Assistive Listening Knowledge Base: updates Questions and evidence on assistive listening, with Auracast and hearing loops in depth https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/ 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z Equal Access Audio https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/assets/apple-touch-icon.png New: how installed hearing loops are checked, where they fall short, and whether telecoils are set up https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-10-10-new-how-installed-hearing-loops-are-checked-where-they-fall-short-and 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z Three new questions gather the evidence on hearing loops and telecoils; no study has yet measured a representative sample of installed loops against IEC 60118-4. New: places of worship, cochlear implant users, neckloops, and courtrooms and council chambers https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-10-10-new-places-of-worship-cochlear-implant-users-neckloops-and-courtrooms 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z Four new questions; in a 2026 dummy-head test many neckloops lost the high frequencies that matter for speech, and no study has measured implant users with an installed loop, infrared or Auracast system. New: theatres and cinemas, and hospitals, clinics and pharmacies https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-10-10-new-theatres-and-cinemas-and-hospitals-clinics-and-pharmacies 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z Two new questions; checks at English hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies keep finding loops missing or unknown to staff, and no independent test compares systems in an occupied theatre or cinema. New: what each system costs over its life, keeping loops beside Auracast, and how listeners learn a system exists https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-10-10-new-what-each-system-costs-over-its-life-keeping-loops-beside-auracas 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z Sources rank installation costs in opposite orders without publishing the data behind them, and none compares whole-life costs; advocates and an Australian government group advise adding Auracast alongside a working loop. New: what transport rules require for announcements, and what loops and Auracast trials found on buses, trains and in stations https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-10-10-new-what-transport-rules-require-for-announcements-and-what-loops-and 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z EU, British and Australian rules require loops or hearing augmentation in places; none mentions Auracast, and no transport trial has yet published coverage or delay measurements. New: Wi-Fi delay and networks, infrared's limits, and the radio bands FM systems use https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-10-10-new-wi-fi-delay-and-networks-infrared-s-limits-and-the-radio-bands-fm 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z 2026-10-10T00:00:00Z Four new questions cover the other technologies; the one independent Wi-Fi latency figure found is about 350 ms through a phone to hearing aids, well above what guidance accepts alongside room sound. IHCON 2026: every measured latency above the 25-40 ms target the authors attribute to the SIG https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-09-28-ihcon-2026-every-measured-latency-above-the-25-40-ms-target-the-autho 2026-09-28T00:00:00Z 2026-09-28T00:00:00Z McMaster University measured transmitter, hearing-aid and earbud combinations; none met the 25-40 ms target the authors attribute to the Bluetooth SIG, and some exceeded 80 ms. Swiss expert: about 30 m range in theatres, and a louder stream level https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-09-23-swiss-expert-about-30-m-range-in-theatres-and-a-louder-stream-level 2026-09-23T00:00:00Z 2026-09-23T00:00:00Z A Swiss standards-committee expert recommends keeping seats within 20-30 m and about -25 dBFS for theatres, against the SIG's -35 dBFS. RNID station test: listeners found announcements clearer over Auracast https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-09-22-rnid-station-test-listeners-found-announcements-clearer-over-auracast 2026-09-22T00:00:00Z 2026-09-22T00:00:00Z In RNID's March 2026 test of a manufacturer-installed system at Bristol Temple Meads, most of ten hearing-device users could not follow the PA announcements without Auracast; nine needed a loaned phone or receiver. IEC 63087:2026 published https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-09-18-iec-63087-2026-published 2026-09-18T00:00:00Z 2026-09-18T00:00:00Z The new international standard covers all assistive listening systems, including 2.4 GHz broadcast, with an assessment report and a clause on system testing. Bluetooth SIG revises its Auracast transmitter design guide https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-09-16-bluetooth-sig-revises-its-auracast-transmitter-design-guide 2026-09-16T00:00:00Z 2026-09-16T00:00:00Z Version 3 recommends the 24 kHz low-latency setting for live use, says transmitters need no volume control, and lets installed transmitters offer an adjustable Presentation Delay. Outdoor field test: about 5 m of reliable range in a crowd https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-09-16-outdoor-field-test-about-5-m-of-reliable-range-in-a-crowd 2026-09-16T00:00:00Z 2026-09-16T00:00:00Z Pro Audito Schweiz found reliable reception only close to the transmitter at an outdoor event of about 2,000 people. Pro Audito neckloop bench test: many lose the high frequencies https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-09-08-pro-audito-neckloop-bench-test-many-lose-the-high-frequencies 2026-09-08T00:00:00Z 2026-09-08T00:00:00Z Pro Audito Schweiz measured six neckloops on a dummy head (September 2026); it ranked them and did not recommend two. Swiss device list: 20 of 27 hearing device lines Auracast capable https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-08-31-swiss-device-list-20-of-27-hearing-device-lines-auracast-capable 2026-08-31T00:00:00Z 2026-08-31T00:00:00Z Pro Audito's 31 August list marks 7 lines as Ready, including all three cochlear implant processors listed, and shows that telecoil availability varies by line. New edition of Europe's ICT accessibility standard adopted https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-08-24-new-edition-of-europe-s-ict-accessibility-standard-adopted 2026-08-24T00:00:00Z 2026-08-24T00:00:00Z EN 301 549 V4.1.1 says a Bluetooth connection for assistive listening devices can contribute to its enhanced-audio requirement for kiosks and devices; it does not cover room systems. Consumer Reports: 59% of listed hearing aid models have a telecoil, down from 79% in 2016 https://assistivelisteningknowledgebase.org/updates/#2026-05-07-consumer-reports-59-of-listed-hearing-aid-models-have-a-telecoil-down 2026-05-07T00:00:00Z 2026-05-07T00:00:00Z Citing the Consumer's Guide to Hearing Aids, Consumer Reports says 59% of the prescription models listed in 2026 had a manual telecoil, against 79% in 2016, and that over-the-counter aids typically lack one.