Applications

We design and manufacture a wide range of hearing loop systems in an array of models and styles, suitable for a large variety of applications. Key settings include auditoriums, supermarkets, places of worship, healthcare establishments, retail stores, transport hubs and banks.

Once a system is installed, hearing device wearers simply switch to the “T” setting to listen flawlessly. Our systems enable direct sound transmission to hearing devices, without the need for additional receivers.

Our specialist team can help specify the right system for your environment. Get in touch today to speak to our highly experienced advisors.

Sectors

Healthcare & Assisted Living

Our hearing loop systems provide latency-free sound transmission in key areas of the modern healthcare system. Contacta hearing loops, in all their types, are installed in thousands of locations across heath systems worldwide. This includes large area hearing loop systems, TV Rooms, 1 to 1 counter loops, portable and integrated systems.

Applications include:

A&E reception desks
Nursing and Care Homes
Hospital outpatient departments
Local medical centres
Consultation rooms
Meeting rooms

Our systems help improve accessibility to services by people with hearing loss, enabling them to have clear and confidential conversations with doctors, nurses or reception staff at the hospital.

The Accessible Information Standard in place from 31st July 2016 states that all organisations providing the NHS or publicly funded adult social care must provide a means of communicating with those with hearing loss. We can help address these and advise on the best solution for your healthcare establishment.

Click on this link to read about the integration of our systems in UK hospitals.

71% of people aged over 70 have some form of hearing loss. Many of these live-in care homes of other secured accommodation. Our hearing loops give nursing home residents the opportunity to be included in the community life at your home. We manufacture hearing loop solutions such as our HLD3 kit, designed for TV listening via an induction loop technology in bedrooms, small apartments or in larger communal areas, with a variety of audio connection options.

Our systems allow freedom of movement throughout the covered area, providing consistent and intelligible sound for hearing aid users.

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Hospitality

From Hotel reception desk to the conference facilities and guest rooms, ensure you are providing an inclusive environment in your establishment with our hearing loop systems. We have systems in all sizes to make a small guest house or a large hotel hearing accessible, helping to create fully inclusive environments.

Staying in a hotel can pose significant challenges to people with hearing loss. Our systems will help guests overcome a noisy reception desk or a busy hotel convention centre, by transmitting the sound they want to hear directly to their hearing device.

Hotels or Guest Houses of any type and size can become fully inclusive by installing our hearing loop systems. A positive experience by guests who can easily access all services, enhances visitor accessibility – an important contributing factor to customer loyalty.

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Places of Worship

One of the main reasons for visiting a place of worship is to hear important messages, which help individuals become part of a larger common faith community. Our hearing loop systems provide a perfect solution in these environments, cutting out background noise and enhancing the speaker’s voice so that everyone in the community can benefit.

Every word is more intelligible when a hearing loop system is installed.

Our hearing loop systems provide latency-free sound transmission direct to users hearing devices, whilst allowing the freedom of movement across a large area without losing sound. This is an ideal technology for when the user expects the sounds they hear to perfectly match a visual staging they are watching.

Our hearing loop systems are particularly useful in situations where there may be complex room structures, large sculptures or raised seating areas.

When multipurpose rooms are in use, it is often useful to use our 3D Visualisation software so that loop signal is contained. This prevents overspill of the signal outside of a specific area or room.

Read about the installation of Contacta hearing loop system in a ‘Megachurch’ in Michigan, USA, where the sheer size and multiple level seating areas presented a number of unique challenges.

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Entertainment, Theatres & Cinemas

An entertainment venue such as a concert hall or a theatre is a place for enjoyment, a place people attend for pure pleasure. Most modern venues include advanced and high-quality sound systems, which enhances intelligibility through sophisticated loudspeakers. The clarity of speech is always a key part of the experience.

Our hearing loop systems can be installed into auditoriums to provide an unparalleled listening experience for your audience. Our systems deliver latency-free sound transmission direct to users’ hearing devices, allowing them to sit comfortably in their seats, relax and enjoy the show!

The magnetic wireless signal of our hearing loop systems is an ideal technology for when the user expects the sounds they hear to perfectly match a visual performance they are watching. It is also excellent in speech reproduction across a large area. A correctly installed system will deliver consistent and intelligible sound for hearing aid users, across large venues even in multi-level or elevated seating areas.

We have received excellent feedback from customers with hearing loss who have used our systems while enjoying their favourite show, movie, or live music gig – a truly immersive experience.

Our 1 to 1 hearing loop systems have been installed at ticket office desks in many venues, including large nationwide Cinema chains and well known theatres across the globe.

Here are a couple of examples of our systems installed at the Imax theatre and the Devonshire park theatre.

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Corporate

Corporate environments and business venues are not exempt from the challenges faced by people with hearing loss. With 1 in 5 people having some level of hearing loss, it is likely someone in your office, store or business meeting is struggling to hear what is being said.

Many business facilities such as conference and meeting rooms are designed for group communication.

Important business discussions as well as interviews or presentations are done in these facilities.

A hearing loop system helps ensuring meetings and conferences run smoothly and everyone is part of the discussion. Having everyone engaged ensures effective interaction and improved productivity.

Systems such as our HLD3 Kit are designed to be connected to a TV or a PC using either a TOS Link optical connection or a wired 3.5mm audio connection. This system comes with an external Mic which picks up boundary sounds from the room in parallel to the TV. It is suitable for small meeting rooms or presentation facilities of up to 100 sqm.

Larger rooms may benefit from an under-carpet phased array installation of the loop cable, connected to our V22a PRO Class D driver which is capable to cover much larger rooms by powering a longer cable length.

Our large area hearing loop drivers can connect to a variety of sound sources found in business venues including:

Handheld Microphone
Lapel Microphone
Ceiling mounted ‘Shotgun’ or boundary Microphones
Desk mounted Microphone
PC, TV or Video calls
PA system feed

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Education

Classrooms and lecture halls are where most of the learning process happens and therefore assistive listening equipment is vital in this setting. Whilst hearing loop systems are specified in many countries and have been fitted in thousands of classrooms already, we can advise on the best specific solution to allow YOU to cater for all your students.

A missed lecture or a skipped piece of information can affect a student’s achievements.

Classrooms vary in size, projection and elevation, all of which impact the system performance and should be considered. Sound sources are also something that should be taken into consideration. The understanding of what the student will have to hear through the loop is paramount to technical decisions on the best equipment. As most of the equipment is invisible once installed, clear signage must be put in place to mark a looped classroom.

In some cases, such as in the installation we carried out at the Yehudi Menuhin School, special work may be required on site in order to prepare the infrastructure for optimal fitting of the system, in order to ensure best performance.

The benefits of fitting a hearing loop system in classrooms can be significant. Once installed, our system would offer a direct transmission of the sound source to users existing hearing aid, without need for additional receivers. This contributes to a more enjoyable and productive user experience.

Our 1 to 1 hearing loop systems can be fitted into reception desks or other offices throughout schools, universities and colleges, to provide better access to services for students with hearing loss.

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Banking

The UK banking sector is one of the pioneers of integration of hearing loops technology in the retail environment. The banks early understanding of the benefits of hearing accessibility, particularly hearing loop technology, has been a catalyst to the progress of its widespread adoption throughout the industry.

User’s experience in banks during the early days has pushed forward both legislation and popularity.

Banks understood the importance of clear and intelligible communication with their customers at customer interaction points.

Along with our Speech Transfer Systems, hearing loop systems contribute to creating an inclusive environment in your bank. Our 1 to 1 hearing loop systems can help make your service desks more accessible for confidential exchanges.

Our PL-20-2 Portable Loop System is an ideal solution for small meeting rooms, where personal discussions take place and confidentiality is needed.

Additionally, we manufacture a range of integrated hearing loop systems such as our EL42-L2, designed for installation in self-service tills or ATM machines, transmitting clear audio signal directly to the user’s hearing aids.

Here are examples of successful integration of our hearing loop systems in the financial sector:

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Retail

Retail stores can present serious challenges for hearing aid users. As hearing instruments amplify all the sounds we hear, it is less effective in noisy environments. Modern retail stores can often be an environment with high ambient noise level caused by a large number of people or loud background music.

The technology in our hearing loop systems delivers the sound your customers really want to hear. Our Cardioid Microphones can pick up the voice of staff members at tills or service desks, cutting out disturbing surrounding noises.

We know shops, cafés and parlours all have individual needs and designs, so we provide a range of systems to fit every scenario.

Systems such as our IL-K200 kits are designed with invisible installation of the hearing loop aerials under the counter desktop, leaving the counter top space free for customer transactions.

Establishments such as Marks & Spencer are a good example of where correctly fitted and maintained counter loop systems can transform customer experience. There are clear social and financial benefits for installing our systems to make retail stores hearing accessible.

Thousands of Costa Coffee cafés are another example of a business understanding the needs of its customers. The more ambient noise a retail environment presents the more challenging it is for hearing aid users. A growing number of businesses understand that the integration of hearing loop technology in their stores is a critical part of its overall accessibility provision.

Another popular category within this sector are food stores and supermarkets, with the key applications being payment tills, self-service checkouts and customer service desks. Our systems are installed in small stores as well as in large national chains including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, the Co-Op and Spar.

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Transport

This is one of the most diverse sectors when it comes to types of hearing technologies in use today. Due to the range of different environments, it is also one of the most challenging for people with hearing loss on their travels. Contacta offer large area loop systems, which can be combined with our Speech Transfer Systems.

Some of these challenges include:

Using ticket machines with audio output at airports, railway, or bus stations.
Communicating with a taxi or a bus driver.
Hearing important public announcements at noisy transport hubs; on trains, trams or buses, or at airport departure gates.
Communicating with staff at airport check in desks, passport control and ticket offices.

Our hearing loop systems tackle all these challenges and more. From the perspective of a service provider, we offer a full range of systems capable of delivering a fully hearing accessible customer experience.

Our integrated systems can be installed in ticket machines or in car park entry/exit systems, while our 1 to 1 systems can be installed in a variety of methods in ticket offices, tills, service desks, in a taxi or on a bus, helping 1 on 1 communication where it is needed most.

Our large area loop systems can cover entire platforms to help passengers hear PA system announcements, like in the example of BART in San Francisco, California. These systems can also cover an entire seating area on a ferry or in train station waiting rooms.

Often combined with our Speech Transfer Systems, our hearing loop technology already helps millions of passengers at some of the world’s busiest transport hubs:

We are also able to offer bespoke solutions built to specific requirements. For example, at Chester railway station in NW England, which is located in a listed building and cutting into floors or walls is prohibited, we were able to design a bespoke hearing loop solution for the seating areas.

This retrofitted solution consisted of a wall-mounted mini hearing loop signs, containing a built-in phased array loop aerial which projects a uniformed magnetic signal coverage in seating areas across the station.

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Tourism, Heritage & Leisure

Businesses in this sector face different challenges when it comes to making themselves hearing accessible. We have developed a unique Portable Large Area Hearing Loop system designed for use in leisure and outdoor venues. This may be an open-air leisure or recreational event such as a music concert or a local festival.

It is suitable for short term events held at tourist attractions, parks or museums.

This system is simple to install and dismantle at the end of the event. It is ideal as a temporary solution or for use in multiple venues. The kit comes with a built-in hearing loop driver, a 2-channel receiver and an auxiliary input.

For leisure parks which may combine both indoor and outdoor facilities we offer other applications. This includes our 1 to 1 systems for ticket offices, kiosks, food stalls and payment tills, large area room loop systems for shows or waiting areas, and integrated systems on vehicles such as tour buses and taxis. We also manufacture a number of systems for door entry applications.

Every business in this sector can benefit from being accessible for people with hearing loss.

Alongside our hearing loop technology, we offer our Contacta RF Tour Guide system, a high quality FM solution designed for wireless communication of groups of people with a variety of listening options. These includes highly amplified receivers with up to 120dB gain, as well as Personal Inductive Neckloops for hearing aid users.

At Thorpe Park, one of the Europe’s largest theme parks, we supplied and installed a variety of systems to help make the park more accessible. Contacta 1 to 1 hearing loop systems have been installed in all positions of the ticket office at the main entrance. Our Queue Management system has been installed at the ticket office in Thorpe Park’s main entrance.

When the Museum of the Statue of Liberty in NYC, USA went through a complete renovation in 2018, twelve of our large area hearing loop systems have been installed using Direct Burial Cables. The unique low-spill layout of the cables delivered separate inductive sound transmission at key exhibits throughout the museum.

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Government & Public Sector

This sector is one of the most significant for hearing accessibility. From important government parliament discussions through to service points at local councils, this sector will always be in the public eye. Many venues at County Council offices and other public facilities already benefit from our hearing loop systems.

This includes service desks, tills, conference rooms and council chambers.

In many venues, a combination of systems may be found, for both 1 to 1 and large area applications.

When hearing loop systems are being installed in rooms that host confidential discussions, it is very useful to use our 3D visualisation software. Using this advanced tool, we are able to design layouts with cancellation loops, controlling any signal overspill so that it is contained within the room.

We also offer our Contacta IR system, a high quality indoor Infra-Red solution, enabling wireless communication inside a defined room space. The signal is always contained within the walls of the room providing secured and confidential coverage. There is a variety of listening options including highly amplified receivers with up to 120dB volume gain and a personal Inductive Neckloop designed to help hearing aid users.

These are examples of our products installed in public venues:

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Integrated & OEM

We design and manufacture a wide range of integrated and OEM hearing loop systems. The possibilities of adding a hearing loop to an existing system are wide and varied. Solutions can be customised or bought off the shelf from our ready-made solutions. Our systems can be built into your existing system.

They can also be retrofitted onto existing devices. It is relatively easy and affordable to add a hearing loop facility, however the benefits to people with hearing loss are significant.

A correctly installed system can help these people hear the audio from a huge variety of applications including:

Ticket machines
ATM machines
Self-service and automated checkouts
Check-in stations
Door entry systems
Intercom system
Fire evacuation and smoke detection systems
Car park
Lifts
Information kiosks
Way finding systems
Bus, train, tram and taxi
Waiting areas and specified interaction points

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MADE IN THE UK: We’re proud to say our Contacta designed products are manufactured in the UK

Applications

Healthcare & Assisted Living

Hospitality

Places of Worship

Entertainment, Theatres & Cinemas

Corporate

Education

Banking

Retail

Transport

Tourism, Heritage & Leisure

Government & Public Sector

Integrated & OEM

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