How to buy a TV listening system and hear what you’ve been missing on TV!
With hearing loss, simple household activities like watching TV can become a problem, not only for the hearing impaired person, but also for the rest of the household.
To cope with hearing loss, many people simply turn up the volume on their TV. This, in turn, strains the patience of family and friends, and disturbs the peace and harmony of your home.
TV listening systems bring the pleasure back to your late-night viewing by turning up the volume on a personal pair of headphones while everyone else listens to the TV at comfortable levels. From budget headsets to wireless solutions, TV listening systems offer a variety of features at a variety of price points.
Here are 3 examples of TV listening systems tailored to your needs and budget!
1. Turn personal amplifiers and headphones into TV listening systems
Portable personal amplifiers are useful devices that amplify ambient sounds with a built-in amplifier and an attached microphone. The user of a personal amplifier (like the PockeTalker shown at right) wears a headset that transmits sound directly to them.
Many of these amplifiers are compatible with audio extension cables that plug into a TV’s output jack, allowing them to function as inexpensive TV listening systems.
Active noise-canceling headphones are another cost-effective TV listening solution for people with moderate hearing loss.
These headphones block out extraneous background sounds by creating electronic interference patterns.
Noise-cancelling headphones can improve listening without turning up the volume excessively. They are also ideal for enjoying music on trains, planes or any other environment where background noise is a problem.
Connecting your personal amplifier or headphones to your TV’s audio output is an easy way to create a TV listening system on a budget.
However, bulky cords or cables can become a nuisance, especially if you need to go to the kitchen to grab a snack.
If cables are a problem, consider a wireless FM or infrared (IR) TV listening system.
2. Roam without losing the signal with a wireless FM TV listening system
Wireless FM TV listening systems give you freedom of movement without the worry of tripping over cables. Since the radio signals go through the walls, they also keep the sound going when you run to the fridge.
These FM systems include portable personal amplifiers with remote transmitters and microphones, as well as stereo FM TV listening systems with neck receivers such as the Sennheiser Set 820.
Although FM TV listening systems are a cost-effective wireless option for many households, FM systems have some disadvantages.
One disadvantage is the need to tune your receiver. In order to clarify reception, users may need to change channels, sometimes in the middle of a broadcast.
Another concern is interference from other FM wireless systems, especially in areas with heavy wireless use.
FM signals can also “bleed” into other rooms, which can be a problem in places where safety is an issue, or where the bleeding could interfere with wireless FM systems operating elsewhere in the house.
3. Listen safely and hassle-free with a wireless IR TV listening system
IR TV listening systems are ideal for the living room or home theater where cables are impractical, or where FM signals bleed into other rooms.
Once limited by size and complexity to large spaces such as movie theaters, modern technology has reduced the footprint of IR TV listening systems to fit comfortably in the living room and reduced prices to fit your budget.
IR systems plug directly into a TV’s audio output. For older sets without outputs, most systems include optional microphones that users can place next to the TV speaker.
IR technology has a number of advantages over wireless radio transmitters. Hi-Fi sound is one. Another is the lack of unwanted intrusions from cell phones, television, and other electronic transmissions.
Although IR systems can encounter interference from bright light sources, this is rarely a problem in indoor environments, especially dark interior rooms or home theaters where many viewers keep their TVs.
Since IR systems do not need to be tuned to a specific frequency, they are compatible with a variety of receivers and can accommodate any number of listeners.
Many hearing aid-compatible IR TV listening systems have receivers designed to connect directly to your hearing aid or to an installed induction loop. Other IR systems include collars that transmit a signal directly to telecoil-equipped hearing aids.
Hearing aids aren’t just for listening to TV
Television listening systems are just one example of hearing assistive devices that allow you to hear sounds you might otherwise miss.
Assistive hearing devices (ALDs) also include alert systems that use flashing lights or vibrations to let you know when someone is at the door or when it’s time to get out of bed.
These alert systems not only help hearing impaired people regain control of their lives, but are also excellent solutions for alerting anyone who lives or works in a noisy environment, such as nightclubs or warehouses.
In addition to television listening systems, AudioLinks offers a full selection of home devices such as telephone systems, doorbells, alarm clocks and vibrating wristwatches.
If you still have questions about how to find a TV listening system or assistive listening device that’s right for you, email AudioLinks or call our experts at 407-757-3326!