Do neckloops give telecoil users good sound from FM, infrared, Wi-Fi and Auracast receivers?

Why it matters

Hearing aids and cochlear implants receive FM and infrared only through a receiver, and those with a telecoil can listen through a neckloop plugged into it; for Auracast and Wi-Fi systems, a receiver with a neckloop is one of the routes for hearing devices that cannot join directly¹. US rules make the neckloop the link between hearing-aid-compatible receivers and telecoils^2,3, and advocates expect receivers with neckloops to be needed for the foreseeable future because few hearing devices can join an Auracast broadcast^4,5. For these listeners the neckloop is the last link in the chain, and a bench test found that many available neckloops lose the high frequencies that matter most for speech⁶.

How many receivers and neckloops each code requires is set out in How many receivers and neckloops does each code require, and how should a loan pool be run?, and the stream level that neckloop receivers need in What audio level should the stream carry?^2,7. This question covers the sound a neckloop delivers and how loaned neckloops are used^6,8.

What the evidence shows

What standards and rules ask of a neckloop

• The loop standard covers small loops. IEC 60118-4 sets the field strength and minimum frequency response for loops that feed hearing aid telecoils, and names neck loops among the small loops it covers⁹. Summaries by makers give its targets as 400 mA/m from a 1 kHz sine, or an average of 100 mA/m with a maximum of 400 mA/m, and a frequency response within ±3 dB from 100 Hz to 5 kHz; they describe room loops measured in the vertical field at listening height^10,11.
• A separate standard measures the neckloop. IEC 62489-1, a type-test standard for loop components, has clauses on a neck loop's input voltage, input impedance and frequency response and a normative annex with a test jig for measuring neck loops; its methods are in the paid text¹².
• Two sources apply the loop standard to neckloops. An industry association whose members include manufacturers says a neckloop must give a signal meeting IEC 60118-4 when measured as IEC 62489-1 specifies¹³. The July 2025 consultation draft of the Swiss standard SIA 500, explicitly marked as having no validity and not to be applied, would require field strength and frequency response measured through the neckloop to meet EN 60118-4 for FM, infrared and Auracast systems¹⁴, and Swiss accessibility guidance, reporting Pro Audito's advice, accepts an Auracast-only system where a loop is not feasible if loan receivers with neckloops are visible, available and easy to use¹⁵.
• US rules name neckloops but set output as sound. Under the 2010 ADA Standards, hearing-aid-compatible receivers must work with telecoils through neckloops; Advisory 706.3 counts neckloops, and headsets that can be worn as neckloops, as hearing-aid compatible, but not earbuds, earphones or headsets worn over the ear. Section 706 sets system output as sound pressure (110 to 118 dB SPL with a 50 dB volume range), a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 18 dB and peak clipping of no more than 18 dB². ICC A117.1 has the same neckloop requirement and does not print a measurement procedure in Section 706³. The ADA gives no numeric neckloop field target. ICC A117.1 separately requires induction-loop systems to meet IEC 60118-4, which includes neckloops in its scope; Section 706 does not print a neckloop field value or measurement procedure^2,3,9.
• Makers' figures for their own neckloops. Listen Technologies (Manufacturer) gives its Auracast neckloop lanyard a field of 400 mA/m (±3 dB) and says it "Provides the correct field strength according to IEC60118-4", without a method or a frequency response for the loop¹⁶. For its passive LA-438 neckloop, the same maker gives 20 Hz to 15 kHz (±3 dB), 400 mA/m from 380 mV at 1 kHz, and lists IEC 62489-1¹⁷. The guide from Avantree (Manufacturer) to its personal Auracast neckloop receiver gives no field strength or frequency response¹⁸.

Measured performance

• Pro Audito's 2026 bench test. Measuring six neckloops on a dummy head to IEC 62489-1, the independent Swiss hearing-loss association found that many lose level at 2 to 4 kHz, and says that no neckloop reaches the quality of "a perfectly installed, permanently installed hearing system". It ranked first the Geemarc iLoop+, the only active model, with its own amplifier and battery, which had the flattest high-frequency response and works from any headphone output, including phones, but needs charging. The passive Listen LA-438 came second, with less high-frequency roll-off than the other passive models. It reached 400 mA/m from a low input (-12.7 dBu), but its very low impedance (3 to 6 ohms) can cause distortion at maximum volume on weak headphone outputs, so Pro Audito calls it reliable only with professional receivers. The Beyerdynamic/Televic IL 200 and Sennheiser EZT-3012 shared third place with significant high-frequency loss, the Sennheiser needing a much higher input (+0.3 dBu, against -6.4 dBu for the IL 200). The Monacor NL-90 lost much of the treble, and the Williams AV NKL-001S's impedance rose with frequency so that its response depended on the source; no headphone output gave an acceptable result with it⁶.
• Systems reached the field only at full drive. Pro Audito also reported in February 2025 that every FM, infrared and Auracast system it had tested reached the required field at the ear through a neckloop only with the transmitter fully driven and the receiver volume near maximum⁷.
• A maker's engineer measured strong fields. In notes of 2012 tests posted in 2019 by the designer of a cinema equipment maker's accessibility system, four neckloops driven by the maker's infrared headset receiver at full volume gave fields beyond the meter's range, more than 16 to 19 dB above 100 mA/m, at the centre of the loop lying on a table. Six inches from the loop, the field was 3 dB above 100 mA/m with test noise and 12 dB above it with programme audio through the cinema system¹⁹.
• Older bench studies found coupling variable. With four hearing aids and two personal FM systems, the frequency response through a neck loop, a silhouette or direct coupling differed from the hearing aid alone, by large amounts in some comparisons, and no method was consistently closest²⁰. In a 2007 comparison (device count unavailable in the abstract), FM receivers with neckloops showed significant low-frequency reduction and the most variable results of three receiver types²¹. Probe-tube measurements on one wearer in 1991 found broader, flatter responses from devices heard without a telecoil than from those coupled through it, though average differences were minimal, and gain that varied between samples of a personal amplifier used with a neckloop or wired²². These studies used personal FM systems and listening devices from 1985 to 2007 as evidence about coupling; the abstracts give no funder^20,21,22.
• Noise. Telecoils pick up electromagnetic interference, which affects neckloop users of FM and infrared as it does loop users²³. In an outdoor test, neckloop users of an FM system heard interference from tram overhead lines²⁴. A hearing-technology maker's patent says neck loop and silhouette couplers have struggled to give a field strong and uniform enough to overcome environmental magnetic noise, giving office noise as about 5 mA/m²⁵. With the four hearing aids measured in 1985, distortion and noise through a neck loop were similar to the aid alone, and differed only with the silhouette²⁰.
• Implant processors. In a University of North Texas study with nine personal FM users (seven in its second experiment), across three makers' processors, a neckloop into the telecoil gave better speech recognition at equal gain; the difference was no longer significant at each receiver's best gain²⁶, while a Hearts for Hearing study with 15 and 16 adults in its two experiments found the direct connection better in noise with two Cochlear processor models²⁷. The full-text funding statements were unavailable for both studies; they inform the input path, without testing venue systems^26,27.

Coupling with the telecoil

• Orientation. A vertical telecoil suits room loops and a horizontal one telephones, many makers mount it diagonally, and a telecoil in a radial field gives about 6 dB less output²⁸. A hearing aid maker's patent states that a telecoil 45 degrees from its best orientation receives about 3 dB less, 60 degrees about 6 dB less and 90 degrees almost nothing²⁹.
• Position matters in testing. ASHA's personal-FM guideline, used here for its advice on the shared neckloop-to-telecoil path, says neck loop coupling needs sensitive telecoils, and that measurements must keep the loop's shape and orientation, and the aid's distance and orientation from it, as in actual use, ideally on the user³⁰. The hearing-technology maker's patent says neck loops and silhouettes have had difficulty giving a predictable field at typical positions²⁵.
• Automatic telecoils. Telecoils that switch on automatically respond only to telephones, so loop users need a telecoil programme they select^31,32. In the cinema engineer's trial, a hearing aid with automatic telecoil switching was not switched by any of the neckloops, which produce no static magnetic field; once in telecoil mode, its user said the sound was better through acoustic coupling¹⁹. Avantree's guide tells users to select T or MT¹⁸.
• Telecoil plus microphone. In RNID's ten-person station trial, where seven participants used a loaned Auracast receiver with a neckloop, those whose hearing devices had a telecoil-plus-microphone setting found it easier to balance the announcements with surrounding sound³³.
• Silhouettes and ear hooks. A review lists the silhouette inductor beside the neckloop as a way for telecoil users to connect to infrared receivers³⁴. The hearing-technology maker's patent says silhouette couplers, designed with behind-the-ear aids in mind, have not reached in-the-ear telecoils with enough field or the right orientation²⁵, and in the 1985 study the silhouette was the one coupling whose distortion and noise differed from the hearing aid alone²⁰. The Center for Hearing Access lists ear hooks alongside neckloops as a way for telecoil users to reach Auracast³⁵, and Sennheiser recommends wired headphones or induction ear hooks with its Wi-Fi app to avoid Bluetooth delay³⁶. No current measurement of ear hooks was found.

Neckloops with each kind of receiver

• FM and infrared. The Center for Hearing Access advises ordering neckloops from the receiver's maker, because a mismatched one can be too weak for the telecoil and distort when the volume is turned up³⁷. A loop advocate writes that neckloops may be paired with receivers too weak to give 100 to 400 mA/m and become intermittent after rough handling³⁸. The 1999 report to the US Access Board found under-chin infrared receivers whose jacks did not take standard neckloop plugs⁸.
• Wi-Fi. Listen Technologies (Manufacturer), in its Wi-Fi manual, recommends wired headphones or an induction neckloop with its app and receivers, and does not recommend Bluetooth because of the delay it adds³⁹. Sennheiser (Manufacturer) proposes venue phones with its Wi-Fi app plus neckloops, naming the active Geemarc iLoop+⁴⁰, the model Pro Audito found works from any headphone output, while the passive models it measured depend on how well the output drives them; it measured on a dummy head to IEC 62489-1 and notes that non-linear headphone outputs may give a different response in practice⁶. The bench report does not identify phone models or publish separate results for particular phone outputs⁶.
• Auracast. Listen Technologies (Manufacturer) describes a neckloop lanyard driven by its own loop driver for its Auracast receiver, which switches between telecoil and earphone use¹⁶. In Pro Audito's unpaid test of Avantree's mid-priced Venucast system, lent by the manufacturer, its clip receivers worked with ordinary neckloops for about 8 hours per charge⁴¹. Avantree's personal receiver with a built-in neckloop joins only unencrypted public broadcasts; joining encrypted ones awaits a phone app¹⁸. In Pro Audito's independent test with manufacturer-loaned equipment, two professional Auracast receivers received only their own brand's transmitters at the firmware Pro Audito tested⁴². Pro Audito's operator guidance says an Auracast transmitter with loaned neckloop receivers costs less than a loop with Auracast, but often does not work well enough in practice⁷.

Loaned neckloops in practice

• Batteries and checks. The 1999 report recommended recharging receivers after each performance, checking disposable batteries, listen-testing each receiver before lending it, and low-battery warnings⁸. In the US government-funded 2005 survey of 423 self-selected hearing aid and implant users, among the 276 who had borrowed receivers, 70% met dead batteries at least sometimes⁴³. An infrared maker's schedule adds a yearly check of the field at neckloop receivers with a calibrated meter⁴⁴. Active neckloops and Auracast receivers add their own charging: Pro Audito notes that the active neckloop needs regular charging⁶, one Auracast clip receiver driving a neckloop lasted about 8 hours in Pro Audito's test⁴¹, and a maker gives up to 20 hours for its neckloop receiver¹⁸.
• Hygiene. The 1999 report recommended cleaning returned equipment, such as wiping foam cushions with an antiseptic and replacing disposable ones⁸. Listen Technologies (Manufacturer) advises disinfecting receivers and neck loop lanyards after each use; its four-minute wet-contact instruction concerns the wipes it sells. It warns that alcohol or bleach may damage casings and labels⁴⁵. Advocates list hygiene among operators' burdens and unhygienic headsets among users' complaints^37,46. No source measures the hygiene of shared neckloops.
• Staff and asking. In a 2005 survey of hearing aid and implant users recruited mainly through HLAA, 65% of those who had borrowed receivers often or very often found no sign showing where to get one, and 67% often or very often found staff not trained to operate the equipment⁴³. A loop advocate lists staff unaware that neckloops exist among users' complaints³⁸, and a CCAA survey report by hearing-loss advocates published in 2024 (1,519 self-selected respondents; funding not stated) lists neckloops that did not work or were not offered⁴⁶. HLAA's checklist tells listeners to look for signs or ask staff, check the system where equipment is collected if the venue provides audio there, try a different receiver or neckloop if something is wrong, and consider bringing their own neckloop⁴⁷.

What users report

• Surveys. In the 2005 survey, neckloops were the second most used way of connecting to assistive listening (48%), after the telecoil or a room loop (65%); 77% had at least sometimes met a receiver that would not work with their hearing aid or implant, 78% interference or buzzing and 67% poor sound quality⁴³. In a survey of 243 loop users, mostly HLAA members, paid for by grants from loop, assistive listening and hearing-device technology makers, 12.8% of the 125 who had used all three options chose FM or infrared with a neckloop as their preferred large-venue system, against 88% for a loop and 4.8% with a headset; the article's figures add up to more than 100%⁴⁸.
• Trials and visits. At a UK station in March 2026, seven of ten participants in an RNID trial heard Auracast announcements through a loaned neckloop receiver, and participants found them clearer and easier to understand with Auracast. The report credits Motability Foundation funding. Ampetronic (Manufacturer) separately announced in July 2025 that it commissioned RNID trials at the station, without identifying them as this March 2026 test³³. On a visit during a match at a Swiss arena, independent Pro Audito testers, using manufacturer-loaned or participant-owned devices, judged reception faultless with its loaned receivers and neckloops (participant count and visit duration not stated)⁴⁹. A loop advocate, whose outreach is funded by the David and Carol Myers Foundation, listened through an Auracast receiver and neckloop with telecoil hearing aids in a church and reported "great speech quality, similar to what I have experienced in well-installed hearing loops"⁵⁰.

Where sources disagree

A maker's specification and the independent bench test describe the same neckloop differently. Listen Technologies gives its LA-438 a response flat within ±3 dB from 20 Hz to 15 kHz¹⁷, while Pro Audito's dummy-head measurement found some high-frequency roll-off in that model, though less than in the other passive neckloops⁶; the maker gives no measurement position or method, so the figures cannot be compared directly. The maker's claim that its Auracast neckloop gives the IEC 60118-4 field¹⁶ has not been tested independently in the sources found.

Sources differ on whether neckloops get enough field. Pro Audito found that the systems it tested reached the required field only at full drive⁷, and a loop advocate writes that some receivers are too weak³⁸, while a cinema maker's engineer measured fields well above the reference at full volume¹⁹; the receivers, signals and meter positions differ.

Advice on choosing a neckloop differs: the Center for Hearing Access advises buying it from the receiver's maker³⁷, while Pro Audito ranked neckloops across brands and recommends models by the receiver output they suit⁶. Older studies disagree on how much a neckloop changes the sound: one found no coupling method consistently closest to the hearing aid alone²⁰, another found neckloops the most variable²¹, and a third found small average differences between telecoil and direct coupling²²; for implants, one study favoured the neckloop at equal gain (with no significant difference at each receiver's best gain) and another the direct connection in noise^26,27.

Reports from use point both ways. A loop advocate's church test, an arena visit and a station trial describe good results with loaned neckloop receivers^50,49,33, while Pro Audito's operator guidance says Auracast with loaned neckloop receivers often does not work well enough in practice⁷, and surveys record receivers that did not work with hearing aids and neckloops that failed or were not offered^43,46.

What would settle it

Independent measurements of current neckloops at the ear, with the FM, infrared, Wi-Fi and Auracast receivers and the phone headphone outputs they are used with, at normal programme levels: field strength, frequency response, noise and distortion, across telecoil orientations and hearing aid styles. The cited sources offer one recent dummy-head test of six neckloops⁶, one system-level finding⁷, a maker's informal notes¹⁹ and bench and probe-tube studies of personal FM systems and listening devices from 1985 to 2007^20,21,22.

Listener trials comparing neckloops, ear hooks, room loops and direct streaming for speech understanding and sound quality, where the cited sources give single reports^50,49,33, and independent tests of personal Auracast neckloop receivers, for which they give only the maker's guide¹⁸. Clearer neckloop field and frequency-response requirements and test procedures in codes, building on ICC's reference to IEC 60118-4³ and the Swiss draft¹⁴, and makers' results under IEC 62489-1¹². Studies of loan practice, such as charging, cleaning, staff knowledge and whether listeners know to ask, which the cited sources describe only through guidance and self-selected surveys^8,43,46.

Planning while it is open

• Choose neckloops with a measured, flat high-frequency response, and ask for the field strength and frequency response through the neckloop to meet IEC 60118-4 when measured to IEC 62489-1^6,13,14.
• Match the neckloop to the receiver's output: Pro Audito suits low-impedance passive models to professional receivers and an active neckloop to phones and other weak headphone outputs⁶; the Center for Hearing Access advises the receiver maker's own neckloop³⁷.
• Keep the transmitter driven close to full, with an automatic gain control or fast peak limiter holding the signal about 1 to 3 dB below clipping, so neckloop receivers can reach the required field⁷.
• Listen-test each receiver with its neckloop before lending it, keep batteries charged, and check the field at neckloop receivers with a calibrated meter, yearly in one maker's schedule^8,44.
• Clean returned receivers and neckloops after each use, following the maker's instructions on cleaning agents^8,45.
• Train staff on where neckloops are kept and how they work, and put up signs saying where to get them^8,51,43,38.
• Check the site for magnetic interference that neckloop users will hear, such as nearby tram or power lines^24,38.
• With Wi-Fi systems, offer wired headphones or an induction neckloop or ear hooks instead of Bluetooth where delay matters, as the makers advise^39,36.
• Before relying on a personal Auracast neckloop receiver, check that it can join the venue's broadcast, including an encrypted one, and try it with the venue's transmitter^18,42.
• Listeners: use a manually selected T or MT programme, check the system where equipment is collected if the venue provides audio there, and ask for a different neckloop if the sound is poor^31,32,18,47.
• Hearing professionals: when checking a hearing aid with a neckloop, place the loop and aid as they are worn, ideally on the user, and make sure the telecoil is sensitive enough³⁰.

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. 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. US Department of Justice. US Department of Justice (ada.gov), 15 September 2010. Government (US Department of Justice) ↩︎ https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/design-standards/2010-stds/
3. ICC A117.1-2017 Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities, Section 706 Assistive Listening Systems. International Code Council. International Code Council (ICC Digital Codes), 2017. Standards body (International Code Council) ↩︎ https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/icca117-12017/chapter-7-communication-elements-and-features
4. 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
5. 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/
6. 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
7. 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/
8. Large area assistive listening systems (ALS): review and recommendations. Bakke MH, Levitt H, Ross M, Erickson F. Final report to the U.S. Access Board; Lexington School for the Deaf, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement, December 1999. Government (U.S. Department of Education, NIDRR grant H133E30015; final report to the U.S. Access Board) ↩︎ https://www.access-board.gov/files/research/assistive-listening-systems.pdf
9. 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
10. Application Note: Induction Loop Systems with XL2 Analyzer (AFILS). Norman DI (for NTi Audio). NTi Audio, 12 January 2021. Manufacturer (NTi Audio, which sells the analyzer and signal generator the note is written for; the author, David Ian Norman, is described in the note as a member of the IEC committee for these systems) ↩︎ https://www.nti-audio.com/wp-content/uploads/NTi-Audio-AppNote-AFILS-with-XL2.pdf
11. Commissioning an Induction Loop System. Ampetronic. Ampetronic (learning zone web page), undated (read 9 October 2026). Manufacturer (Ampetronic, which makes hearing loop drivers and loop test equipment and sells installer training) ↩︎ https://www.ampetronic.com/info-centre/learning-zone/testing-and-maintaining/commissioning/
12. IEC 62489-1:2010+AMD1:2014+AMD2:2017 Electroacoustics - Audio-frequency induction loop systems for assisted hearing - Part 1: Methods of measuring and specifying the performance of system components. IEC TC 29 (Electroacoustics). International Electrotechnical Commission, 27 November 2017. Standards body (International Electrotechnical Commission; the full text is sold, and only the abstract and a preview are public) ↩︎ https://webstore.iec.ch/en/publication/62119
13. Audio Over Wi-Fi Assistive Listening Systems. International Association for Hearing Accessibility (IAHA), undated (read 9 October 2026). Trade body (IAHA; its members include manufacturers of assistive listening technologies and other organisations that create or install assistive listening systems, as well as groups supporting people with hearing loss; its funding is not stated) ↩︎ https://iaha-global.com/assistive-listening-technologies/audio-over-wifi/
14. 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
15. 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/
16. Auri Ear Phone/Neck Loop Lanyard (LA-470). Listen Technologies. Listen Technologies (product page), 5 December 2025. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the neckloop and of the Auri Auracast system it is sold for, which also sells RF/FM, infrared, hearing loop and Wi-Fi assistive listening products) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/shop/product/auri-ear-phone-neck-loop-lanyard/
17. Advanced Neck Loop (Adult) (LA-438). Listen Technologies. Listen Technologies (product page), 28 January 2022. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the neckloop and of the RF, infrared, Wi-Fi and two-way receivers it is sold for) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/shop/product/la-438-neck-loop/
18. Interactive User Guide: AuraCoil (VRC-390). Avantree. Avantree (support page), 13 October 2026. Manufacturer (Avantree, which sells the AuraCoil receiver as well as Auracast transmitters, including its Venucast range for venues) ↩︎ https://avantree.com/pages/auracoil-interactive-user-guide
19. HI/VI induction neckloop recommendations? (forum reply with test notes on neckloops). Hallikainen H. Film-Tech Forum (cinema industry forum, archive), 26 January 2019. Manufacturer (Harold Hallikainen's cinema-receiver test notes; the author describes the tested headphones as their own; neckloops and field-strength meter provided by Connections Unlimited; project funding not stated) ↩︎ https://www.film-tech.com/ubb/f5/t003164.html
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21. Electroacoustic evaluation of frequency-modulated receivers interfaced with personal hearing aids. Schafer EC, Thibodeau LM, Whalen HS, Overson GJ. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 38(4):315-326 (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association), October 2007. Independent (first author at the Speech and Hearing Sciences Department, University of North Texas; the PubMed record names no funder, and the full text, which may state one, was not read) ↩︎ https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/0161-1461(2007/034)
22. Probe-tube measurements of ALDs: uniformity, linearity and frequency response differences. Salzbrenner LG, Newman CW, Goldstein BA. British Journal of Audiology 25(2):85-92, April 1991. Independent (Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, Ohio, according to the PubMed record; no funder is named there) ↩︎ https://doi.org/10.3109/03005369109079838
23. Comparison of Large Area Assistive Listening Systems. Compton-Conley C. Hearing Loss Association of America (reprint), 2015. Nonprofit advocacy (reprinted by HLAA with the contact address of its Get in the Hearing Loop program; written by Cynthia Compton-Conley, PhD, of Gallaudet University; who paid for the original is not stated) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/comparison-of-large-area-assistive-listening-systems.pdf
24. Auracast practical test outdoors. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz; English reprint by the Center for Hearing Access, 16 September 2026. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association) ↩︎ https://centerforhearingaccess.org/wp-content/uploads/Pro-Audito-Schweiz-Auracast-practical-test-outdoors.pdf
25. Multi-coil coupling system for hearing aid applications (US 7,099,486 B2). Julstrom SD, Drambarean V, Soede W. United States Patent and Trademark Office, 29 August 2006. Manufacturer (Etymotic Research, a hearing-technology maker, was the original assignee; the patent is now assigned to III Holdings 7 LLC) ↩︎ https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/7099486
26. Electromagnetic versus Electrical Coupling of Personal Frequency Modulation (FM) Receivers to Cochlear Implant Sound Processors. Schafer EC, Romine D, Musgrave E, Momin S, Huynh C. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology 24(10):927-940, November 2013. Independent (Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Texas; PubMed tags the study as having non-US-government research support without naming it; the FM receivers tested were Oticon's) ↩︎ https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.3766/jaaa.24.10.5
27. Effects of Input Processing and Type of Personal Frequency Modulation System on Speech-Recognition Performance of Adults With Cochlear Implants. Wolfe J, Schafer E, Parkinson A, John A, Hudson M, Wheeler J, Mucci A. Ear and Hearing 34(1):52-62 (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins), January 2013. Independent (first author at Hearts for Hearing, Oklahoma City, where participants were recruited; PubMed tags the study as having non-US-government research support without naming it; the other authors' affiliations and any funding statement are in the paywalled full text, which was not read; the processors tested were Cochlear's) ↩︎ https://www.ovid.com/jnls/ear-hearing/abstract/10.1097/aud.0b013e3182611982~effects-of-input-processing-and-type-of-personal-frequency
28. The Telecoil: The Lonely Transducer that Can Be a Big Producer. Valente M. AudiologyOnline (article 11911), 24 June 2013. Independent (Michael Valente, professor and director of adult audiology at Washington University School of Medicine; published by AudiologyOnline, a commercial continuing-education site; the author declares no commercial interest in the manufacturers whose fitting software is shown) ↩︎ https://www.audiologyonline.com/articles/telecoil-lonely-transducer-that-big-11911
29. Ear-worn electronic device configured to compensate for hunched or stooped posture (US 11,778,392 B2). Burwinkel JR, Seitz-Paquette K. United States Patent and Trademark Office, 3 October 2023. Manufacturer (Starkey Laboratories, a hearing aid maker, is the assignee) ↩︎ https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/11778392
30. Guidelines for Fitting and Monitoring FM Systems. ASHA Ad Hoc Committee on FM Systems. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA practice policy), 2002. Independent (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the professional association of audiologists and speech-language pathologists; written by its ad hoc committee on FM systems, chaired by Arthur Boothroyd) ↩︎ https://www.asha.org/policy/gl2002-00010/
31. 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/
32. Difference in Speech Recognition between a Default and Programmed Telecoil Program. Ledda KT, Valente M, Oeding K, Kallogjeri D. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology 30(6):502-515 (Thieme), June 2019. Independent (Division of Adult Audiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; no conflict of interest declared; Widex USA provided the hearing aids and Oaktree Products the telephone amplifier for use in the study) ↩︎ https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/html/10.3766/jaaa.17128
33. 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/
34. A review of assistive listening device and digital wireless technology for hearing instruments. Kim JS, Kim CH. Korean Journal of Audiology 18(3):105-111, 22 December 2014. Independent (Hallym University, Korea; the article gives no funding or conflict-of-interest statement) ↩︎ https://doi.org/10.7874/kja.2014.18.3.105
35. "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
36. Sennheiser MobileConnect (App Store listing, version 6.3.1). Sennheiser. Apple App Store (seller: Sennheiser electronic SE & Co. KG), 4 May 2026. Manufacturer (Sennheiser, maker of the MobileConnect Wi-Fi system; the listing and its privacy label are written by the developer) ↩︎ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sennheiser-mobileconnect/id848127271
37. Infrared (IR) Assistive Listening Systems. Center for Hearing Access. Center for Hearing Access, The John G. Shedd Institute, 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/infrared/
38. Hearing Loop – the Preferred Large Area Assistive Listening System: Here's Why. Sterkens J. Canadian Audiologist 6(1), 21 January 2019. Nonprofit advocacy (written by Juliëtte Sterkens, AuD, who according to the author note has worked since 2012 as an advocate for hearing loops and other assistive technology with the Hearing Loss Association of America, with grant funding from the David and Carol Myers Foundation; published in the Canadian Academy of Audiology's magazine) ↩︎ https://canadianaudiologist.ca/hearing-loop-large-area-system-feature/
39. ListenWIFI System Manual. Listen Technologies, 15 January 2026. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, maker of the ListenWIFI system described, which also sells RF/FM, infrared, hearing loop and Auracast assistive listening products) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/ListenWIFI-System-Manual-2026.01.15-V5.pdf
40. MobileConnect ADA Compliancy Statement. Sennheiser Streaming Technologies GmbH. Sennheiser, June 2021. Manufacturer (Sennheiser, maker of the MobileConnect Wi-Fi system) ↩︎ https://www.sennheiser.com/globalassets/digizuite/41165-en-mobileconnect_ada_compliancy_statement.pdf
41. Tested for you: the Avantree Venucast Oasis Aura Auracast transmitter (in German). Pro Audito Schweiz, 16 July 2026. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; test units supplied free by the manufacturer, Pro Audito not paid) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/fuer-sie-getestet-auracast-sender-avantree-venucast-oasis-aura/
42. Auracast transmitter-receiver compatibility test (with data workbook). Pro Audito Schweiz, 6 October 2025. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; no manufacturer funding, test products lent free by manufacturers) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/auracast-transmitter-receiver-compatibility-test/
43. An Internet Survey of Individuals With Hearing Loss Regarding Assistive Listening Devices. Harkins J, Tucker P. Trends in Amplification 11(2):91-100 (SAGE), June 2007. Independent (Technology Access Program, Gallaudet University, for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Hearing Enhancement; developed under grant H133E-03006-06 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, US Department of Education) ↩︎ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4111414/
44. IRMTX750 Infra Red Modulator & Radiator: Installation and Maintenance Manual (Revision 2). Current Thinking Ltd. Current Thinking Ltd (Infra~Hear range); copy hosted by a French audiovisual reseller, January 2011. Manufacturer (Current Thinking Ltd, a UK maker of the Infra~Hear infrared assistive listening products described) ↩︎ https://www.la-bs.com/Objets/IRMTX750_me.pdf
45. Don't Forget to Disinfect Your Devices. Listen Technologies (Listen Team). Listen Technologies (blog), 23 September 2022. Manufacturer (Listen Technologies, which sells assistive listening receivers and neckloops and the disinfecting wipes the article promotes) ↩︎ https://www.listentech.com/dont-forget-to-disinfect-your-devices/
46. Consumer use of and preferences for assistive communication technology in public places. Committee for Communication Access in America (Frazier SO, Bailey A, Cadwell B, Clifford C, Liebe K, Myers D, Sterkens J). Committee for Communication Access in America, 8 January 2024. Nonprofit advocacy (an ad hoc committee of hearing-loss advocates, chaired by Stephen O. Frazier (Loop New Mexico; a founding member of HLAA's Get in the Hearing Loop initiative), the report's correspondence author; funding not stated; data collected and analysed by the Frost Center for Data and Social Research at Hope College. The committee's site lists David Myers (founder of hearingloop.org) and Juliette Sterkens (HLAA hearing loop advocate) among its members, with Abram Bailey (founder of HearingTracker), Blake Cadwell (founder and CEO of Soundly), Kevin Liebe (hearinghealthmatters.org) and Carol Clifford (audiologist, former ReSound training director)) ↩︎ https://www.ccaa.name/Report_Final_1-12-24.pdf
47. How to Get the Best Assistive Listening Experience. Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), 2026. Nonprofit advocacy (Hearing Loss Association of America, a US consumer organisation for people with hearing loss; the PDF's metadata names Linda Kozma-Spytek as its author) ↩︎ https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/documents/advocacy-resources/How-to-Get-the-Best-Assistive-Listening-Experience-HLAA.pdf
48. Consumer Perceptions of the Impact of Inductively Looped Venues on the Utility of Their Hearing Devices. Kochkin S, Sterkens J, Compton-Conley C, Beck DL, Taylor B, Kricos P, Caccavo M, Holmes A, Powers TA. Hearing Review (October 2014 issue), 24 September 2014. Manufacturer (paid for by grants from Etymotic Research, Contacta, Listen Technologies, IntriCon and Univox by Edin, which the acknowledgments describe as including two hearing loop makers, an assistive listening company and two hearing-device technology makers; co-author Juliëtte Sterkens runs the Loop Wisconsin advocacy blog, one of the recruitment channels. The article prints no affiliations; from other sources, co-author Douglas L. Beck worked for the hearing-aid maker Oticon, joining as director of professional relations in 2005 (AudiologyOnline, 20 August 2005) and named director of academic sciences in 2016 (Hearing Review, 6 April 2016), and co-author Thomas A. Powers was vice-president of audiology at the hearing-aid maker Siemens Hearing Instruments (Hearing Review, 19 September 2013) and later a vice-president of its successor, Sivantos (Better Hearing Institute biography)) ↩︎ https://hearingreview.com/hearing-products/implants-bone-conduction/cochlear-implants/consumer-perceptions-impact-inductively-looped-venues-utility-hearing-devices
49. Technical analysis of the Bluetooth Auracast system in the Pilatus Arena. Pro Audito Schweiz. Pro Audito Schweiz (in German), 3 November 2025. Independent (Pro Audito Schweiz, Swiss hearing-loss association; test devices were lent free by their manufacturers or owned by participants) ↩︎ https://pro-audito.ch/news/technische-analyse-des-bluetooth-auracast-systems-in-der-pilatus-arena/
50. "Auracast is Here!" Now What?. Sterkens J. HearingTracker (opinion section), 2 April 2025. Nonprofit advocacy (written by Juliëtte Sterkens, AuD, who according to the author profile has worked since 2012 as an advocate for hearing loops and other assistive technology with the Hearing Loss Association of America, with grant funding from the David and Carol Myers Foundation; published by HearingTracker, a consumer hearing-aid website) ↩︎ https://www.hearingtracker.com/opinion/auracast-is-here-now-what
51. Settlement Agreement between the United States of America and Crown Theaters re: assistive listening systems in theaters (DOJ complaint number 202-14-34). US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section; Crown Theaters. US Department of Justice (ADA archive), 8 March 1999. Government (US Department of Justice, which enforces Title III of the ADA; the other party is the cinema chain that settled) ↩︎ https://archive.ada.gov/crownth.htm

Change log

• 10 October 2026Published with 51 sources.
• 13 October 2026Clarified the ICC loop-standard reference, study samples and funding, and limits of phone-output and field-test evidence.
• 13 October 2026Independent audit restored the condition for testing at collection and clarified the ICC measurement wording.

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