Upgrades for church sound system? Auracast? Anything else?

Assistive Listening Devices
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That’s a nice report. It even makes sense now. I hadn’t put the two things together. If the mic is close to the source (analog band, person speaking) then you should not see any lip-sync/latency issues. Particularly further away from the source.

I wonder if an auracast phone can receive auracast and then output classic bluetooth to older aids. Then I wonder if any noticeable latency would be introduced doing that.
Before one decides to get auracast-able aids.

lol maybe future electric concerts will be much quieter except for the inherently analog drums (if not using synth-drums) and then mixed together and then output to auracast and everybody using headphones. Watch the stage and/or screen but no sound latency. Would miss the rib-rattling bass of course… :slight_smile:

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22

You will want to make sure any Auracast broadcast that your church uses doesn’t stream at a higher level then what hearing aids can handle. I believe that hearing aids can’t use a 48 kHz stream.

https://www.flairmesh.com/Dongle/FMA120.html

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23

Maybe hearing loops are common near you, but they are nearly non-existent near me. The movie theaters have some proprietary system (not sure what it is) and none of the churches seem to be looped either. On the other hand, where my sister lives (about 100 miles away) there are loops just about everywhere. The only time my telecoil kicked in was at her church. It’s very spotty coverage.

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You are certainly right, it’s very spotty. And these days the new HAs typically do not include t-coils. Overall, it’s a shame that this helpful gadget never really took off, and is still hard to find–in public spaces.

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The MSRP on the Auri 2 Channel Transmitter AURI-TX2N-A0 is $1,999. A month ago, this device was not available yet.
You would need mount it, power it and connect it to your sound system.
Auracast receivers will be needed, you can provide them (Listen has Auri receivers), or people could bring their own here is a list from the Bluetooth SIG: (Find an Auracast™ Product | Bluetooth® Technology Website)

I picked up the following to do testing:
MoerLabs Transmitters and Receivers
JBL TourPro 3
Creative Zen Hybrid Pro

I will be trying them out in our church this weekend.

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26

How did your testing go?

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I’d like to share my experience installing an Auracast transmitter in my church, which has a seating capacity of approximately 400 people.

We use this transmitter (link).

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The transmitter is positioned in the front right area, behind a concrete pillar where the choir and audio equipment are located. It is mounted on the back of the sound mixer desk.

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For the sound setup, we used the included RCA-to-analog 3.5mm cable to connect the sound mixer to the transmitter and powered the transmitter with the bundled USB-C power adapter. After configuring the audio routing on the mixer and setting the transmitter to Auracast SQ mode (needed for Auracast capable hearing aids), we successfully received sound through a list of Auracast receivers used for testing - Galaxy Buds2Pro Earbud, Jabra EP20 Hearing Aid, JBL TourOneM2 Headphone, HomeSpot JM320/JY300 Headphones, Sennheiser MTW4 Earbud, Sony LinkbudS Earbud. We also tried Earfun AirPro4 Earbud, but it didn’t work.

We used the Auracast Assistant feature in each receiver’s iOS companion app to connect to the broadcast, except for the Buds2 Pro and LinkBuds, which were connected using the Samsung Flip5’s native Broadcast Assistant. Additionally, the HomeSpot JM320 and JY300 only require the app for the initial connection. Once joined and saved, they remember the broadcast and automatically reconnect on subsequent power cycles.

Regarding performance, the range exceeded our expectations—we anticipated potential dead zones, but none were found. There were no latency issues, and the sound remained stable for all receivers throughout the service, with about 80% capacity. The only exception was the Buds2Pro in the left back corner, which experienced tiny audio disruptions 2 times during an hour of service.

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28

Great to read. Nice setup.
I have been asking about Auracast for many months now.
We need to bug the hearing aid manufacturers.
Once they mention Auracast on their website and in product literature, they should deliver!

C’mon everyone - Call the Manufacturer today!

29

Thank you very much for your post, really useful. :blush: :pray:t3:

How did you solve the problem of non Auracast hearing aids, which I suppose are the majority! have you found an intermediary tool?
Thx

30

If this is the “ListenWiFi” system, our church has it, and I was disappointed with the latency issue… That and they keep forgetting to turn the system on, so most times when I go, it’s not on…

31

Very thought provoking. What is the name of this church and where is it located.

I have successfully experimented with the Moer Auracast TV streamer plugged into a radio with Voce transceivers equipped with earphones or neckloops. No companion app was needed for these devices to successfully connect.

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We don’t have an answer yet. Our next step is to have interested parishioners try the technology and share their experiences—for example, whether they feel comfortable wearing over/on-ear headphones with their hearing aids or if they’re willing to remove their hearing aids and use a receiver instead. I’ll provide an update once we have more insights to share.

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34

Thank you very much
I think one answer is headphones over hearing aids you’vementioned, until an pocket size auracast receiver with classic bluetooth transmettre comes to market.

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35

Historically, churches and especially cavernous cathedrals were designed to awe, not at all for their excellent acoustics. Masses were held in latin that nobody understood, with priests murmering their texts while turning their backs to the congregation (which heard things like “hocus pocus”). But, yes, times and technology have changed since the Reformation and Vatican II, so let’s pray Auracast will get implemented everywhere.

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36

Amen man, Amen :pray:t3::pray:t3::pray:t3:

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37

Just curious how you link the Voce transceivers to the More TV streamer. Pairing by placing them in proximity?

38

Given that the MSRP on the Listen Auri system is close to US$2,000, is this $50 transmitter really all that’s needed?

39

Just thinking aloud here- is speech-to-text conversion (automated subtitling) now advanced and quick enough to run on a standard PC, so that the output can be projected on a large screen? The hardware to do this (PC, beamer) looks affordable, and this conversion looks quite a bit simpler than the same exercice in, e.g., action movies?

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40

The $1000s one is designed for large public venues (e.g. airport) that often requires multiple units to cover the areas. It has features beyond basic Auracast function, such as device management through Ethernet, audio feed over IP/Ethernet, balanced audio input commonly used in professional sound equipment.

The $50 ones is designed for smaller venues and home use. There is not many bells and whistles, which are not necessary for those applications.

I also believe the other factor is support. If the $1000s one charges that much, they should have an army of tech and sales guys to follow up and install and troubleshooting. On the other hand, the support from $50 one would likely be limited to documentation, email, forums etc.

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