electronic audio devices – phone, tv, computer, etc.

By Andrea Kaneb

woman sitting at office computer screen and other electronic audio devices

How much do you think about all the devices that connect you to the world? When a severe ice storm knocked out power to New England for two weeks, I reached a whole new level of appreciation. There are countless examples of how electronic audio devices – phone, tv, computer, etc. add to our quality of life. The phone is a major lifeline to distant family, friends or coworkers. A TV, computer or laptop bring the world of news and entertainment right into our homes. Whether it’s music on a smart speaker or podcasts on a tablet, there are so many tools that enrich our lives in so many ways. I wish everyone had access to this level of connection. It’s estimated that 770 million people in the world still don’t even have access to electricity (International Energy Agency, 2019).

Opportunities for more connection

Beyond the typical benefits of these devices are the additional advantages for people with hearing loss. I used to be afraid of embarrassing myself on the phone. Now I call people with confidence, because I can hear them wirelessly in both ears. Thank you Bluetooth. I used to feel disconnected and lost in a monthly community gathering. Now I get free live captions of the conversation right on my phone and can fully participate. Thank you Google. I used to miss half of the nightly news on TV, especially the people with foreign accents. Now I can read captions and get crisp audio into both hearing aids. Thank you FCC, HLAA and hearing aid developers. I can also read lips on a video call and send a text instead of call. Innovations increasingly make the world more accessible for people with hearing loss. I’m so grateful.

Challenges

I hope you feel inspired to tackle the three speed bumps on the path to better connection. Like everyone else, you need to learn how to use your phone, TV, computer, etc. Beyond that, you need to learn how to use your hearing devices or specialty hearing products. And last but certainly not least, you need to make these two groups work together.

When it comes to hearing well with electronic audio devices, the name of the game is compatibility.

Find the people who can help. My best advice is to practice, view failures as part of learning and above all persevere. In the end, the benefits are worth the challenge.

Read on to learn more about:

how to connect better on your mobile, landline or VoIP phone
how to have a better TV experience
tips on wired and wireless connections and compatibility
Bluetooth basics
how to connect to specialty products like a smart speaker, stethoscope, or airplane entertainment systems

phones and televisions

Ever since 1876, telephones have magically connected us with people beyond our doors. They are an amazing and vital tool that just keeps getting better for people with hearing loss. There’s a lot you can do to improve the audio and add captions, even for free, so don’t lose that connection to your family and friends, work and community.

Television remains a major source of education and entertainment throughout the world. Learn what you can do to ensure you don’t miss a word.

Click on images for more information.

mobile phones

landline & VoIP phones

television

wired audio connections

Wired audio connections offer straightforward and reliable access to audio. Plugging in gives you the high quality sound you need to hear people, music, movies, and news. It is cleaner and stronger audio than sound from speakers that are across the room. It also lets you split audio when you need to use it in more than one way at the same time. Click to learn more about wired audio connections.

wireless audio connections

Wireless audio connections give you freedom to enjoy devices without being tethered to them. Audio is sent between devices using a transmitter and receiver. There are many different wireless methods commonly used. Your car radio uses FM, that little red light on your TV remote is Infrared, and your wireless headset uses Bluetooth. Don’t be intimidated by the variety or names (FM, Infrared, Induction loop, Digital Radio-Frequency, Near Field Magnetic Induction). Above all, remember that devices “speak” in different languages. Sometimes you need a translator in the middle.

What wireless method does your phone/TV/computer/etc. use to send audio?
What wireless method does your hearing aids/CIs/headset use to receive audio?
If they are the same, they may be able to communicate directly.
If they are different, you may be able to translate one form of wireless audio into the other using an adapter or streamer.

The most popular wireless method today is Bluetooth.

Wireless Audio Transmission

Bluetooth communication and compatibility

Bluetooth® allows compatible devices to communicate with each other wirelessly. The most recent version, called Bluetooth LE Audio is just emerging and enhances the performance of Bluetooth audio, adds support for hearing aids, and introduces AuracastTM broadcast audio. This promises to be a game-changer for people with hearing loss, giving much greater audio quality, lower [...]

equalizers

Equalizers change the intensity of sound at various frequencies, so you can adjust the audio on your device to fit your needs. You can find equalizers under the audio or sound settings on your TV, car radio, phones and tablets and possibly even your computer. Try turning down the frequencies where you hear well and turning up the frequencies where you struggle. For example, in my car, I turn the treble all the way up and the bass down and that helps me hear words better. It all depends on your hearing loss and preferences. Some devices have audio presets that you may want to disable.

smart speakers

Smart speakers are quickly becoming a popular way to listen to live radio, music, podcasts, to control smart home products, and retrieve general information from the internet. Look for features like adjustable audio settings and add-on screens with captions and with video for added facial cues for lip reading.

I don’t have first hand experience with smart speakers and don’t mean to endorse a specific product, but I found this info from Amazon about their Echo accessibility insightful for features to consider:

Echo Device Speaker

Pair your Echo device with supported Bluetooth speakers (sold separately). (or compatible Bluetooth hearing aids/streamers?)
Ask Alexa to speak slower or faster.
Adjust volume for timers, alarms, and media playback on compatible Alexa devices.
Use the Alexa app to control music playback for your device (not available for all products).

Echo Devices with a Screen

Closed Caption for supported videos and movie trailers.
Alexa Captioning displays real-time text captions from Alexa.
Real Time Text (RTT) creates a live chat feed during an Alexa call or Drop In on Echo Show.
Calling and Messaging Without Speech shows contacts and transcripts of messages with a touch screen feature.

airplane entertainment

Check before flying to see if your flight allows Bluetooth streaming during flight. Some airlines require all devices to be switched into airplane mode. Your hearing aid should still work normally in airplane mode, although all wireless features will/should be off. If you hope to listen to the entertainment system at your seat with your hearing aids, you may want to try plugging in over-the-ear headphones with noise cancellation and wearing them over your hearing aids or try them alone.

If the airline allows Bluetooth, you may be able to plug in a Bluetooth transmitter to the armrest headphone jack and stream to your hearing aids/streamer or plug a remote mic into the jack and stream to your hearing aids/CI. Be sure that wireless streaming is allowed.

Airplanes have a lot of electromagnetic interference that makes a telecoil and neckloop unusable.

drive-thrus

Drive-thrus are a nerve-racking experience for people with hearing loss. If you are lucky, your favorite fast-food restaurant uses an interactive display screen that helps ensure things go smoothly. If not, try using a speech-to-text app and please tell management about your needs for better access.

Some drive-thrus have a 3.5 mm headphone jack you can plug into.

stethoscopes

Standard stethoscopes are not always effective for medical professionals with hearing loss, because the sounds from the heart, lungs, or other organs (auscultation) are so soft and low-frequency.

There are a few options to consider, depending on your hearing loss and preferences. A.U. Bankaitis, PhD is a leading expert in this field and has a quick reference guide that explains the challenges and options.

The Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses (AMPHL) is a wonderful resource. Find helpful technical info and a stethoscope comparison chart.

An amplified stethoscope with a 3.5 mm audio jack allows you to plug in a streamer, remote mic or neckloop to interface with hearing aids. Hearing aids focus more on the frequencies of speech rather than the sounds below 100 Hz, where some of this important auscultation occurs so it’s a little unclear to me if a separate hearing aid program for stethoscopes would help. Ear-molds and domes also play a role, because low-frequency sounds escape from open-fit ear-molds/domes and closed-fit ear-molds trap low-frequency sound better but can occlude your voice.

Stethoscopes with Bluetooth can record patient data to smartphones or link to Bluetooth enabled hearing aids (via a streamer or remote mic for now). A proprietary transmitter like the “Roger Select” table mic will have less latency than an off the shelf Bluetooth transmitter. Learn more here.

Electronic stethoscope company ThinkLabs has an informative webpage for medical professionals with hearing loss.