Magnetic loops at Gstaad MEnuhin Festival & academy

In collaboration with the Fondation Juchum, around 100 people with hearing impairments were invited to the Gstaad Menuhin Festival for the concerts of 13 and 25 August.
Together with FoRom écoute, who provided magnetic loops for hearing aids, the hearing-impaired were able to enjoy two concerts with enhanced hearing quality.

What are hearing loops?
The hearing loops enable hearing-impaired people who wear a hearing aid with the "T" function to sharpen their hearing.

It puts an end to the babble of voices and other unwanted noises. The magnetic loop helps to hear voices, music and other sounds clearly. They can be used at concerts, theatres, at conferences or even at a reception. At venues equipped with an induction loop, you receive the sounds directly into your hearing aid, clearly and without attenuation due to distance.

This is a copper wire (usually laid along the walls or integrated into the floor slab or ceiling of the location) that is closed into an induction loop and connected to an amplifier. The hearing-impaired person with their hearing aid must be inside or within the small outer radius of action of the induction loop for the system to work.

The magnetic loop picks up sound from the sound source (for example a speaker) and passes it directly to the hearing aid, which acts as a receiver. The hearing aid must be set to the T-position or to the pre-programmed position. This way, only the person speaking is perceived and the surrounding noise is suppressed. When the device is set to MT, the hearing aid microphone turns on and the ambient sounds are again perceived at the same level as the sound source from the magnetic loop.

This technology provided the invited guests with wonderful moments and an unforgettable concert experience. See for yourself: