A recent study determined that 17% of Americans suffer from hearing loss. Induction Loop hearing assist systems are in increasing demand in the United States by a population that is seeing higher rates of hearing loss and at younger ages than ever before. Studies show that our world is getting noisier, given accellerated construction projects, public transportation, and of course portable electronic devices with earbuds focusing sound directly  down our ear canals.

Fortunately, hearing aides are also benefiting from ultra miniature electronics and computerization. They are now widely available with Telecoils (T-Coil), which allows them to receive audio signals from any induction loop system without any additional equipment. This helps preserve the privacy and dignity of the wearer by eliminating the effort, embarrassment, and stigma of having to seek out and wear a belt pack and headphones during an event.

Even better, because they are listening through their own hearing aides, the sound each person hears is optimized by their audiologist for their particular hearing loss. Plus, because hearing aides are in-the-canal devices, a person in the next seat is not bothered by the spill from headphones that are too loud.

Headphones, on the other hand, amplify all frequencies equally, including those the wearer cannot hear, which is why a hearing impaired person will often not know that they are too loud.

For those with hearing loss too minor for a hearing aide, but still desire hearing assistance, belt packs with headphones are available.

While the Europe Union recognized the value of induction loop hearing assist systems decades ago and have required them by law in places of public assembly as well as many customer service points, legislation and regulations in the U.S. are fairly new. See the Regulation section of our web site for more information.

Essentially, an induction loop is a  wire embedded into a room and connected to a voltage source amplifier. When activated with an audio signal, a magnetic field is generated within the confines of the loop. When an induction receiver is within the looped area, the magnetic energy is converted back into an audio signal.

For certain applications where the required coverage area is small (such as a service counter or a kiosk), a small loop can be embedded into furniture.

The magnetic field is not a radio frequency, and is not susceptible to interference from wireless mics or other radio or television transmitters. The range is very limited, and can be contained entirely within a room. Reception does not require line of sight as infra-red systems do.

Induction loop design is unique amongst its audio and video system cousins, including other assisted listening system designs. An Induction Loop system is a magnetic field generator with audio modulated on the field. The field strength and the audio frequency response must be uniform throughout the field in order to meet certification specifications.

Architectural elements such as building steel, rebar, reinforced concrete floors and even some ceiling tile grids can interfere with or absorb magnetic fields, negatively affecting performance. Insuring the field's uniformity throughout a room and adherence to ADA magnetic and audio performance specifications requires specialized equipment and training.

We are certified for all levels of induction loop design and installation and have installed loops in
churches, court rooms, auditorium theaters, and more. We draw on equipment from manufacturers we have selected for their reliably high quality equipment and performance.

Our experience has enabled us to overcome “magnetically challenging” rooms that would not have met certification requirements with the typical loop designs.

International performance standards have been developed in order to standardize the performance of an induction loop system. Similar to the standards in place for the broadcasting of television and radio signals that allows any receiver to work with the transmitted information to produce the proper picture and sound qualities.

An improperly designed or installed loop or driver will not meet the standards and will not produce a uniform signal strength or frequency response in the room, and can not be certified to meet the ADA law or performance standards.

There are more than six different basic induction loop designs, each with their own unique properties and applications such as perimeter, low loss, low spill, cancellation, phased array, and others. Then there are several types of wire and a number of different loop drivers available.

Our process starts with a site survey to test and measure the intended space to detect conditions that would hamper or prevent the loop from meeting the certification requirements and to determine the engineering requirements needed to meet the project specifications. We take room to room privacy concerns into account as well as adjacent spaces with induction loops to prevent interferences.

For new construction we work closely with the architect and general contractor. We also work closely with your AV integration and service contractors. We then design the system and run proof tests when necessary. The installation occurs before the finished floor is installed, whether that be carpeting, wood, tile, etc.. We take integrity tests before and after the flooring and furniture is installed, and we perform the final certification test after everything is in place.

For retrofit installations we consider the rooms’ architecture, decor, flooring, furniture, walls, & ceiling, and more. We also consider the room's intended use, and the typical attendee demographics. We will run the same series of tests and work with your AV people.