I’m curious about real-world usage of hearing aids with induction loop systems, especially in places like churches, theaters, or public venues.
Many older hearing aids support T-coil, and many venues installed loop systems years ago.
But I’m wondering how many people actually use this setup regularly today.
A few questions for the community:
• Does your hearing aid support T-coil?
• Do you attend venues that have a loop system installed?
• Do you actually use the loop / T-coil feature when it’s available?
• If not, what prevents you from using it?
I’m particularly interested in experiences in church environments, where loops used to be quite common.
Would love to hear how people are using (or not using) T-coil today.
Does your hearing aid support T-coil?
• Do you attend venues that have a loop system installed?
• Do you actually use the loop / T-coil feature when it’s available?
• If not, what prevents you from using it?
The most common places I use T-coil is my local church as well as conference centers. A lot of nearby conference centers uses systems with a neck loop receiver.
I always use the loop whenever it is available.
The only reason for not using it is when the loop itself isn’t working, or when there are issues with sound quality / adjustment. I have been a few places lately that is supposed to have a loop, but it has been disconnected for some reason.
Loop systems are quite common in churches here in Norway. And from what I have experienced, many of the regular church-goers with hearing aids still use it.
I use t-coil when teaching. With microphones in the ceiling, it allows me to hear students throughout the room. Hard of hearing students sitting in the class can also hear me. I don’t know if can work as easily this way.
Not sure if it’s currently activated in my hearing aids, and it’s not installed in the venues that would be most helpful to me. Most of the venues that I frequent use if there is any hearing aid assistance installed.
• Do you attend venues that have a loop system installed?
No - I know there’s a venue in town that has T-coil loop, but I have not attended any shows since I got a hearing aids with T-coil.
• Do you actually use the loop/T-coil feature when it’s available?
• If not, what prevents you from using it?
I believe I would opt for T-coil if a loop system is available at my destination. However, I haven’t had the opportunity to use it yet.
I understand you are interested in church settings, but my primary use for T-coil is with my work phones. These are old business desk phones, and they don’t have an audio jack or Bluetooth. I just wanted to mention this because that was my primary purpose for getting hearing aids with T-coil.
• Does your hearing aid support T-coil?
• Do you attend venues that have a loop system installed?
• Do you actually use the loop / T-coil feature when it’s available?
• If not, what prevents you from using it?
No
No
No
Aids don’t support it. That would be lowest priority on the features list for me. All things being equal, I’d only select it if it gave me longer battery life or something. Could have chosen tcoil on my old p90 audeos. But I can’t recall being places with the feature. I’ve been aware & watching for 5 years.
I’m particularly interested in experiences in church environments, where loops used to be quite common.
My last church has an system. I plugged an audio cable into the receiver and sent it to my aids with a roger mic. Worked very well. New church doesn’t have anything like any of it. But the church body is about 1/4 the size, everything is smaller.
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences — this has been very helpful.
From the replies so far, it seems that while more than half of the hearing aids mentioned support , the number of people who actually use loop systems regularly is much smaller.
Because of that, some venues are considering moving directly to instead of continuing to invest in loop accessories. With Auracast, hearing aid users could listen in several ways:
A. Auracast-enabled hearing aids
– Listen directly through their hearing aids.
B. Non-Auracast hearing aids
– B1. Auracast receiver + wired headphones, used with or without hearing aids
– B2. Auracast headphones, used with or without hearing aids
Of course A would likely provide the best experience when hearing aids support Auracast. But if that is not possible, I would really like to understand how the listening experience of B1 or B2 compares with using a traditional induction loop (T-coil).
If anyone here has tried Auracast in a church or public venue, I would love to hear your experience.
And for those who regularly use loop systems today — how would you compare the sound quality, ease of use, and overall experience?
I’m also particularly interested in feedback from cochlear implant users, comparing Auracast receivers vs. induction loop systems.
If a church here is interested in trying Auracast but doesn’t have a system yet, we are currently running a 90-day Auracast Venue Pilot (AVP).
I happen to think very highly of use. It’s simple, discrete and already there and long established tech. I think it’s unfortunate that loops haven’t been more widely installed.
I have found it in two locations. 1. Victoria Station ticket booth and 2. Ferry cafeteria cash register. The ticket booth guy couldn’t be bothered to use the mic. The cash register worked really well as the mic was right there.
I have also made my own loop in my home for watching tv before my current aids and work desk for listening to music.
I wonder what’s more cost efficient - installing a wire around an area and outputting mono sound to it - or installing an system.
The problem I see so far with Auracast is that it’s not yet fully accepted in the marketplace. Telecoils are a long established known entity.
I opted for in my aids when I bought them… not on the advice of my audiologist, it was based purely on my own research, and when I found out that my price would be the same, I figured why not?
My church has (or had?) and system, with little receivers/headphones available. I did research and found and FM receiver with neck loop. I used it quite a bit to help cut through the echo. I really only needed it when the priest or speaker had a heavy foreign accent.
But the transmitter for their FM system was located in a rack room and not near the area where my wife likes to sit…so the signal was very weak and full of static. To make matters worse I’d sometimes pick up the transmission from the church across the street.
Recently, they’ve upgraded the sound system in the church. It’s not perfect but I can get by without the neck loop. I’ve not looked into the new system to see if they’ve kept or improved the FM, added , or what. I’m seriously doubtful that they added auracast.
Otherwise, in my travels these years, I’ve found nearly no places where I could actually use my t-coil in the wild.
Except one time on a recent trip to Europe I was surprised when it suddenly kicked on. I forget where…I think it was in the airport customs line.
Also, at my work, the phones didn’t work with it and I don’t have a landline phone at home…so I’ve never had the pleasure of trying it in it’s originally intended application.
It’s a shame. It’s a good old-fashioned simple system.
When I get around to buying new aids, I’ll opt for T-coil if it’s available at the same price… but I’ll not go out of my way to get it. Just not enough locations for me to use it. Besides, if the new tech in the aids is that much better at clarity of speech in noise, then I probably don’t need it anyway….
What does a loop system cost? Loops systems vary in cost, depending on the size, loop design, and construction of the room. Small room installations may cost $5,000 to $10,000. Typical installations costs for larger venues such as small...
or Auracast would be the cheapest to install. The trouble with FM is that you need to buy and carry around a FM receiver.
With Auracast, the receiver is built in to the hearing aid. So Auracast is the way to go. No need to buy an additional receiver and carry it around.
Does your hearing aid support T-coil?
• Do you attend venues that have a loop system installed?
• Do you actually use the loop / T-coil feature when it’s available?
• If not, what prevents you from using it?
Yes, both my & support .
Yes I’ve used a WiFi system through the “Listen WiFi app” The T-coil went to my HA. Listen WiFi tp my CI. T-coil allowed the sound to stream bilaterally to both my devices.
Yes I do.
If it’s available I use it at concerts. I went to a football stadium in Brisbane armed with T-coil activated, a music program installed in my CI, a mini mic working in my CI and the stadium had the hearing loop turned on.
The music program in my CI actually worked far better than I anticipated it would in an open aired stadium. The mini mic not so good as I was seated to far away from the musicians to get any real benefit from the mini mic. The actual stadium loop system was fantastic
Last month I went to the Tattoo in Brisbane, knowing full well that I might not be able to hear very much at all, because CI recipients all struggle with music appreciation. Some recipients are lucky and get good music appreciation post surgery. Others get very little if any after CI surgery, it just sounds like a squawking mess of music all jumbled not meaning anything. On the night the brass section was crystal clear and the pipe band segments were “music to my ears”. That night was the first time that I had been able to appreciate the pipe band segments of the tattoo…
To all our CI community here on the forum, never give up on trying to achieve good music appreciation. Speak to your and ask for the music scan app- it works really well.
I attend a lot of international educational and medical conferences. It is used in Europe and Asia quite a bit, less so in the US. Expect it will all be replaced with .
Geneva, Switzerland
Ontario
Melbourne