Voilà—suddenly I could hear perfectly.
By Stephen O. Frazier
I recall reading that some hearing aid manufacturers were offering small remote microphones designed to extend the distance at which a hearing aid user could clearly hear and understand someone speaking. At my next appointment I asked my provider whether anything like that was available for my hearing aids.
“Yes,” he said. “We offer two versions for your brand of hearing aids. One is simply a microphone. The other includes a built‑in telecoil so people whose hearing aids don’t have telecoils can still connect to a hearing loop. Either one sends sound to the user’s hearing aids via Bluetooth.”
Placing your mini microphone the speaker delivers their voice straight to your hearing aids. Credit: @wocintechchat/Unsplash
Both types of mic were offered by my hearing care provider at $239 for the mini variety and $329 for the one with a telecoil. Some are also often available from Amazon and from many of the online hearing aid sellers like Soundly or Hearing Direct. Prices will range from $220 to $260 for the mini variety and $300 to $350 for the telecoil-equipped models.
Since my hearing aids already had telecoils, I chose the smaller mic without the telecoil. It didn’t take long to find the perfect opportunity to test it.
I had arranged a meeting with management at the Albuquerque International Sunport to discuss installing hearing loops throughout the airport terminal to help travelers with hearing loss. We met in a room with a very long conference table, and several staff members were seated at the far end. Even with my hearing aid volume turned up, I couldn’t clearly make out some of their questions.
Then I remembered the new remote mic I had brought along for a “just in case” situation. I switched it on, walked it down to the far end of the table, set it in front of the staffers, returned to my seat, and asked again if there were any questions. Voilà—suddenly I could hear perfectly. The next question came through loud and clear: “Exactly what is a hearing loop?”
Later, as I told friends about my new remote mic, I discovered that many had never heard of this remarkable little accessory. I explained how it helped me hear my dinner companion in a noisy restaurant when clipped to a shirt pocket. I would then turn off the mics in my hearing aids with the remote mic picking up mostly the voice I want to hear rather than all of the surrounding chatter.
I described using it at home to hear people at the far end of my dining table. I even told of asking the presenter at a health insurance seminar to place my mini mic near him so I could follow the details of upcoming coverage changes while sitting toward the back of the room.
For those who didn’t have a hearing loop installed in their living room, I shared another story. My hearing impaired doctor once mentioned that his wife complained he turned the TV volume up too high. I encouraged him to install a hearing loop in the room, but he said he didn’t need to—he simply places his remote mic near the TV speaker and listens through his hearing aids via Bluetooth. Then he can also adjust the volume in his hearing aids.
His situation demonstrated the fact that hearing aid mics do not work as well when more than six to eight feet away from the person speaking, but a remote mic easily overcomes that shortcoming. He added that he also uses it in the car: If a backseat passenger clips the mic to their collar, he can hear him or her easily while he is driving.
There are times when I’m at a disadvantage when compared with people with typical hearing but, with my remote mic I’ve found that I actually sometimes have an advantage over them!
Hearing Health staff writer Stephen O. Frazier was trained as a hearing loss support specialist by the Hearing Loss Association of America. Having devoted the past 25 years to advocacy for people with hearing loss, he has facilitated the passage of numerous regulations in New Mexico, where he lives, that strengthen protection and services for people with hearing loss. Frazier has presented workshops on hearing loss and assistive technology at the local and national level and has also written extensively on various topics related to hearing loss and assistive technology. For more, see sofnabq.com and loopnm.com/Auracast.html, which covers the latest about Auracast technology.
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“We offer two versions for your brand of hearing aids. One is simply a microphone. The other includes a built‑in telecoil so people whose hearing aids don’t have telecoils can still connect to a hearing loop. Either one sends sound to the user’s hearing aids via Bluetooth.”