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Microphones for friends in noisy spaces

Hearing Loss | Last Active: Mar 1, 2020 | Replies (33)

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@joyces

I've been shopping for a dual mic setup for a lecture group, and there's a HUGE selection of mics for all sorts of applications. A decent wireless system with two mics, for example, is around $500. Shoot--I paid $200 for a tiny lapel mic (only thing available) to pair with my aid. It works only if it's very close to the speaker, not at all for groups. Xmas Eve, I sat clueless while my daughter, son-in-law, and hubby talked, all of us within a few feet of each other. I caught occasional words, but not the actual conversation. Frustrating! Yet, there are great mics for all sorts of situations--except ones that work with aids. Why should we be expected to pay more and get far less than the hearing world? It's time for us to ask for better mics for more reasonable prices.

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Replies to "I've been shopping for a dual mic setup for a lecture group, and there's a HUGE..."

The important point about remote microphones that work with hearing aids is compatibility. Traditionally, hearing aid manufacturers did not use an industry standard to communicate with the hearing aids directly. They used a proprietary communications protocol. This meant that you could only use products that came from the manufacturer (or a licensed third party) for your accessories. The problem is if you ever want to replace your hearing aid with a different manufacturer. All your accessories will most likely NOT work with another product. This is why using other "standard" hearing assistive technology (HAT) was more desirable. The products could be used with any hearing aid manufacturer. Since the aids would not receive a signal directly, there needed to be a way to get the signal to the aids. The telecoil was the way to do it. It required the hearing aid to have a telecoil and you used a neckloop to get the signal to the telecoil. Today, the new hearing aids have the ability to receive a standard Bluetooth signal without the use of another device. The Resound hearing aids use a modified Bluetooth (BT low energy) that was developed with Apple to get the iPhone signal directly into the Resound aids. To receive a standard Bluetooth signal, such as from an Android phone, you need an accessory (phone clip plus) to get the signal to the aids.
Confusing, but should get better if the hearing aid industry settles on a standard.
Tony in Michigan