I actually have a genuine ear horn from the early 1900s, that I use in presentations sometimes. You are right, it does work. It brings the sound direct to the person's ear IF the speaker talks into it. Funny, but that is the secret behind telecoils and hearing loops. Those built in t-coils bring the sound directly to the hearing aid while bypassing all background noise. Consequently, most people with hearing loss are able to hear well with that technology. Back in the day, they recognized that background noise was the culprit, even if it was ambient noise that is part of life. Isn't it a shame that the industry has marketed shame and denial for so many decades. Now it's all about hiding hearing loss with invisible devices .Back then when it showed, people knew what they had to do to connect. 🙂 Do you know there are ways to use a hand held or partner worn microphone with your hearing aids? If your son used one of those mikes you'd hear him. PS: Your purchase of that black horn for a friend who was getting older promotes another myth or stereotype about hearing loss: that hearing loss is a sign of old age. Yep, it is more common in older people, but many kids have it and many in their prime have it. I'm 'old' now, but sure wasn't when I was diagnosed at age 21. 🙂