Receivers

Each hearing assistance system has its own type of receiver, most of which are specific to the manufacturer of the system. It’s very unlikely for one manufacturer’s receiver to work with another’s system.

For anything where headphone jacks are an option, I do strongly recommend using your own headphones. This ensures that you’re comfortable and able to use the assistance device.

Receiver kinds

• Bodypack, with headphone jack
• Headset
• Personal loop, generally plugged into headphone jack of a bodypack
• Smartphone
• Stethoset — a stethoscope-like headset

Hearing loop

No special hardware is required, other than hearing aids with a telecoil, which is also known as a “T” setting.

It’s also possible to get bodypacks which can receive telecoil signals and output the sound to a headphone jack. These range from about £20 (e.g. Adastra LR2) to over £100 (e.g. Ampetronic ILR3+).

Radio

These are very variable, and all kinds of different systems are in use. Some of the more common ones are listed below.

• Sennheiser EK 2020-d-II (bodypack)

Infrared

There are two broad styles: neck-loop and headphone. The common ones are listed below.

• Sennheiser EKI 830 (bodypack, often with EZT 3011 personal loop)
• Sennheiser HDI 830 (stethoset)
• Williams AV SoundPlus IR WIR RX22-4N (bodypack)

WiFi

While theatres often provide locked-down older iPhones, you can also install the app on your own device. However, sometimes the WiFi network is password-protected and you’ll need to use one of their pre-configured devices instead of your own.

Bluetooth (Auracast)

There are no widespread systems available yet, as of May 2023. In theory, any device that supports Bluetooth LE Audio should be able to act as a receiver.