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Several American companies are listed below. (Canadian visitors may wish to contact Bell Aliant Pioneers or Better Hearing Solutions, while U.K. visitors may wish to visit the Action for Hearing Loss
shop.)
Note: hearingloop.org is a nonprofit, informational
resource. It has nothing to sell and has no financial interest
in any loop product.
Hearing loops should meet the international
induction loop standard for strong, even coverage, and the absence of interference (see here
and here).
You may wish to ask potential installers whether they offer
engineering expertise to meet this standard and can verify
that they have done so. This will prevent dissatisfaction
with uneven, poor quality installations and will delight users
with clear, strong input wherever they sit.
American companies whose business focus is selling
loop products include the following. (The Hearing Loss Association of America now also offers a listing of hearing loop vendors here.)
Hearing Loop Products
Vendor self-description: "Manufactures commercial and
professional products for large venues and customer-facing
applications."
Hearing
Loop Systems
Vendor self-description: "Nationwide loop system design
and installation: Churches, airports, classrooms, pharmacies,
meeting rooms."
Listen Technologies
Vendor self-description: "North American distribution
for Ampetronic. Design, specify and supply induction loop
systems."
LoopAmerica
Vendor self-description: "Online source for residential,
commercial, and portable hearing loop systems."
Oval
Window Audio
Vendor self-description: "Longtime American manufacturer
of commercial and residential induction loop assistive listening
products."
Phonic Ear
A Danish manufacturer of home hearing loop equiment sold by various American dealers.
Pure
Direct Sound
Vendor self-description: "Home loop kits, commercial
loop amplifiers, plus other products to assist hearing."
Prominent equipment manufacturers
(These companies can direct you to recommended installers
of their products. For courtesy listings of some firms dedicated to loop installation, see below.)
Ampetronic,
a British company whose products are in use worldwide, with
marketing in the USA by Listen Technologies.
Bo
Edin, a Swedish loop manufacturer of Univox products
for home (including a simple chair pad system) and institutions,
via Pure
Direct Sound and Hearing Loop Products, and via other vendors, including the Center
for Hearing Loss Help and TecEar.
Contacta
Inc., a new but technically experienced American
company manufacturing a line of loop products, including a
new home TV
listening unit, as a joint venture with Britain's
Contacta
Ltd. In the Midwest, Contacta products are sold,
with engineering support, by Hearing
Loop Systems.
Echo MegaLoop,
a British product distributed in the USA by HARC.
inLOOP,
an American manufacturer of home and institutional loop systems. inLOOP's products are distributed through hearing centers by Wireless Hearing Solutions, sold direct via the internet at American Made Loops, and installed through a national group of trained installers supported by American Loop Services.
LoopAmerica,
an American manufacturer, which has developed digital loop
drivers for both large area and home applications.
Oval
Window Audio, a longtime American manufacturer of
a full line of loop equipment. Oval Window products are sold
and installed by contractors and dealers across North America.
Vivid
Acoustics, a British manufacturer of the portable
and countertop Soundshuttle and the portable Clipboard, distributed
in the USA by Pure
Direct Sound and others.
For catalogs and stores that sell other assistive
listening devices, including phones, personal listening systems,
and TV headsets, click here.
Directory of U.S. local and regional firms dedicated to hearing loop installation (under development; additions welcome). To ensure a quality result, ask installers if they understand and will certify that the installation meets IEC standards (see here and here for samples). Most firms are willing to work regionally beyond their city.
hearingloop.org cannot identify all A-V firms that do loop installations, nor can it evaluate whether any firm is trained to do and verify installations that meet the accepted international standard for strength and evenness of coverage. Nevertheless, in response to many requests, this courtesy listing identifies local companies whose business focus is the design and installation of hearing loops, and which offer a supporting website. We also suggest asking the equipment vendors for contact information for their loop installers in these and other local areas.
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