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Clearing the barriers to
better hearing
More hearing performance
thanks to assistive listening devices.
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| Assistive
listening devices (ALDs) can dramatically
improve communication in difficult situations. |
Thanks to modern hearing instrument technology; people with hearing loss are
now able to
hear and understanding clearly in many everyday situations. Nevertheless, assistive listening
devices
(ALDs) can provide additional benefits to many hearing impaired individuals.
| When can Assistive Listening Devices be beneficial? |
Generally speaking, you should consider using an ALD if situational barriers to communicate prevents
you from understanding others. The following three factors have a negative impact on the quality
of the signal recieved by your hearing instruments:
- Noisy backgrounds (e.g. at public events, in restaurants, or while driving.)
- Distance from the person speaking (e.g. conferences or guided tours.)
- Places with a high level of reviberation (e.g. lagre halls.)
Many of the things we enjoy most in life take place in enviroments where even people with good hearing
often have difficulty understanding. Places such as social and business occasions, lectures,
cars, public transport, sporting events, religous ceremonies, or listening to guided tours.
A microghone is places close to the sound source you wish to hear e.g. your conversation partner in the car, the speaker at the university
lecture, or the t.v set. The speech signal is then transmitted directly to your hearing instruments.
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| ...And how
you connect them to your hearing instruments |
To connect an ALD to your hearing instrument you must have an audio input facility. This is a built-in
connection which enables the signal to be transmitted directly into your hearing instrument without being
picked up first by its microphone.Audio-input is commonly available only in Behind-the-ear (BTE)
instruments.
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The audio shoe is attached to the hearing instrument, where it
serves as a bridge between the hearing instrument and the ALD. Most ALDs are connected to
the audio shoe by a cable. There are also some which have a radio connection to the audio shoe, and require
no cable. |
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Different types of ALDs at a glance |
Wireless communication systems.
Essentially, wireless communication systems consist of two components: a microphone with
a transmitter and a receiver connected to a hearind instrument. The speaker's voice is conveyed as a radio signal.
i.e. without a cable connection from the transmitter to the receiver. These systems are extremely
convenient to use, they have a long range and are suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
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Microphone/transmitter units |
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Type A:The microphone and transmitter are worn by the person you wish to hear.
The microphone is connected to the transmitter via a cable. This unit is particularly suitable
for lectures, school and guided tours. |
| Type B:The transmitter and microphone are housed in a single unit. This
device can be held by the hearing instrument user, who directs it towards the preson he/she wishes
to listen to. |
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| Recievers and hearing instrument connection |
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Type A:The receiver is worn by the hearing instrument user and is connected
to the hearing insturment with a cable. |
| This system is where the speaker wears the transmitter; and the hearing instrument
user wears the receiver. It is ideal for lectures, seminars, conferences, and noisy work enviroments. |
| Type B:In this tiny ultralight system, the receiver is built into the audio shoe,
eliminating the bable between the receiver and the hearing instrument user. |
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| There are unlimited uses for this system: social and business occasions,
noisy working enviroments, classrooms and lecture halls, churches, guided tours, sporting events, radio and TV broadcasts
, private and public transportation and at the theather, and many more. |
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Communication systems with cable connections. |
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Hand-held microphone:The fact that it can be pointed easily in the
desired dirrection makes the hand-held microphone ideal for direct communication.Between speaker and listener,
it is particularly helpful in restaurants, vehicles,
discussions, etc. |
| Conference microphone:The conference microphone is useful for participating in
group conversations. It can be positioned on the table and direct it towards the person speaking in other specific sound sources. |
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External telephone coil:Like the coil built into the hearing instrument itslef,
the external telephone coil functions as an inductive pick-up system. It provides
additional amplification for telephone calls or in public buildings equipped with loop systems,
such as churches, theathers, lecture and concert halls. If the hearins instrument's built-in
coil had insufficient boost. |
| Telephone coupler:A telephone coupler boosts the signal from any telephone
and consists of an acoustic microphone with its own volume Control, independent of the hearing instrument. Telephone couplers can be used
with radios and televisions, tape recorders and CD players. |
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| TV/stereo-volume control:The volume control is connected directly to your
television or stereo set and your hearing instruments. It enables optimum transmission and
adjustment of the volume independently of the TV or stereo system. |
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