[Athen] [ATHEN] listening systems

[Ron Stewart]

We had a lot of similar systems at OSU, and we would just match the units up
and send the student off with them for the quarter.  We used Phoneic Ear
Equipment and were very happy with it, I think when I left we had about area
base  transmitters in about 60 classrooms and probably 25 paired systems
that we checked out.  We use the EasyListening equipmen:  

http://www.phonicear.dk/eprise/main/PhonicEar/DK_gb/SEC_ALD/_index

I have also worked with the Array system in some conference venues and it is
good stuff as well.  Williams Sound is very popular in the DHH community,
but I have not found that the equipment is very durable.  The cadalac stuff
is from Sennheiser but you may already be familiar with that name from your
weekend job Robert:
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/category.asp?transid=cat113

Whatever system you decide on you want to work with a local vendor who has
expertise in sound field systems and ALD systems because there are a lot of
extenuating factors that can inpact the effectiveness of the equipment.
Also only buy one brand of equipment and stick to it.  While the all
supposedly operate in the same frequency range each vendor tweaks their
equipment a bit so that it is optimized to work best with their own stuff.

Ron Stewart

-----Original Message-----
From: athen-bounces at athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces at athenpro.org] On
Behalf Of Robert Beach
Sent: Friday, January 18, 2008 4:18 PM
To: Access Technologists in Higher Education Network
Subject: [Athen] listening systems

Hi all,

We have a student who is HH and wants to use an FM listening system in
classes.  We have one borrowed from another institution for the moment and
she really likes it.  The one she really likes (Telex SoundMate SR100) is
apparently no longer made.

The SR100 has a transmitter that the speaker wears.  The listener has the
receiver that they plug their headset into to listen.  It has adjustable
frequencies to match the two devices up and still avoid interference from
other sources.

The student says this system is great for the anatomy lab and the math
class.  However, the anatomy class is different because the instructor
encourages a lot of class discussion and she is not picking up on that.  I'm
thinking a conference type of microphone system may fix that problem, but
not sure how well it would work.  Using the headset is fine as she does not
use hearing aids.

Does anybody have any experience with a system like I'm describing and can
make some recommendations of systems to look at or ones to avoid?  I have
been in contact with a company that has recommended 2 different systems that
"sound" like they could work.  One is the Array AG300 3-Channel FM Kit and
the other is the Comfort Contego Communication System.  The Contego system
would support the class discussion setting better, but I'm not sure it will
accommodate the other classes as well.

Any info you all can share on these systems or similar ones that you have
experience with would be greatly appreciated.

Have a great 3-day weekend!



Robert Lee Beach
Assistive Technology Specialist
Kansas City Kansas Community College
7250 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS  66112
Phone:  (913) 288-7671
Fax: (913) 288-7678
E-mail:  rbeach at kckcc.edu


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