What is a Room Loop System?

What is a Room Loop System? Room Loop systems come in various formats, designed for both domestic and commercial purposes. To use a Room loop system, we must first ensure we have a hearing-aid that can be “loop-enabled”.

Below, with the help of our Technical Manager, we have collated a little guide to help you understand loop systems, highlighting what loop systems are, how they work, some of the benefits of using one, the cost, and where to find them.

To understand what Loop systems are, we first must understand what hearing aids are, and how they interact with Loop systems.

Connecting Your Hearing Aid to a Loop System

A hearing aid is a hearing device designed to make sound more audible to the wearer who has hearing loss. Most hearing aids are or can be ‘loop-enabled’. In older hearing aids there was a “T” switch, which turned the loop on. However, in modern digital hearing aids this function is called the loop program, which is usually accessible by pressing the function button on the hearing aid. Your audiologist can activate this feature for you via a computer program and will tell you how to access it. So please get in touch with your audiologist for assistance.

Once your hearing aid has been loop-enabled, all you need to do is switch to the loop program, which then mutes the internal microphone of the hearing aid and cuts all background noise, allowing you to pick up the audio signal from a loop system.

What is the Mixed Loop & Microphone Program?

Sometimes audiologists will activate a program on the hearing aid called Mixed Loop & Microphone, or M/T, instead of just the Loop program. This program keeps your microphone activated while you listen via the loop program – this feature was introduced because of reports of hearing aid users commenting that they felt isolated when using the loop program because of the muted microphone.

Sometimes, using the Mixed Loop & Microphone or M/T program with the loop system can cause an echo effect for the hearing aid wearer because the hearing aid is multi-tasking and picking up sounds from two separate entities; the loop system, and the sound source that the loop system is feeding from.

Here, the hearing aid wearer, (For the sake of this example, let’s call him Gary) has two options; if Gary is living alone, he can simply mute the sound coming from the source. If Gary is living with other people who also listen to the sound source, then this isn’t viable. In this case, a hearing aid with just a Loop Program would work much better. At Sarabec, this is the program we always recommend to any of our customers.

What is a Room Loop System?

Now that we have established HOW you can connect to a loop system, let’s move onto WHAT a loop system is!

A Room Loop System, also known as an Induction Loop system, is extremely useful for anyone with a hearing aid, or those who are hard of hearing. A Loop System is a huge benefit to a hearing aid wearer and can easily enhance the quality of life for the user, whether they are in their own home listening to the TV or the radio, etc. Or when using an already installed loop system found in a public place like at a shopping counter, church, etc.

Domestically, home induction loops help cancel background noise and enhance the sounds you want to hear, like giving clarity to the dialogue on the TV, enhancing the sounds on the radio, and other audio devices.

Commercially, Loop systems also assist with day-to-day conversations; they can help keep your conversations going in noisy environments or where privacy may be required.

How Does a Room Loop System Work?

As its name suggests, a hearing loop is a loop of wire that transmits sound via a magnetic field.

The sound source is picked up by a microphone or direct connection and sent into an amplifier. The loop acts like an aerial, sending the magnetic signal from the amplifier to your hearing aid.

A hearing loop means you’ll be able to hear just the sound source, clearly and crisply, without any disturbing background noise.

The Benefits of a Room Loop System

The main benefit of a loop system is that it can virtually eradicate background noise in a room and allow the user to “tune” in to just the wanted sound from the audio source, making the most of the hearing aids abilities.

Not only that, but loop systems also allow the hearing-aid wearer to bump up the volume without affecting everyone else in the room. Finding that solution that everyone can agree on is a great perk when it comes to the hearing loop. Now you can watch the TV or listen to radio without it being too quiet for you or too loud for everyone else.

The Future of Hearing Loop Systems

Hearing loops continue to advance, and we aim to stay ahead of the game so that our customers receive the best possible service when buying from us.

Hearing loops are widely installed around the home for domestic use. However, we believe this usage will increase around more public domains, like in businesses, restaurants, reception areas, shopping counters, kiosks etc, giving hearing-aid users a better listening experience.

How Much Would a Loop System Cost?

Loop systems vary from price to price. You can explore our price range and our product specifications for Loop systems here.

For FREE advice on the specifications of our products, or for some help with understanding what system might be right for you, get in touch via our contact form today. We’re always available and on hand to ensure you receive the best customer experience.

Why Sarabec Ltd?

At Sarabec Ltd, the leading UK suppliers of hearing equipment, including loop systems, TV Listeners, extra loud doorbells, phones, and other products, we aim to offer a layer of independence while supporting the day-to-day living of those with a hearing impairment. We’re here to help.