Help hearing the TV set

[Charlotte Lady]

Has anyone used any of those devices that help with hearing the TV?  I'm looking at the TV Ears from Radio Shack.  They have most of my requirements-rechargable batteries, small, cordless.  I just wonder how well they work....Decent price-$99.00.

Donna

[Raydean]

Hi Donna

I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind but you might want to look at Sennheiser (brand)
wireless RF headphone system with switchable surround sound for HiFi and TV  use.  This works great if only you are watching TV, but does tune out the sound so if others are watching TV with you, it probably wouldn't be what you're looking for.  There are different models.  I think RS 130 was the one we chose.  This was bought 2 years ago so numbers might have changed.  Sennheiser is a well known brand that has really pioneered some of the technology in this field.

Hope this helps
Raydean
 

[Jim Scott]

Donna:

I have 'TV Ears' and like them.  My wife bought them as a Christmas gift about 6 months after my surgery, in 2006.  We had the usual tug-of-war over the loudness of the TV and she was afraid her hearing would be harmed by having it loud, as I required.  The TV Ears solved that problem.  She can set the volume quite low and I just turn up the 'gain' on my headphones and hear the TV perfectly.

The drawbacks are as follows:  The sound is somewhat 'tinny' as it usually is with small headphones.  Programs with loud audience cheering, as on some game shows, comes through as white noise, because the sound overloads the capacity of the headphones to process it.  The soft cushions on the ear-pieces fell off within a few months and I cannot get them back on so I simply do without them.  Not a big deal.  If you have (or plan to purchase) a Hi Definition TV, you'll need an adapter.  They sell 'TV Ears' for Hi-Def but the salesman told my wife they don't work all that well and the adapter on the 'original' model is the way to go. 

Other then those caveats, 'TV Ears' work just as advertised.  They are light, comfortable and easily rechargeable (they sit in a stand that acts as the charger).  Not cheap and not like normal hearing but as good as it gets, I suppose.  Anyway, they work for me.

Jim

[jlamborn]

Do you have a hearing aid with a t-coil built into it?  If so, you can "loop" your room.  Basically, there is a box that wires directly into your tv first with just a basic audio cable.  Then you have a length of wire that starts in one side of the box, goes around the perimeter of your room and back around to the other side of the box.  When your hearing aid is in the tcoil mode, you get the tv sound piped directly into your hearing aid from anywhere within the loop.  I got mine from www.tecear.com.  I, too, started off with the TV ears, but since I had a hearing aid, I wanted something that put the sound directly into it.  I've also got a neck loop that pipes my computer, cell phone, and home phone directly into the tcoil as well.   
Hope this helps; it's just another solution besides the TV Ears.

Jean

 

[Charlotte Lady]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I'm getting TV ears for my birthday the 25th.  I'm looking forward to getting them.  I saw a pair recently and have been interesting in them ever sense. 

Donna

[Jim Scott]

Hi, Donna:

I resurrected this thread because, as a satisfied user of the product 'TV Ears' I wondered if you had bought a set and how you liked them. 

Jim

[Charlotte Lady]

Jim
sorry it's been  a long time since I checked the boards, and I just discovered I could look at responses to my posts without going through everything. 

I love the TV ears.    Love them a lot.  Thy've really improved my quality of life.  Funny how just being able to hear TV makes everything seem like it's going to be okay. 

Donna

[Jim Scott]

Donna:

Thanks for your response.  I'm glad you like the 'TV Ears' as much as I do. You know, I think everything is going to be O.K. 

Jim