Westminster Abbey or the U.S. Supreme Court you will find a hearing loop present.

Please go to https://www.hearingloss.org/programs-events/get-hearing-loop/ to get up-to-date and accurate information on the technology or visit my website: www.sofnabq.com.

After you’ve researched the websites above please feel free to email me (hlaanm@juno.com) if you have questions.

1 Like
#13

Theatre, church, cavern, tourist guide etc. Just need a passworded wifi broadcast and everyone connect to this through a mobile/tablet and its bluetooth. This simple and platform free solution, just need a wifi streamer…

This gadget has line in for anything (microphone, radio, pre amppilified signal etc) , and many others. https://hifimediy.com/Up2stream-Pro-wifi-and-bluetooth-streamer

#14

I’ve only skimmed so apologies if this duplicates

Telecoil is a special antenna ( and related function) built into the aid. It was an option in the marvels, and not automatically in every one.
I opted to get it, but even still the audiologist also had to turn it “on”

These antenna receive a special magnetic signal. That signal comes form either
a) a looped room… a room or area that has an antenna looped around it, that transmits the signal.
or
b) through a radio receiver. This is what my church uses and I think is what they gave you on the cruise ship. My church uses little FM radio receivers that you can either plug in a headphone (or earbuds)… or you can instead plug in a wire loop that hangs around your neck. I bought my own and use it at church. I bought a Listen Technologies LR4200-072. Works great

1 Like
#15

@Deaf_piper. Yes, they’re wireless headphones. Possibility 1: They get their sound from magnetic induction (“telecoil”). In that case, you don’t need them because you have telecoil in your hearing aids. Your hearing aids will apply your fitting prescription, so you should get intelligible speech. Possibility 2. They get their sound from some other source eg radio but include a telecoil loop. This enables them to transmit to the telecoil in your aids.

@hlaanm. Was that about me? At least we probably agree that it should have been mandated for cinemas and many other public places. There definitely needs to be something. I’m reminded that Apple stopped producing phones that supported telecoil on the grounds that mfi was sufficient. You gotta love Apple. Kudos on your advocacy work.

#16

I have skimmed this too.

1 - the loop is installed in the venue… It is basically a big wire circuit… it will NOT be something handled by a person…it is part of the infrastructure of the building.
2 - if the hearing aid has built in telecoil abilities, switching to the telecoil mode/program will connect to that loop. The whole thing is dumb technology. The electrical signals are sent out on the loop, using something called electromagnetic induction, the signals are transferred to the tele-coil receiver in the hearing aid.
3 - sound quality will be approximately that of an AM radio station in a properly done loop.

You use your own hearing aids. The loop is installed in the building. You walk in, activate telecoil mode. There is nothing else to it.

#17

One can install a loop in his or her own home relatively inexpensively. Europe has such a HUGE advantage over the USA in this type of thing.

#18

Sound quality will be equal an AM radio broadcast because the transmission is absolutely same. The only one different, there is missing the tuner which selects the stations. However you receive the full band, hear the strongest signal with a weak receiver in the center of a strong signal circle.

I dont understand why not contain a simply telecoil receiver and a simple 3,5"jack the BT transmitters with a battery for working 1 week. Not just half or a day…This would be a very simple solution. Resound has this gadget.

#19

If you’re still on the cruise and want to try and make use of this device I can think of two options. This is really just an assisted listening device anyone could use w/o any hearing aids necessary. It will just amplify whatever sounds it picks up, which presumably your hearing aids may be doing already equally.

1- if your hearing loss is minimal, just use this device in your ears directly w/o aids and turn volume all the way up.

2 - Switch aids to t-coil and put the earbuds directly on/near your hearing aid (not in your ears). You may have to position it oddly to get best sound pickup. It might not be most ideal but in most cases it will pick up some level of sounds which may or may not help.

#20

The Multi-Mic… yes …it is a stellar gadget.