T-Kast™ hearing assistance systems help people of all ages with most hearing aids and all new cochlear implants to hear clear and concise sound without the issues associated with noisy, reverberant and difficult to understand environments. With nothing more than a push of a button, the hearing instrument becomes a wireless loudspeaker with no need for extra equipment to maintain, wear or show the world the hearing apparatus.

Best of all it comes in small sizes to fit in a car, TV room, bank teller information kiosk, middle sizes for classrooms, larger rooms at the home or office and large sizes for 1000 or more people in auditoriums, train stations, theaters. The applications are endless.

New developments in this decades-old technology now enable control of unwelcome sound spillover to neighbouring rooms and strong, equal coverage even in metal-laden contemporary facilities. They work by taking the sound from a TV, wireless or wired microphone, CD, or other sound source to a special hearing loop amplifier which sends its signal to an easy to install wire loop in a room or even outdoors. The wire loop generates a magnetic signal inside the loop and wirelessly sends the signal to the telecoil found in most hearing aids and all new cochlear implants. The signal at the listeners ears is free from distance issues, reverberation and ambient noise interference.

Why install hearing loops?

There are several big reasons including people with hearing loss require more than just volume. Hearing loss usually reduces the brains ability to process auditory information. Even when fitted with state-of-the-art hearing instruments, persons with hearing loss still require reasonable levels of speech and sound intelligibility. Hearing aids and cochlear implants amplify everything including unwanted noise. So by eliminating the noise by switching off the hearing aid microphone and the telecoil on, the intelligibility improves dramatically. Hearing aid battery life is not dramatically affected by using the telecoil instead of the microphone.

A T-Kast™ hearing assistance system consists of:

1. A sound source like a TV, microphone, PA system etc.

2. A Pacific T-Kast™ hearing loop amplifier (different sizes are available).

3. A wire loop, typically around the perimeter of the room being looped or a chairpad.

4. A person or persons with a T-coil fitted in their hearing aid or hearing implant.

How it works:

A hearing loop system works by taking the sound from a TV, wireless or wired microphone, CD, or other sound source to a special hearing loop amplifier which sends its signal to a simple to install chairpad or easy to install wire loop in a room or even outdoors. The wire loop generates a magnetic signal inside the loop and wirelessly sends the signal to the telecoil found in most hearing aids and all new cochlear implants. Because the hearing aid mic is switched off and the telecoil switched on the signal at the listeners’ ears is free from distance issues, reverberation and ambient noise interference. 

With no direct connection between the user and the loop system the user is able to move freely within the looped area and listen comfortably without the distractions of normal listening. Even better than using external headphone based systems, the loop system automatically tailors to the listeners preferences as individual preferences are already programmed into the hearing instruments. Loop systems drain hearing aid batteries at about the same rate as using the hearing aid microphone.

Hearing loops harness the technology of people's hearing instruments offering sharper sound. In contrast to a headset that provides the same generic audio to everyone, a hearing loop delivers customized sound because the hearing aid is customized to the listener's specific hearing issues.

Another feature is that most hearing aids now allow for either a T-coil program only (where no background noise is heard by the listener) or a combined microphone and T-coil program that allows nearby ambient sounds to be heard (which is desirable when driving a car for example). When watching television through a hearing loop, listeners will enjoy sound broadcast via their own hearing aids, while also being able to converse or hear a phone ring.

People with hearing loss are much more likely to use listening assistance that is directly hearing aid compatible. When people with hearing loss find themselves in situations where they are unable to hear a lecture, sermon, or movie will they take the initiative to get up, locate, check out and wear a receiver and headset? Not usually. If the listening assistance were to require only the push of a button, most people would do so willingly.