Telecoils and Hearing Loops: Hearing Clearly Without the Room Noise

How a hearing loop works

A loop system has four parts: a sound source such as a microphone or TV, an amplifier, the loop wire, and a receiver. The wire may run around the edge of a room or under the carpet. The listener needs to be inside or near the loop.

What a telecoil does

Telecoils are tiny wireless receivers built into many hearing aids and some cochlear implants. They were first designed to make phone sound clearer. In a looped room, switching the hearing aid to its telecoil program lets it pick up the loop signal directly.

People without a telecoil can use a loop receiver with headphones, although the sound is not then tuned to their own hearing.

Where loops are found

Halls, places of worship, theatres, ticket counters, and sometimes taxis or homes, connected to a TV or phone. Portable loops also exist.

Other assistive listening systems

• FM and remote-microphone systems send the speaker's voice by radio to a receiver; common in classrooms.
• Infrared systems send sound as invisible light; they do not pass through walls, which suits courtrooms, but struggle outdoors and in bright rooms.
• Bluetooth broadcast (Auracast) is a newer option. What is Auracast? explains it.

Checking your hearing aid

Not every hearing aid has a telecoil; the smallest styles often do not. Ask whether yours has one and whether a telecoil program has been set up.

Key takeaways

• A hearing loop sends sound as a magnetic signal around a room.
• A telecoil in the hearing aid picks it up and reduces background noise.
• You need to be inside or near the loop.
• FM, infrared and Auracast are other assistive listening options.
• Not every hearing aid has a telecoil.