Should a venue keep its hearing loop when it adds Auracast, and can one system serve both?

Why it matters

A hearing loop reaches hearing aids and implants through their telecoil, and Auracast reaches devices with Auracast built in; a device with only one of the two hears the other system only through a separate receiver¹. A venue that already has a loop and adds Auracast must decide whether to keep maintaining the loop, and whether one installation can feed both. Which technology suits which room is covered in Auracast, hearing loop, infrared, RF or Wi-Fi: which suits which room?, and the standards still to come in Will equipment bought today meet the standards that follow?; this question covers running the two together, where advocates already advise keeping loops during the transition^2,3.

What the evidence shows

What advocates, regulators and standards bodies advise

• Advocates: keep the loop and add Auracast. RNID asks venues to keep testing and maintaining loops for at least five years, potentially nearer 10, and new buildings to install a loop where feasible as well as Auracast². EFHOH asks venues and building planners to maintain existing loops and to consult hard-of-hearing organisations before refurbishment or installation, and asks policymakers to keep existing systems in accessibility requirements until Auracast has matured and has a large enough user base⁴. In HLAA's magazine, a board member writes that "venues must keep their hearing loops and other assistive listening systems in working order" during the transition⁵, and HLAA's Auracast page expects loop, FM, infrared and Wi-Fi systems to stay in use for some time⁶. Three German associations of hard-of-hearing people and implant users recommend, for new installations, an inductive system combined with a prepared or integrated Auracast solution, and for existing loops an added Auracast transmitter that reuses the existing microphones⁷. Pro Audito prefers a fixed loop plus an Auracast transmitter⁸.
• A government working group says the same for public transport. Australia's Hearing Augmentation Working Group, chaired by the federal transport department with Deafness Forum Australia, Guide Dogs Australia and state transport agencies among its members, encourages operators to trial new systems with users and, where appropriate, install them "in tandem with induction loop hearing augmentation systems", and to keep maintaining telecoil infrastructure while newer systems are gradually integrated⁹.
• Industry voices agree. A 2023 Bluetooth SIG post, co-written by the secretary of the technical committee of EHIMA (the European hearing-aid makers' association) and by a loop maker's director who chairs the International Hearing Loop Manufacturers Association, says Auracast should be offered as an additional option until it is more widely available to users than other systems such as telecoils¹⁰. A company that makes both loop drivers and Auracast transmitters wrote, answering questions from an HLAA webinar it presented, that "Both technologies will coexist for many years"¹¹.
• UK bus guidance puts it differently. The UK Department for Transport lists Auracast on all buses as an example commitment for local bus accessibility plans, saying it "could provide a more reliable and personalisable experience for passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing than induction loops do", and does not say whether existing loops should stay¹².
• Standards say little about running both. The Swiss consultation draft SIA 500, which states that it has no validity and must not be applied, is the one document found that proposes requiring both: Auracast transmitters as well as inductive transmission, preferably a fixed loop¹³. IEC 60118-17, listed for November 2027, covers single-transmitter 2.4 GHz streaming systems¹⁴; IEC 63087:2026 covers assistive listening systems of all kinds, with its requirements in the paid text¹⁵; and EFHOH's summary of the European standard EN 17210 lists loop, infrared, radio and Wi-Fi systems and leaves the choice to the application¹⁶. Their public descriptions do not mention a loop and an Auracast system serving the same room^14,15,16.

Who each system reaches

• Telecoil users without Auracast. The Center for Hearing Access estimates that 95% of users do not yet have hearing instruments with Auracast¹⁷. Without a loop, they reach Auracast through a receiver and neckloop^6,18, and neckloop quality varies widely¹⁹. Pro Audito says an Auracast transmitter with loaned neckloop receivers costs less than a loop plus Auracast but often does not work well enough in practice⁸. In RNID's station test, seven of ten participants listened through a loaned neckloop receiver with their telecoil; the report was funded by the Motability Foundation. In a separate July 2025 announcement, the transmitter maker Ampetronic said it had commissioned RNID trials there; the sources do not establish whether that commission covered the March 2026 concept test²⁰. EFHOH wants telecoil users to reach loops "without the need for additional receivers"⁴.
• Auracast users without a telecoil. A Swiss list dated 31 August 2026 shows three Auracast-capable or ready hearing device lines with no telecoil²¹, EFHOH reports that some makers have removed the telecoil²², and 59% of the prescription models listed in a 2026 consumer guide had a manual telecoil²³. At a church in Chippenham, England, the loop did not serve a member whose hearing aids received Auracast but not the loop, and that member donated the church's Auracast transmitter²⁴.
• People with severe hearing loss. The German associations expect Auracast to reach mass-market hearing aids for milder hearing loss first, call inductive transmission the established standard for people with severe hearing loss, and ask that power hearing aids and cochlear implant processors get Auracast quickly⁷. The Swiss list shows all three cochlear implant processors it covers as Auracast "ready" rather than capable²¹.
• People without hearing devices. They can listen to Auracast through a receiver with headphones or earbuds, or on a phone¹. In an Australian government-funded transport trial conducted by La Trobe University, NEC Australia and Get Skilled Access, participants who are blind, have low vision or are neurodivergent reported benefits as well as hearing-device users; the final report describes 19 sessions but gives no participant total²⁵.
• Devices with both. HLAA and EFHOH ask for hearing devices with both a telecoil and Auracast^6,4. Advocacy device lists show some models with both^18,21, while a loop and Auracast maker's webinar answers state that no hearing aid has both¹¹.

The questions How many listeners carry a telecoil, an Auracast-capable device or a smartphone? and Which hearing devices can receive which systems? hold the detail^21,18.

Products and designs that serve both

• One desk unit. Opus Technologies, the maker, describes its AuraLoop as the first hybrid product: a counter unit that combines a small induction loop (3 m range) with an Auracast transmitter (16 kHz stream only, 30 m in free field), and it tells buyers to "choose both". Its user manual gives the loop's field range as 1.10 m and states that the unit meets EN 60118-4; no measurements are published²⁶.
• A loop driver and a transmitter installed together. Ampetronic | Listen Technologies, the maker, describes a Swiss church where its loop driver and its Auracast transmitter were installed as one system, with the loop measured for uniform field strength and documented at commissioning²⁷.
• One audio feed. At the Chippenham church, the technical team gave the Auracast transmitter the same audio feed already sent to the loop, with no major changes to the sound system²⁴. The German associations recommend reusing an existing loop's microphones for the added transmitter⁷.

What running both gains and costs

• Installation cost. Several sources say Auracast can be cheaper or easier to retrofit than a loop: members of the Australian working group, because a loop may require renovating a building⁹, the German associations, in many cases and especially in existing buildings⁷, and the Australian transport trial²⁵. HLAA's magazine says Auracast can be simpler to deploy than a loop in many venues, but that early estimates are often higher than for FM or infrared⁵. A maker of both gives $2,000 to $4,000 as a ballpark for an Auracast installation¹¹; a loop seller's 2013 article says site factors can change a loop's installed cost by a factor of two to five²⁸. No source prices adding Auracast to an existing loop against replacing the loop.
• A buyer choosing against a new loop. The Bluetooth SIG (Trade body) reports that Grace Lutheran Church in Illinois considered a loop but found cost a major barrier, then replaced its FM system with Auracast and eight loan receivers with earpieces and neckloops. The profile reports that congregants using the receivers found sound quality better than with the old FM system, without giving a listener sample size or measured comparison. This is one buyer’s decision, with no prices reported, and involved no existing loop to retain²⁹.
• Two systems to look after. The Australian working group asks for loops to be tested for interference before deployment and maintained every 6 to 12 months⁹, RNID asks for loop maintenance every 12 months³⁰, and a loop distributor says faults go unnoticed because only hearing aid users listen³¹. The transport trial says that Auracast is not "set and forget" either²⁵. Auracast brings loan receivers to manage: the Swiss draft standard proposes receivers with neckloops for Auracast, FM and infrared (a guide value of at least 4, or 5% of seats from 100 seats)¹³, and the German associations ask for well-organised lending and maintenance⁷.
• Information for listeners. The Australian working group asks for signage that shows which systems are available, with instructions⁹; the transport trial asks for clear channel names, signage that explains each broadcast, and testing with a broad range of receivers²⁵.
• The compliance route. Under Australia's public transport standards, designers can use emerging technology through equivalent access provisions, which the working group says are not needed when the new system is added to loops that meet the standards⁹. In the US, advocates read the ADA differently for Auracast-only installations^32,6; the question Which systems satisfy the ADA and building codes, and does a listener's own phone count? sets this out.

How long the overlap may last

• Years, by most estimates. The estimates in the future-proofing question run from at least five years to 10 to 15 years^2,3,33. The 2023 SIG post says "years, maybe even a decade"¹⁰, and the German associations say many years, because hearing devices stay in use for a long time⁷. HLAA's magazine notes that many people upgrade hearing devices only every five to seven years and that houses of worship and municipal buildings upgrade slowly⁵, and the Australian working group says the rollout "will take some time"⁹.
• A maker's faster forecast. The maker of the combined desk unit states that 50% of hearing aids will have Auracast by 2026 and estimates 100% by 2030, without a source²⁶. The Center for Hearing Access estimates that 95% of users do not yet have Auracast hearing instruments¹⁷.

Delay between the two paths

• Not measured together. No source found measures the offset between a loop and an Auracast stream fed from the same source in the same room. Separate figures give a sense of the gap: an advocacy guide gives about 1 to 20 ms for loops and about 36 to over 100 ms for Auracast³⁴, and in a Swiss theatre trial the stream took 56 to 58 ms from transmitter to hearing aid, which the testers judged too long³⁵. A conference paper points out that in a large venue a loop installer can set one delay to match the sound reaching the looped area, while Auracast listeners can sit anywhere and so experience a range of acoustic delays³⁶.
• Claims without figures. HLAA's magazine notes that a hearing device's own streamer plugged into an Auracast receiver is likely to add latency⁵. The maker of the combined desk unit claims sound "without interference or latency" but publishes no figure²⁶, and the maker answering HLAA's questions said latency criteria will not be final until the end of 2027¹¹. The question Should the Auracast stream be delayed to line up with the loudspeakers? covers delay in general³⁶.

Venues that run both

• Churches. The Chippenham church kept the loop it had run for decades, added a donated transmitter on the same feed, and plans to run both for as long as needed²⁴. A parish in Grayslake, Illinois, kept its loop and added transmitters in its church and chapel; the profile says the loop's performance had depended on how telecoil hearing aids or receivers were positioned, and its sound system caretaker says Auracast reaches beyond the loop, but the parish had no confirmed Auracast users yet³⁷. A church in Berg, Switzerland, installed both together²⁷.
• Performing arts. The Sydney Opera House states that Auracast is installed in all its venues with full coverage, while its loop coverage leaves out front rows or sections in three of the six venues it lists; it lends Auracast receivers with headphones or a personal induction loop³⁸. HLAA's magazine names it and a Wyoming arts centre as venues offering both side by side⁵.
• Marriott Theatre. In HHTM’s launch interviews published in February 2026, the host describes retaining the loop, which a theatre representative estimates had been used for over a decade, and a technician reports adding one Auracast transmitter covering the auditorium, both lobbies and box office. GN ReSound (Manufacturer) invited the launch audience; the account gives no coverage measurements or controlled comparison between the two systems³⁹.
• Transport. In Australian trials at an airport, on buses and at a light rail interchange, participants compared Auracast favourably with their past experience of loops, and the report recommends that Auracast be "deployed alongside, not instead of, existing hearing loop systems"²⁵.
• What the accounts leave out. None reports how many people use each system, what running both costs, or measurements of both systems in the same venue^24,37,38,27. A 2026 University of São Paulo scoping review, supported by a FAPESP grant and a PIBIC scholarship and including 17 documents, called for studies of how Auracast works alongside telecoils⁴⁰.

Where sources disagree

Whether Auracast improves on a loop. Participants in the Australian transport trial, a parish's sound system caretaker and UK bus guidance describe Auracast as clearer, wider-reaching or possibly more reliable than loops^25,37,12. EFHOH states that "Auracast™ is not ready yet"⁴, two loop advocates write that patients prefer loops⁴¹, and in an independent trial by Pro Audito Schweiz with ETH Zurich students, 23 participants rated speech quality with Auracast as equal to or better than with a loop while the testers found loops simpler to operate; the published summary gives no total sample for that comparison⁴². These rest on participants' impressions, opinion or small trials; What do listeners prefer, and how often do they use venue systems? sets out the preference studies⁴².

Whether Auracast with loan receivers can stand in for a loop. Swiss accessibility guidance, passing on Pro Audito's advice, accepts an Auracast-only system where a loop is not feasible, provided loan receivers with neckloops are visible, available and easy to use³³; Pro Audito's own guidance for operators says this arrangement often does not work well enough in practice⁸, and EFHOH wants telecoil users to connect without extra receivers⁴. The German associations see the potential for Auracast to replace inductive transmission in the long run, but want inductive systems kept in the meantime⁷.

Whether regulators expect the loop to stay. Australia's working group says to install new systems in tandem with loops where appropriate and to keep maintaining loop infrastructure⁹, the Swiss consultation draft proposes both¹³, and the UK bus guidance offers Auracast as an example commitment without saying whether existing loops should stay¹².

How long, and whether devices with both exist. Advocates' estimates run from five to 15 years^2,3, while the maker of a combined unit projects that all hearing aids will have Auracast by 2030²⁶. A maker's webinar answers say no hearing aid has both a telecoil and Auracast¹¹; advocacy device lists show models with both^18,21.

What would settle it

Counts of how many listeners use the loop and how many use Auracast in venues that run both, followed over several years: the large, independent multi-site studies that HLAA's magazine calls for, and the studies of Auracast alongside telecoils that a scoping review calls for^5,40. Measurements of the time offset between a loop and an Auracast stream fed from the same source, and of how listeners near the front experience it. Independent tests of combined products, including a desk unit's loop field against IEC 60118-4 and its Auracast latency²⁶. Costs from completed projects of adding Auracast to an existing loop compared with replacing the loop. Counts of hearing devices in use, including power hearing aids and implant processors, with a working telecoil, working Auracast or both. Guidance in codes on when an Auracast-only system may replace a loop⁹, and the IEC 60118-17 requirements¹⁴.

Planning while it is open

• Keep an existing loop working, tested and maintained while Auracast is added; the Australian working group suggests maintenance every 6 to 12 months and RNID every 12 months^2,4,9,30.
• When adding Auracast to a looped room, reuse the loop's microphones, as the German associations recommend; one church fed both systems from the same audio feed^7,24.
• In new buildings, plan a loop together with a prepared or integrated Auracast system where a loop is feasible^7,2.
• Offer loan receivers with headphones and with neckloops for people whose devices lack Auracast, choose neckloops with a tested frequency response, and organise lending and maintenance^7,6,19,13.
• Sign which systems are available and how to join each^9,25.
• Trial Auracast with users and test it with a broad range of receivers and hearing devices^9,25.
• Consult hard-of-hearing organisations before refurbishing a building or installing a system⁴.
• Measure a combined desk unit's loop field at commissioning, since its maker gives two different loop ranges and publishes no measurements^26,43.
• Australian public transport operators: the working group says no equivalent access process is needed when Auracast is added to loops that meet the Transport Standards⁹.

Sources

1. Coupling Options: Ways to Connect to Assistive Listening System Audio. Kaneb A (credited on the chart). Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America, a US consumer organisation for people with hearing loss; the chart is credited to Andrea Kaneb and names no funder) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/advocacy-resources/hlaa-coupling-options-als-chart.pdf
2. Auracast: a revolution in audio accessibility (RNID Auracast report). RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People). RNID, 11 February 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (RNID, UK charity) ↩︎ https://rnid.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Final-Auracast-Report-110225.pdf
3. Position statement on Auracast and telecoils. European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH). EFHOH, 18 October 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (European federation; EFHOH states that its 2024-2026 publications are co-funded by the EU CERV programme) ↩︎ https://efhoh.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/EFHOH-position-statement-on-concerns-about-withdrawal-from-telecoils-FINAL97.pdf
4. Hands Off Our Telecoil! (campaign page). European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH). EFHOH, 15 July 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (European federation; EFHOH states that its 2024-2026 publications are co-funded by the EU CERV programme) ↩︎ https://efhoh.org/resources/campaigns/hands-off-our-telecoil/
5. An Exciting Advancement: Navigating the Transition to Auracast (with the sidebar "Coexisting Assistive Listening Systems: Working Toward Inclusive Hearing Access"). Kaneb A; sidebar by Perazzoli C. Hearing Life magazine, Fall/Winter 2025 (Hearing Loss Association of America), 15 November 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (HLAA's member magazine; both authors serve on HLAA's board of directors, and Cheri Perazzoli is president of HLAA's Washington State association and founded the Let's Loop Seattle campaign; the article's photographs show receivers provided by Ampetronic | Listen Technologies at the HLAA 2025 convention) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/hearing-life-magazine/2025/fall-winter/hl-2025-3-kaneb.pdf
6. Auracast Systems (technology and accessibility page). Hearing Loss Association of America. Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), 28 September 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America, a US consumer organisation for people with hearing loss; its site asks for memberships and donations and lists corporate partners and advertising) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/technology-and-accessibility/auracast/
7. Gemeinsames Positionspapier zu Auracast (Joint position paper on Auracast). Deutscher Hörverband, Deutsche Cochlea Implantat Gesellschaft and Deutscher Schwerhörigenbund. Deutscher Schwerhörigenbund (in German), July 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (three German self-help associations of people with hearing loss and cochlear implant users) ↩︎ https://schwerhoerigen-netz.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/DHVDSBDCIG_Positionspapier_Auracast.pdf
8. Can Bluetooth Auracast be used as an assistive listening system?. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 17 February 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/kann-bluetooth-auracast-als-hoeranlage-eingesetzt-werden/
9. Hearing Augmentation Working Group – Research Paper. Hearing Augmentation Working Group (chaired by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts). Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, February 2025. Government (Australian Government; the working group was chaired by the federal transport department, and its members were Deafness Forum Australia, Guide Dogs Australia, five state transport departments and authorities, and the Bus Industry Confederation) ↩︎ https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/hearing-augmentation-working-group-paper.pdf
10. Why Auracast broadcast audio needs to coexist with current assistive listening technologies. Sabin C, Drullman R, Thomas A. Bluetooth SIG (blog), 22 June 2023. Trade body (Bluetooth SIG marketing material; the SIG is an industry association funded by its member companies and owns the Auracast trademark. Written by Chuck Sabin of the SIG's market development staff, Rob Drullman, an independent researcher who is secretary of the technical committee of EHIMA, the European hearing instrument manufacturers' association, and Andrew Thomas of the loop and assistive listening maker Contacta Systems, chairman of the International Hearing Loop Manufacturers Association) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/blog/why-auracast-broadcast-audio-needs-to-coexist-with-current-assistive-listening-technologies/
11. Better Together: Auracast & Hearing Loops. Understanding the Future of Assistive Listening (questions not answered during the webinar). Ampetronic | Listen Technologies (webinar presenters Kevin Jewkes and Carrie Kaumans). Hearing Loss Association of America (hearingloss.org), 11 December 2025. Manufacturer (Ampetronic | Listen Technologies, which makes hearing loop drivers and the Auri Auracast system; the answers are written in the company's voice and published on HLAA's website after a webinar the company presented for HLAA) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/presentations/auracast-post-webinar-questions-all.pdf
12. Creating and managing a bus network accessibility plan. Department for Transport. GOV.UK, 28 August 2026. Government (UK Department for Transport) ↩︎ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creating-and-managing-a-bus-network-accessibility-plan-bus-nap/creating-and-managing-a-bus-network-accessibility-plan
13. prSIA 500:2025-07 Hindernisfreie Bauten (obstacle-free buildings), consultation draft. SIA (Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects). SIA; consultation copy with highlights published by Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), July 2025. Standards body (SIA) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/wp-content/uploads/prSIA500_Vernehmlassungsentwurf-mit-Hervorhebungen.pdf
14. IEC 60118-17 (in preparation): assistive listening system for hearing aid users based on 2.4 GHz audio streaming. IEC TC 29 WG 13. International Electrotechnical Commission, undated (read 13 October 2026). Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission) ↩︎ https://tc29.iec.ch/tc-activity/standards-under-preparation/
15. IEC 63087:2026 Assistive listening devices and systems for active assisted living. IEC TC 100. International Electrotechnical Commission, 18 September 2026. Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission; the full text is sold, and only a preview is public) ↩︎ https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/95094
16. EU standard for hearing access in the built environment. European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH). EFHOH, 14 March 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (European federation of hard of hearing people's organisations; its site states that its 2024-2026 publications are co-funded by the EU CERV programme) ↩︎ https://efhoh.org/2024/03/eu-standard-for-hearing-access-in-the-built-environment/
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18. "Worldwide Access" hearing instruments list. Center for Hearing Access (The John G. Shedd Institute). Center for Hearing Access, 11 September 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Worldwide-Access-Hearing-Instruments-List.pdf
19. Which inductive neck loops are suitable for Auracast/FM/IR receivers?. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz; English reprint by the Center for Hearing Access, 8 September 2026. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Pro-Audito-Schweiz-Which-inductive-neck-loops-are-suitable-for-AuracastFMIR-receivers.pdf
20. Clear Signals: improving transport accessibility for deaf people and people with hearing loss. RNID. RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), 22 September 2026. Independent (RNID survey and concept test; report funded by the Motability Foundation; Ampetronic, which installed the station's transmitters, announced in July 2025 that it commissioned RNID trials there, but the read sources do not establish whether those are the March 2026 concept test) ↩︎ https://rnid.org.uk/what-we-do/policy-and-influencing/clear-signals-improving-transport-accessibility/
21. Hearing aids and implants with Auracast function (status 31 August 2026). Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 31 August 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/wp-content/uploads/Hoersysteme_mit_Auracast_260831.pdf
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23. A Telecoil is One of the Best Hearing Aid Features. Many Still Aren't Using It.. Roberts C. Consumer Reports, 7 May 2026. Independent (Consumer Reports, a nonprofit consumer organisation; article by Catherine Roberts, a health and science journalist on its staff, quoting loop advocates from the Center for Hearing Access and HLAA and an assistive listening installer) ↩︎ https://www.consumerreports.org/health/hearing-aids/one-of-best-hearing-aid-features-many-still-arent-using-a4102935824/
24. Auracast location profile: Sheldon Road Methodist Church. Bluetooth SIG. Bluetooth SIG (Auracast website), 28 July 2026. Trade body (Bluetooth SIG marketing material; the SIG is an industry association funded by its member companies and owns the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/auracast/auracast-location-profile-sheldon-road-methodist-church/
25. Accelerating the adoption of Auracast: everyone should hear what matters (final report, iMOVE project 6-057 IEP). La Trobe University, NEC Australia and Get Skilled Access. iMOVE Australia Cooperative Research Centre, 4 September 2026. Independent (undertaken by La Trobe University, NEC Australia and Get Skilled Access; funded by the Australian Government through the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre's Impact Extension Program) ↩︎ https://imoveaustralia.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Accelerating-the-adoption-of-Auracast-everyone-should-hear-what-matters-Final-report.pdf
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27. Two Solutions, One Goal: Audio for All. Hearing Loops and Auracast at St. Mauritius Church, Berg, Switzerland (case study UV00012-1). Ampetronic | Listen Technologies. Listen Technologies, 31 March 2026. Manufacturer (Ampetronic | Listen Technologies, which made both the loop driver and the Auracast transmitter described) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/UV00012-1_CS_HoW_Catholic_Church_St_Mauritius_Switzerland_2026.pdf
28. Installing Hearing Loop Systems and Costing. Listen Technologies. SynAudCon (prosoundtraining.com), 12 August 2013. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, which sells the loop drivers, phased array kits and design service priced in the examples; published on the audio training site of SynAudCon) ↩︎ https://www.prosoundtraining.com/2013/08/12/installing-hearing-loop-systems-costing/
29. Auracast location profile - Grace Lutheran. Bluetooth SIG, 16 May 2025. Trade body (Bluetooth SIG, an industry association funded by member companies and owner of the Auracast trademark) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/auracast/auracast-location-grace-lutheran/
30. Providing a hearing loop in your venue or business. RNID. RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People), 26 May 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (RNID, UK charity; the page refers businesses to its installation partner Contacta Systems, a hearing loop maker and installer, and states that RNID receives a 5% donation for every assistive listening system Contacta installs through its dedicated email address) ↩︎ https://rnid.org.uk/employers-and-professionals/providing-communication-support/hearing-loops/
31. Loop Performance Standard IEC 60118-4:2006. UnivoxAudio Ltd. UnivoxAudio (knowledge centre wiki), undated (read 13 October 2026). Manufacturer (UnivoxAudio Ltd, the UK and Ireland distributor of the Swedish loop maker Bo Edin's Univox loop amplifiers) ↩︎ https://www.univoxaudio.co.uk/knowledge-centre-wiki/standards-legislation-and-best-practice/standard-iec-60118-4-2006
32. ADA Standards for Assistive Listening Systems. Center for Hearing Access. Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, undated (read 9 October 2026). Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/ada-standards/
33. Höranlagen heute und morgen. Was ändert sich mit der neuen Technologie Auracast? (Hearing systems today and tomorrow: what changes with Auracast?). Hindernisfreie Architektur, the Swiss national centre for barrier-free architecture, with recommendations from Pro Audito Schweiz. hindernisfreie-architektur.ch (in German), 19 May 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (donation-funded Swiss specialist centre) ↩︎ https://hindernisfreie-architektur.ch/fachinformation/hoeranlagen-heute-und-morgen-was-aendert-sich-mit-der-neuen-technologie-auracast/
34. Assistive Listening Systems Quick Guide. Center for Hearing Access (reviewed by Juliette Sterkens, AuD). Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute, 29 October 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (Center for Hearing Access, an initiative of The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts; it states that it accepts no donations from hearing-related vendors) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Assistive-Listening-Systems-Quick-Guide.pdf
35. Test report: Auracast assistive listening system in a theatre. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 17 March 2025. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/testbericht-auracast-hoeranlage-im-theater/
36. Opportunities and challenges for Bluetooth LE Audio assistive listening systems. Bruce IC, Armstrong S, Bosnyak DJ, Tawfik H. IEEE ICASSP 2025 (McMaster University), 12 March 2025. Independent (McMaster University); funding not stated in the abstract ↩︎ https://doi.org/10.1109/ICASSP49660.2025.10889430
37. Auracast location profile: Saint Gilbert Catholic Church. Bluetooth SIG. Bluetooth SIG (Auracast website), undated (read 13 October 2026). Trade body (Bluetooth SIG marketing material; the SIG is an industry association funded by its member companies and owns the Auracast trademark; the transmitters and the existing loop are both from Ampetronic | Listen Technologies) ↩︎ https://www.bluetooth.com/auracast/auracast-location-profile-saint-gilbert-catholic-church/
38. Hearing (accessibility page). Sydney Opera House, undated (read 9 October 2026). Independent (the Sydney Opera House, writing for its own audiences about the systems it runs) ↩︎ https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/visit/accessibility/hearing
39. Auracast at Marriott Theatre — Audience Reactions and a Behind the Scenes Look. HHTM; Andrew Bellavia (host). Hearing Health & Technology Matters, This Week in Hearing, 8 February 2026. Independent (HHTM editorial interview coverage; the launch audience was invited by manufacturer GN ReSound, and host Andrew Bellavia runs a hearables marketing consultancy; no episode funding statement is given) ↩︎ https://hearinghealthmatters.org/thisweek/2026/auracast-marriott-reactions/
40. Auracast and hearing devices: a scoping review on connectivity and accessibility for individuals with hearing loss in public environments. Gonçalves LM, Ortega AVM, Angelo TCS, Moret ALM, Lopes NBF, Jacob RTS. CoDAS 38(4):e20250241 (University of São Paulo), 6 July 2026. Independent (University of São Paulo; FAPESP grant and a PIBIC scholarship) ↩︎ https://www.scielo.br/j/codas/a/B6cCLqxHb3XwKcLPLtZfZ6p/?lang=en
41. Helping People Hear Anywhere with Telecoils and Auracast. Sterkens J, Whyman W. Canadian Audiologist 12(1), January 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (both authors work with the Center for Hearing Access: Wynne Whyman as its director of communication and advocacy, Juliëtte Sterkens as its hearing access advocate; Sterkens left practice in 2012 to work as HLAA's national hearing loop advocate, with outreach funded by the David & Carol Myers Foundation) ↩︎ https://canadianaudiologist.ca/helping-people-hear-anywhere-with-telecoils-and-auracast/
42. Auracast: the webinar and the results of the Pro Audito and ETH Zurich test. Pro Audito Schweiz; questionnaire evaluation by ETH Zurich students Kaufmann R and Brasser A; product tests by Graf B. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 20 June 2024. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association, with ETH Zurich students) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/auracast-so-war-das-webinar-und-das-sind-die-ergebnisse/
43. IEC 60118-4:2014 Electroacoustics - Hearing aids - Part 4: Induction-loop systems for hearing aid purposes - System performance requirements. IEC TC 29 (Electroacoustics). International Electrotechnical Commission, 11 December 2014. Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission; the full text is sold, and only the abstract is public) ↩︎ https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/798

Change log

• 10 October 2026Published with 41 sources.
• 13 October 2026Clarified draft status, trial funding and sample limits.
• 13 October 2026Independent audit separated the Bristol trial dates and used the Australian report's joint-delivery attribution.
• 13 October 2026Added Marriott Theatre’s coexistence account and Grace Lutheran’s decision against a new loop on cost grounds.
• 13 October 2026Audited the new venue accounts; clarified Marriott’s date, loop-age estimate and evidence limits, and Grace Lutheran’s reported comparison with its former FM system.
• 13 October 2026Reconciled the citation audit with the newer venue accounts; now cites 43 sources.

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