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Posted on 02/09/2013 5:29:01 PM PST by randita
A relative of ours is hard of hearing. He's tried several types of hearing aids but they have not met his satisfaction.
When he visits us and we're watching TV, he can't hear it unless the volume is so loud it drives the rest of us out of the room. We have a small house and an open floor plan, so moving to another room is not an option. We can hear a loud TV throughout the entire house.
A possible solution would be a headset for him on which he can adjust to volume to his liking while the rest of us can keep the TV volume at a reasonable level. But I haven't seen anything like that available according to the research I've done.
What I have seen are heat sets which take over the TV volume entirely (so that people without head sets have no audio) OR personal amplifiers which are placed near the person who is hard of hearing. I'm not sure how these amplifiers work, but I wonder if they would be annoying to others in the room.
There may even be a way to replicate what's seen and heard on the TV onto a computer with a head set running out of the computer. But we don't have an extra computer to devote to that.
FYI, the TV set is a Panasonic Viera plasma, two years old. There are a couple of HDMI outputs that we're not using.
We currently don't have a sound system connected, but will soon. We moved recently and are still unpacking items like that.
Please don't bother with suggestions for hearing aids. This person is stubborn and absolutely will not listen to any suggestions.
I hope I've explained the situation satisfactorily, but if not, please feel free to ask for more information.
Any ideas are welcome and GREATLY appreciated.
These are what I use, but Sony's discontinued them.
You can get them from Amazon.
Ours have lasted more than 5 years. If you buy two or more sets, they will all work together from the same base.
http://www.amazon.com/SONY-MDRIF240RK-IR-HEADPHONE-KIT/dp/B005U8GRCM
Thanks for the “fix” tip. I happen to have a second unit that I broke the ear stem on, so it should be an excellent suject for the stereo jack surgery.
Sony wireless headphones. You described my father. He is wearing the headphones now and the tv volume is bearable.
Sound amplifiers like this are worthless IMO. They amplify all the ambient sound, not just the TV. Net result is though louder, TV dialog is no easier to understand.
I use headphones during most TV viewing, partly because I live in an apartment building and partly because of the variations in volume during programs/movies.
My set-up is:
Vizio LCD TV with audio out. Long audio cable to my cumfy-chair. Logitech headphones with inline volume control ($20 at Walmart).
The TV sound is not affected by the audio cable.
Supposedly a new law is supposed to quit broadcasters from blasting commercials above normal audio levels. I also have a problem with loud background sounds/music overpowering voices in movies and tv programs. The headphone with volume control helps significantly.
Might just work for you. I know we love our TV center now. Thrift stores can be your friend. If your patient...
As a bonus, now my music is wonderful too. music on those tiny 5.1 speaker systems is like listening to 4 transistor radios to my ears, with a boom box add-on. But real speakers, man they sound good.
Good luck, nice of you to be so concerned.
This sounds idential to a situation here. I went to Best Buy and found a pair of wireless earphones. They came with a cradle for recharging. They are comfy around the ears and cost about eighty bucks. She wears them all the time and the rest of the family is also very grateful.
I am not hard of hearing but closed caption has saved my sanity. I have 5 loud boys (and a beautiful girl) that I love but, I haven’t heard a movie or tv show in 18 years. Thank you for paying for this service, even if you are only doing it because it is required.
You can try adjusting the TV sound. Set it to mono, with no theater sound, and then turn the mid range and highest frequencies as high as they will go with the bass as low as it will go. Works for me.
Amazon features a variety of “personal sound amplifier” devices in their “Health and Wellness” department that you might find suitable. These include headphone systems such as the Sonic SE4000 Super Ear Personal Sound Amplifier, priced at $22.95, and which gets four stars from users. Or the Williams Sound PKT D1 EH Pocketalker Ultra, which goes for $120, and is rated at five stars.
My own device, the Earglasses® Sound Amplifier, wouldn’t be suitable, since its modest amplification is best suited for use by those with less profound problems.
Friend of mine just got hearing aids that are bluetooth capable, so they’re also wireless headphones for any bluetooth device. There’s gotta be some sort of bluetooth audio for TVs. Kind of an expensive solution, but pretty cool.
Link: Rocketfish
My mother in law was very hard of hearing. I bought her a stereo amplified listener from Radio Shack and got a lightweight set of stereo ear phones to plug into it. She could adjust the volume to suit her.
It was also good for when we had visitors, for she could join in the conversations while using it. It amplifies the sound and does not require a connection with the audio source.
My listener is about twenty years old and they still work great. ‘Mother’ has been dead since 2001 and now I occasionally use them to listen to the birds singing.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104056
huh?
Huh?
BTTT
You can buy wireless headphones that connect to the TV. I was tired of hubby cranking up the volume so I saw $15 headphones at Big Lots.. You can get more expensive ones, but these work great.
I hope you realize that overdoing the wrong kind of supplemental amplification will just make things worse. If the sound level he wants hurts your ears, it will cause more noise-induced hearing loss, aggravating his condition -- probably presbyacusis. Just boosting the loudness across the audio spectrum can make it painful in the frequencies which do not need to be amplified. And that's all turning the volume up, or using store-bought headphones will do.
So far, on this thread, I haven't seen any wise counsel on this. All seem to be advising to just boost the sound, and likely that is the WRONG approach, over time.
Don't steer your relative with advice that will harm him more. See that he gets professional advice. Do some research on this with the experts, The American Hearing Research Foundation
Find him a professional near you: http://www.asha.org/findpro/
He should also find funding help for the tests and device. I did. Unsure about who you can contact for information about audiology services and hearing aid coverage? There are a variety of resources at the state and national level that may have answers to your questions. Is he a veteran? Is the hearing loss service-related?
More loud noise will just make his condition worse -- slow enough so you won't be blamed for it -- but worse. Now you know.
One of the things I've done with TV and/or DVD movies is to turn on the "Closed Caption" feature. It helps you get the speech a little better, a kind of synergy.
Again, if he hasn't gotten advice from a professional audiologist, it's way past time. If he already has and refuses it, or won't -- figure out whether it's your problem or not, eh?
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