Summary
A one-page HLAA chart of the ways listeners can connect to hearing loop, Auracast, FM, infrared and audio-over-Wi-Fi systems.
Key findings
- Maps five venue systems (hearing loop, Auracast broadcast, FM, infrared and audio over Wi-Fi) against six ways of listening: a built-in telecoil, built-in Auracast, a receiver with a neckloop, a receiver with a streamer, a receiver with headphones or earbuds, and a phone (app or Wi-Fi).
- Shows a built-in telecoil receiving only the hearing loop, and built-in Auracast receiving only the Auracast broadcast.
- Shows FM and infrared reached only through a receiver (with a neckloop, a streamer, or headphones or earbuds), and a hearing loop through a receiver with a streamer or with headphones or earbuds.
- Shows Auracast and audio over Wi-Fi reachable through every receiver option and through a phone.
- Notes that audio over Wi-Fi and streamers add latency that may prove challenging in some situations, and that hearing aids or cochlear implants must have a telecoil to receive a hearing loop or a neckloop connected to a receiver.
Limits
A summary chart with no measurements or references: it shows which routes exist, not how well they work or which device models support them. It does not separate Auracast Ready from Auracast Enabled devices or deal with receivers from different makers. No date is printed; the year comes from the PDF's creation date (28 July 2026).
Read the original
Cited in
- Which hearing devices can receive which systems?Open
- Auracast, hearing loop, infrared, RF or Wi-Fi: which suits which room?Disputed
- Are telecoils switched on and set up well enough for loops to work?Not reliable yet
- How much delay does Wi-Fi streaming add, and when does it matter?Not reliable yet
- Where does infrared assistive listening work, and where does it fall short?Partly answered
- Which radio bands can venue FM and RF systems use, and what limits them?Partly answered
- Should a venue keep its hearing loop when it adds Auracast, and can one system serve both?Partly answered
- What reaches a cochlear implant user in a venue, and how well?Partly answered
- Do neckloops give telecoil users good sound from FM, infrared, Wi-Fi and Auracast receivers?Not reliable yet
Cite this source
Kaneb A (credited on the chart). Coupling Options: Ways to Connect to Assistive Listening System Audio. Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA). 2026. https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/advocacy-resources/hlaa-coupling-options-als-chart.pdf (accessed 9 October 2026).
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