Moviegoing is a popular pastime throughout Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. What else are you going to do when it’s ten below zero with a foot of snow on the ground?! Catching a flick is a great opportunity to escape the everyday stress, but if you’re suffering from hearing loss, it might actually lead to more stress. To help make the experience more enjoyable, take advantage of your theater’s hearing loop system.
Keeping You in the Loop
A hearing loop, also called an induction loop, is a system that transmits sound directly to your hearing aids using electromagnetic energy. A complete system consists of a sound source, an amplifier, a loop of cable and a receiver or telecoil. Once you’re in close range of the hearing loop, your hearing aids will pick up a clear signal free of background noise. Most of today’s hearing aids feature built-in telecoils, thin strands of copper wire designed to receive magnetic transmissions from public audio systems.
The benefits of hearing loops include:
- Easy, discreet, instantaneous communication access for people with hearing loss.
- A simple, low-maintenance way for public venues to provide communication access to the hearing-impaired.
- Universal hearing access for those who wear hearing aids.
- Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other local/state laws for public venues looking to improve communication access.
- An inclusive, welcoming and thriving hearing-friendly community for all.
Looping technology is becoming increasingly popular and widespread public venues throughout the upper Midwest. Induction loop systems can be found in arenas, classrooms, auditoriums, churches, airports, malls, shopping centers and, of course, movie theaters. As standardization of t-coil switches by different hearing aid manufacturers continues, the number of hearing loop systems is expected to grow in the coming years.
Other Moviegoing Tips
Not all theaters have induction loop systems. You can still enjoy the big screen experience if you bring along an assisted listening device, a portable amplifier designed to give your hearing aids a boost in challenging listening situations. Popular devices include FM systems, which amplify sound and send it directly to your hearing aids via radio signals; infrared systems, similar in concept but utilizing beams of infrared light instead of radio waves; and personal amplifiers that allow users to aim directional microphones in the direction of an audio source to increase its volume.
For more information on hearing loop systems and other assisted listening devices, contact your audiologist in Iowa, Minnesota or South Dakota today.