Understanding the Hearing Loop at MPUC
By Rich Passmore
Our hearing loop will be 7 years old this summer, so I thought it might be time for an update. For those who don’t know what a hearing loop is or why they should be interested, let me briefly explain, along with some background on how we came to have one installed in our sanctuary.
A hearing loop ties an amplified sound system to a copper loop that surrounds a targeted listening space. In our case, the loop is taped to the floor of the sanctuary and surrounds the main section of seating.
The magic happens when you have hearing aids that have an option called a telecoil, or T-coil for short. Many, but not all, hearing aids have this option installed. If you are unsure about yours, ask your audiologist. This feature requires a one time activation by the audiologist. Once activated, the wearer turns it on when in the presence of a hearing loop. The hearing aids will pick up the amplified sound, but will block annoying sounds like paper rustling. The only catch is that you must be within 6 feet of the hearing loop. Luckily, that includes the entire center section of our sanctuary. Excluded from the loop are the north and south transepts and balcony. You may have noticed the gray stripes on the floor, this is protective covering over the copper ribbon cable. If you have some degree of hearing loss and are contemplating hearing aids, be aware that the lowest cost hearing aids might not have the T-coil feature. Your audiologist can point you toward models that do have this option.
A little background on how Macalester Plymouth came to have a hearing loop installed. In the spring of 2017, as work was underway to refresh our sanctuary, the Deacons approached the sound team to inquire about the possibility of putting one of these in our space. The timing was perfect as work was about to begin on replacing carpeting. Bids were solicited and Midwest Hearing Loops was awarded the contract. Through a connection with a local audiologist, Kim Fishman, we reached out to Paul Johnson. Paul, a retired executive with HB Fuller, had suffered significant hearing loss and after retirement, he made a commitment to helping churches install hearing loops. In our case, Paul made a $1000 donation to help us get over the top on our fundraising. Paul came to worship with us once after the installation was complete, just to make sure we were properly promoting our hearing loop. His only stipulation with the donation was that we had to educate our congregation about its use. Paul donated to over 25 church hearing loop projects in Minnesota and Wisconsin before his passing in 2021.
You may have heard about using smartphones to augment your hearing. Until now, these smartphone hearing apps have not really lived up to the hype. They use Bluetooth, which can be hard to pair with the phone and the sound quality is just so-so. However, there is good news for those with just moderate hearing loss who aren’t quite ready to commit to investing in hearing aids. Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 earphones sample sound through a built-in microphone at an astonishing rate of 48,000 times per second! This sampling rate, coupled with seamless linking to the iPhone’s Health App, provides high quality sound through your Airpods. Setup is pretty straightforward; the app uses the results from your hearing test to tailor sounds to your needs. There are some downsides. First, if people see you wearing your Airpods, they might assume you’re listening to music or a podcast and may not want to interrupt. Second, while Airpods aren’t too uncomfortable to wear, they are significantly heavier than hearing aids. Finally, Airpods only last 5-6 hours per charge whereas hearing aid batteries can last several days. But if you just need an occasional assist, this might be a good solution. The AirPod Pro 2 is often on sale for around $190. And of course you will also need an iPhone (sorry Android owners), but if you are just starting to suffer hearing loss and you're a fan of Apple products, this might be a worthwhile option to consider.
If you are new to hearing aids and have questions, feel free to come up to the balcony some time to chat with the sound team. They have a portable hearing device that you can try out to experience the sound through a T-coil and see if this solution is right for you.