Audio induction loop or infra-red systems for audience members with hearing aids?
Posted by Andrew Chesters If you can find the funding, then infra-red systems are superior sonically. (Senheiser) If you are stuck with a loop, buy a proper loop amplifier, i.e. Millbank or similar. It is no good using an amp designed for speakers. The design of the loop is not as straightforward as it first seems. It may be smart to contact a local specialist. You could use a mic splitter to feed the “show relay” and “loop” circuits. We installed the Senheiser IR system using a grant, and have had no reported problems with shadow effects. We have been able to mount the transmitters quite high in relation to most of the audience. We used two to improve coverage. We specified the system to be “stereo” so that at some time in the future we can give “described” performances for the blind on one channel and normal reinforcement on the other. On the splitter question, we have used an EMO phantom power box and two EMO 3 way splitters to give us feeds to the IR units, our show relay (dressing
