Listen Technologies: Hearing for Everyone
Listen Technologies is an industry leader in assistive listening technologies. Their products aim to provide an inclusive and hassle-free listening experience for every person. Each product that bears the Listen Technologies name has an accessible design, is easy and inclusive to use, and complies with federal regulations. When you buy a Listen Technologies assisted listening solution, you make it easy on yourself to provide an accessible option for those who are hard of hearing.
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination based upon disability. The act, signed into law on July 26, 1990, has made a major impact upon the lives of differently abled people across the country. In brief, the Americans with Disabilities Act encompasses five titles, stating that a person who qualifies as disabled may not be discriminated against by employers, public entities, public accommodations, and telecommunications companies. This ensures that disabled people are not subject to discrimination at school, by city and local governments, or employers. Additionally, the Act requires public spaces and transportation to be accessible to everyone. It also contains provisions that protect those differently abled persons from retaliation and coercion.
So, what does the Americans with Disabilities Act mean for Sweetwater customers? In order to comply with the ADA, all public spaces where audio is integral to the use of the space must provide an assistive listening system to accommodate those with hearing loss. Compliance laws can get complicated quite quickly, though. That’s where Listen Technologies comes in. They manufacture a comprehensive range of ADA-compliant solutions fit for any situation.
What’s So Important About Assistive Listening?
Having an assistive listening devices system is a key component to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. Generally, an assistive listening system is a wireless system including transmitters and receivers that’s intended to improve the listening experience of someone who is hard of hearing. Using a wireless system allows you to send a clean audio signal directly to external headphones, hearing aids, or a cochlear implant. What results is the person clearly hearing the desired audio without any undesirable ambient noise.
ListenRF or ListenIR?
Two ways to transmit sound
Listen Technologies makes it easy to help patrons hear what’s going on. Whether you need to provide sound for university lecture halls, worship functions, theaters, large conventions, or stadiums, Listen Technologies has what you need to permanently install an assistive listening system. Two of their most common options are ListenRF, which transmits radio frequencies, and ListenIR, which delivers sound via infrared signals. Here’s how they stack up.
ListenRF
If you’re already familiar with radio frequency transmission technology, you’ll love using a ListenRF system. ListenRF offers digital audio in both the 72 MHz and 216 MHz frequency ranges for a stable signal. If you need to cover a lot of area, provide clear sound, and need something simple and easy to use, ListenRF gear is your best bet. Plus, it comes at a low price point. Handling extremely large venues like indoor stadiums? You’ll be happy to know that Listen Technologies offers Dante adapters, antennas, and other accessories to expand coverage to your whole facility.
ListenRF systems at a glance:
- Expandable radio frequency architecture provides an enormous transmission range
- Digital signal processing keeps the signal crystal clear
- Budget-friendly design and ultra-reliable operation
- Fully compliant for assistive listening
ListenIR
By contrast to ListenRF, a ListenIR system transmits audio via infrared technology. Infrared transmission offers interference-free operation, plus secure audio for extra privacy. ListenIR systems have a slightly smaller transmission range, meaning that they’re more suited to classrooms, theaters, houses of worship, courtrooms, and businesses.
ListenIR systems at a glance:
- Infrared architecture offers a clear and reliable signal for boardrooms, courtrooms, houses of worship, and beyond
- One ListenIR system covers multiple rooms
- Secure transmissions maintain privacy for sensitive applications
- Built-in delay compensation lowers latency
- IR transparent receiver material enables superior reception
Listen EVERYWHERE
Simple, effective access over Wi-Fi
If you have a robust Wi-Fi network at your disposal, you may consider installing a Listen EVERYWHERE system. This is a cost-effective and simple solution for multi-room and multi-channel audio — and it’s delivered right to a guest’s smartphone. Listen EVERYWHERE uses your Wi-Fi network and streams clean, clear audio through the free Listen EVERYWHERE app. Best of all, a Listen EVERYWHERE system can accommodate up to 1,000 simultaneous listeners at once. All you have to do is download the app, connect to the venue’s network, and choose your channel. It’s that simple.
Running a sports bar, a restaurant with TVs, or a student union with multiple audio sources? You’ll want to run a system centered around the LW-200P server. Why? Because this server allows a user to listen to any TV or audio source in your space directly from their smart device. This means that a patron can choose to listen to the Sunday Night Football broadcast, the news, or any TV at their own volume. An LW-200P server is also a cinch for multi-language interpretation.
For assistive listening applications where there’s a single audio source, an LW-100P-02 server is the best bet. It’s a 2-channel Wi-Fi audio streaming server for assistive listening over Wi-Fi. Users with iOS and Android smart devices will easily access your sound for assistive listening in houses of worship, theaters, and sports venues.
Includes the fully customizable Listen EVERYWHERE app
Listen EVERYWHERE also offers a totally unique feature to compliment your system—the Listen EVERYWHERE app. The app allows you to craft a thoughtful and one-of-a-kind experience for your guests. Add text banners for content updates, promotional banners to inform customers of special deals, a welcome video, or any other custom content you dream up. Plus, the app allows you to create custom labels for channels. And since everything goes through the user’s smart device, they can use their own headphones or stream the audio directly to any Bluetooth-enabled hearing device.
Listen EVERYWHERE systems at a glance:
- Simple design delivers audio over Wi-Fi
- Free Listen EVERYWHERE app lets you customize your guests’ experience
- Accommodates up to 1,000 simultaneous listeners
- LW-100p-02 server broadcasts 2 mono and 1 stereo channel
- LW-200P servers provide up to 16 mono or 8 stereo channels
ListenTALK
Mobile systems made easy
Not every group or organization has the luxury of installing a permanent assistive listening system. So how can you ensure that everyone hears you when you’re on the move? Simple: a Listen Technologies ListenTALK system. This line features totally wireless transceivers, making them perfect for group communication, leisure tours at museums, factory trainings, and just about any application you can imagine. And you don’t have to dedicate space for a permanent installation! Here at Sweetwater, we even use similar systems to conduct campus tours for guests!
Using and maintaining a ListenTALK system is a piece of cake. The wireless transceivers pair in seconds and deliver a clear sound. When someone in the group wishes to speak up, all they have to do is press the button and go! Meanwhile, multiple layer security protocol eliminates dropouts and enables a range up to 200m. These lightweight devices come equipped with a standard 3.5mm headset jack with five headset options to choose from. And when you’re done using them, ListenTALK transceivers store and charge in a docking station, so they’re ready to go at a moment’s notice.
ListenTALK systems at a glance:
- Wireless transceivers transmit and receive sound for 2-way communication
- Optional receiver units simplify a listening-only experience
- Standard 3.5mm headset jacks and five headset options for applications ranging from museums to noisy manufacturing centers
- Low-profile docking stations store the transceivers and keep them charged
- Lanyards, cable management, disinfectant wipes, and other accessories are available.
Listen Technologies Has a Solution for Everyone!
Whether you’re in need of a system for real-time translation, assisted listening, group tours, or anything in between, Listen Technologies has a solution to fit your unique needs and bring your system to full ADA compliance. And once you add a Listen Technologies assisted listening system to your setup, you’ll never look back! Visit Listen Technologies and use their System Configuration Tool to help you get started. Need a bit more advice? Make sure to give Sweetwater a call at (800) 222-4700. Your Sales Engineer will be happy to walk you through the specifics.