Even with properly fitted hearing aids, it can be difficult to understand the TV due to poor room acoustics, distance from the TV, and background noises like the dishwasher running or other people talking. Using a neck loop with the t-coil function on your hearing aids may improve your listening experience while watching TV.
From previous blogs, you’ll remember that a t-coil works like a wireless antenna. It picks up a magnetic signal transmitted from a sound source and delivers the sound directly into a hearing aid. When wearing a neck loop connected to a sound source (like a TV) the incoming signal is transmitted through the wire loop, picked up by the t-coil in the hearing aid and processed through the hearing aid.
Using a neck loop with a special TV listening system can help you hear television better with your hearing aids.
How does it work?
A transmitter is plugged into the audio out jack on your television which sends the audio signal from the TV to a receiver attached to a neck loop worn around your neck. Set your hearing aids to the t-coil function and the sound from the TV is delivered right into your hearing aids from the neck loop!
Since the range of the listening system is around 100 feet, you don’t have to be sitting right in front of the TV and can even be listening from a different room. Background noises (dishwasher running, people talking) won’t interfere with your TV listening since the sound is delivered right into the hearing aids. Your family can set the TV volume where it is comfortable for them since you’ll be able to adjust the volume on the receiver.
These TV listening systems are affordable, around $300, are easy to use with your t-coil equipped hearing aids, and can help improve your TV listening experience. Talk to your audiologist about t-coils, neck loops, and hearing better with the TV.