11 Questions to Ask a Hearing Loop Installer - Brown Audio Service LLC

11 Questions to Ask a Hearing Loop Installer

9 Questions to Ask a Hearing Loop Installer - Brown Audio Service

11 Questions to Ask a Hearing Loop Installer

Hearing loops are a great way to make your services accessible to people with hearing difficulty. You know that, you’ve seen or heard the difference a loop can make, and you are interested in having a loop installed in a facility where you work or attend activities.

How do you go about finding a hearing loop installer and, more importantly, how can you feel confident that the installer you are talking do will do a good job?

Here are some things for you to consider when hiring a hearing loop installer:

  1. Who trained or certified the installer and is the installer willing to provide references?
  2. What design, installation and audio experience does the installer have?
  3. Will the installer provide a Certificate of Conformity?
  4. Does the installer offer information about hearing loops and the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) Standard on their website?
  5. Does the installer list loop installations on their website? If not, why not?
  6. Hearing Loop systems are venue specific and almost always require a site visit prior to provide an accurate cost of installation estimate.  Is the installer willing to come to the site and do a site survey?
  7. Does the installer test the building for interference? Although some designs can be modeled on a computer, computer simulation cannot determine if magnetic background noise is present or what effects metal in your particular building has on the magnetic signal.
  8. Your installer should be able to explain the on-site test results and what type of loop (simple, figure 8, snowman or phased array) will be needed in your facility to meet the IEC Standard and what is involved to hide the loop wire aesthetically.
  9. Can the installer also provide a small loop for a service desk? A service desk hearing loop requires proper placement of the microphone – make sure that this will work in your facility and for the users of that particular desk or ticket window.
  10. Is the installer available to provide education about how to use the loop?
  11. Is the installer available to provide any maintenance for the loop, drivers and sound system (if applicable)?