Assistive Listening Devices

Assistive listening devices (ALDs) are designed to improve audibility in specific listening situations. Some ALDs are used with hearing aids or cochlear implants (CIs), while others are designed to be used alone. ALDs are designed to emphasize the ONE signal that you are interested in. That signal might be a faraway voice (e.g., a lecturer in an auditorium), or a relatively near signal that has to compete with other noise (e.g., listening to TV while others are talking nearby, or trying to have a conversation in a restaurant). Assistive listening devices not only amplify a signal, but by placing a microphone close to the sound source, the signal is louder compared to the other sounds in the environment. Assistive listening devices improve your ability to hear because they make the desired sound stand out from the background noise.