Why Can I Hear Via Some Room Loops and Not Others?

by Neil Bauman, Ph.D.

A man explained,

I was at an Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) meeting at which you spoke. You made a loop around our group and through my hearing aid with a t-coil, I heard every syllable that you spoke loud and clear. It was great!

At the retirement community where I live, they have looped the chapel/all purpose room. However, when I turn on my t-coil (I have only one hearing aid since an aid in my poorest ear does not seem to help my hearing) I can not get enough volume to hear well. Other people say the loop works for their t-coils. My audiologist says my t-coil is working. Do you have any thoughts as to what the problem might be?

I’ve heard other complaints about that same looped room so you are not alone.

To begin with, the loop at your retirement home was not set up by a professional loop installer that knew what he was doing. This loop does not meet International standards for loop performance. Among other things, International standards require that the loop signal be set to a certain loudness level, and that the volume doesn’t vary by more than plus or minus 3 dB anywhere in the loop.

My guess is that this loop isn’t set to the correct level and/or the volume varies depending on where you sit in the loop. That is why some people say it works for them, and others like you find it isn’t loud enough. This loop installation should be redone.

However, in the meantime, you can move around and see if there is a place where you can hear the signal better. I’d suggest that you try sitting closer to the edge of the loop (but not on top of the loop wire) say 3 or so feet inside the loop. If the signal is loud there, but not more in the center of the loop, then you know the loop is not set according to standards.

Another possibility is that your t-coil is not set according to standards. It may be set too soft. However, I doubt that is the case as you heard well on my loop.