Hearing Aid Induction Loops

Does anyone out there in Perth theatre-land (or further afield) have experience with induction loops? I've done a bit of research, and the technology looks fairly simple. What are the pitfalls? Are there local equipment suppliers? What costs are involved? Is it worth the effort in a 120 seat theatre? Not being a hearing aid wearer, I would be interested in the opinions of those who benefit from induction loops.

yes I supply induction loop systems, they are expensive and can be simple or very hard, the Achilles heel of loops is steel, either in roofs or concrete floors which soak up the signal.In an older wooden building it is dead easy, the loop amplifier needs a lot of compression to give a clear signal, I can send you a book about it if you want to explore it.

What sort of ballpark price would you think, David (I won't hold you to it, just want to know if it's worth pursuing). Our local city council has grants available for such things.... I've read that you can do it with a standard audio amp, but the setup is very tricky, and that you need to cut everything above 5kHz, to prevent distortion. www.meltheco.org.au

Around 1-2k$, the units to compensate for high frequency drop out are at the higher end of that range, an ordinary amp will work but not very well.

Hi. We manufacture induction loop amplifiers here in Australia. I-Amp. We also offer a free design service. Our engineers have written extensive papers on the subject. Please feel free to contact me for more information or visit our website. www.i-amp-induction-loop-systems.com.au Thanks for considering Australian Made.

Hi, many years ago I put an induction loop in our church. The floor area is about 600 sq/M. I used 100 metres of twin cable and an old audio amplifier. After about 5 years of successful usage we purchased a loop amplifier. There was no noticeable difference, however it was more professional. It makes the church amplification really good for people who have a "T" switch on their hearing aid (you must have a "T" switch). It cuts out background noise and bounce from building speakers. In effect, I can thus hear better than most people. Also I cannot hear any disturbance from children behind me. In a theatre, the volume from the speakers are so loud that all the sound is blended into a loud hash. The loop gives me clarity. I find it useless to watch a movie at the theatre without a loop. I also use one at home for the TV.