I heard mention that there are plans to upgrade the sound system in my church this year
The current system has a very weak transmitter and they have loaner FM receivers with headphones. I bought my own receiver with neckloop to use with my aids… but the FM coverage inside the church is weak and I get lots of static unless I’m very close to the rackroom door where the transmitter and antenna is…
I was thinking that maybe I should put a bug in the ear of the sound guy to consider Auracst in his budgeting. (not that I have anything at the moment that works with , but still!)
Is there anything other than auracast I should suggest?
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Induction (hearing) loop.
Other than the unfortunate problem of manufacturers dropping , simple and discrete.
The next problem with then is that the HA’s have to have that capability.
I would think that with that Listen product that it would introduce several layers of latency. You’d be watching the speaker speak and then you’d hear the words moments after. What they call lip-sync. Unlike a tv, you can’t add/remove a delay of the speaker. The speaker is in analog, not a reproduction image.
You can loop a specific seating area or the whole room. The speaker is likely using a mic to be amplified out of speakers. Run a splitter of that mic input to an amp that is connected to the loop. The loop is a lot like a speaker just that only telecoils can pick up the sound. But yes it’s crappy that manufacturers are dropping the telecoil.
Yeah, there’s beauty in the simplicity of a looped room
but I suppose it’s not practical as a retrofit to an existing church
especially as you pointed out since they are being discontinued by the makers.
I’m not so sure that the latency would be any worse with Bluetooth (or the wifi system that I found), than it is for the system. There probably is a bit of latency in my FM to neckloop system, but what little bit there may be isn’t noticeable in the echo of the place. The far worse problem is the static and poor reception that I’m getting because of the FM part of it…
is the future, and it’s supposed to be relatively inexpensive to install. Having said that, does anyone have any idea as to the cost of installing Auracast in a church?
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it looks to be about like installing a wifi access point
and they claim 3,000 ft range
so Im guessing it wouldn’t cost much!
Seems like a simple afterthought add-on to the audio console
The system in your church probably needs a technical review. It should be strong. It could be the soundboard/mixer output not sending a strong enough signal. The static is probably , and can be detected by a neckloop.
Audio Over Wi-Fi has latency problems, which is difficult for lip-reading and people also hear an echo-like sound with the room acoustics and the FM.
International standards will be released in 2027, and virtually 99% of people with hearing aids don’t have compatible devices - people will can connect via a neckloop.
The best solution for people to hear today is still a . You can budget and install a hearing loop now, and down the road add Auracast when it is ready.
except based on my very limited experience it probably wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the church to invest in looping the room. I sure do wish they would though!!!
The only reason I have is because I specifically asked for it and it was the same cost as the non T-coil version she was selling me. Seems like my audiologist rarely if ever fits them anymore.
And from what I can tell there are fewer and fewer aids that even offer the option for T-coil.
And for good reason I suppose… in the 4-1/2 years I’ve had these things, I have found exactly ZERO venues with a loop…no I take that back, I did see a sign that a service teller window had it. I think it was the tax collector (DMV), or maybe it was when we were getting passports. Anyway, I’ve NEVER used it in the wild, and I’ve tested several phones but have NEVER found one that works with it. The only use I’ve gotten out of it has been my receiver neck loop, which only has been useful at my church.
I personally have 9050s from Costco, a Samsung S24 and I work for a church. So far my 9050s have been great with regular for calls but I’ve only had them a few weeks. Love the TV adapter, it’s like a whole new world.
At work, as of yesterday, we have an Auri demo transmitter unit and 8 of the portable Auri receivers. The latter work great, but I’ve not been able to pick up the Auri LE transmission to my and the Hear Link 2 app. Just can’t see it at all. Latest firmware on everything, and the app. I’m thinking it’s a setting on my device that I’m missing as this is all new to me. The contractor is coming back tomorrow so hopefully we’ll get this figured out.
Once I get myself connected I’ll be happy to share feedback. We will have the demo here for a couple weeks. We do have a quote for a loop system but it’s an old structure and not ideal for installation. Also, I picked up a lot of interference on the loop demo that I wasn’t happy with.
Edit for Update: After considerable time on the phone yesterday with a very helpful Philips support agent I was advised that while the 9050s support Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) they cannot yet receive and the issue is software. So although my S24 is Auracast-capable as both a receiver and accessory and the 9050s are BTLE, the HearLink 2 app is not able to bridge the connection and pass the Auracast broadcast from my phone to my 9050s. It’s coming but she had no idea when. Folks may be conflating Bluetooth Low Energy with Auracast; Page 6 of this document may help.28
This is very sad. The are great; getting out the word of where they exist is harder. There are lists on the web, but they aren’t complete and people don’t know to search for them. My 2 yr old Jabra don’t have a included, but there’s one in the external Multi-Mic, which I have. Most public offices, libraries, etc. have loops installed, as do may churches. But it’s looking like newer technology will finally put paid to this venerable solution.
A is just a wire installed around the perimeter of the space/room with a connection to the working audio system already in place. Many older churches have them. Do a bit of online research. I don’t have a current map reference, but they are out there. Google Maps is supposed to show them, but I’m sure it’s not complete.
My Costco tech said some other customers with the same 9050s had reported fantastic results with at a live theatre nearby. I’ve reached out to support through the app and will.update once i hear. Ha ha.
There has to be a way to connect the aids to an transmitter, and I haven’t seen anyway to fo that. My Samsung S23 phone has bothe le audio and auracast but the auracast requires a password for anything to pair with it.
I trialed the Nexia 9.
I’m pretty sure I remember somewhere in the app it asked if I wanted to join broadcast.
It probably didn’t mean there was one.
It probably just meant it had the capability.
GN sponsored demo a smashing success using iPhone as tuner As everyone who has seen my previous posts knows, I’ve been doing demos for some time. I even created a large venue demo at the ACAud conference in May, transmitting my voice...
