The U.S. has been way behind Europe in adoption of these systems. A major reason in the past was that hearing aids designed in Northern Europe implemented telecoils (t-coils) in nearly 90 percent of their devices, as opposed to only 30 percent of U.S. devices in the past. However, this percentage has doubled in recent years and will likely continue to rise. This factor combined with the aging boomer population together will bring strong demand for this technology, in my estimation. My advice is that this may not be worthwhile in a retrofit situation, but is a good cost proposition for new construction. That should be no surprise. I’m a big fan of future planning and getting the infrastructure done properly the first time with all of my church designs.
3. Infrared Systems
Typically, these systems have been employed in situations where either confidentiality was a requirement or you do not want patrons to hear outside of the venue (like in a concert hall). Essentially, you are limiting the range of transmission to a particular room. Just like your television IR remote won’t work in another room (due to the short wavelength), these systems stop at physical barriers.
These systems do offer high fidelity and have come down significantly in recent years, due to newer chip technologies. They are also not prone to RF interference. Design is more involved than RF systems, as a simple ray tracking 3D model is typically required (often performed in EASE), but the installation complexity is still a fraction of loop based systems. Just like RF systems, IR systems require that users utilize a proprietary receiver, rather than their own personal device.
Conclusion
Selection of the right Assistive Listening Device for your church probably has a lot to do with your stage of construction (whether you are in construction or just looking for an off-the-shelf solution) and a look into the age of the average church population. Keep in mind that you are buying a technology to utilize for the next five to 10 years, so you should be more interested in whether you have a large number of congregants that are entering old age than whether you have a large number that are already there.
