NAL
AuracastTM – a first for hearing aids
Published: March 2024
Improving accessibility to public space audio – the first improvement in 80 years!
Photo top of page: GN Group CEO hears the difference between AuracastTM and traditional loop system
Following World Hearing Day on 3 March, National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) has hosted an exclusive live listening demonstration for a new BluetoothR broadcast audio solution called AuracastTM.
If the demonstration is anything to go by, it could offer up a whole new world of audio experiences for people with hearing loss. And clients with AuracastTM enabled hearing aids may be the first to benefit from the new technology.
What does this mean for people with hearing loss?
For clients with AuracastTM enabled hearing aids, such as ReSound Nexia, this allows them to directly stream audio from the intended transmitter, bypassing ambient noise. Considering the introduction of this technology is the first big thing since 1938 when Telecoil arrived, the improvement in sound broadcasting is likely to be a game changer.
Commenting on the demo, Brent Edwards NAL Director said: “Auracast presents a big step forward in accessibility for people with hearing difficulty. Loop systems have enabled people with t-coil hearing aids to hear audio in public spaces, and Auracast improves on the sound quality, convenience, security and affordability.”
Leaders responded with awe to NAL’s live demonstration. Each leader had an opportunity to try AuracastTM and the reaction was the same. “Wow”!
Peter Karlströmer, GN Group CEO said: “I am sure Auracast will soon become a standard in public spaces.”
Padraig Kitterick, NAL Head of Audiological Science said he’d “never heard hearing aids sound so good.”
Complementing the demonstration, NAL has also conducted the first study on AuracastTM in hearing technology. The findings will compare the experience of hearing various sounds (e.g. speech and music) with hearing aids via a sound field, Telecoil and AuracastTM (using GN’s TV-Streamer+) in an attempt to understand clients’ hearing experience in everyday listening environments.
The era of Telecoil/Loop Systems since 1938 has provided significant benefits in public venues, from theatres to transportation hubs. However, the future beckons with Auracast™ broadcast audio, promising an inclusive, enhanced listening environment for all. We envision a future where every public place adopts AuracastTM.
Attended by global leaders of GN, along with senior NAL and Hearing Australia leaders as part of a broader showcase of NAL research and innovation in hearing health technology, the demonstration of BluetoothR AuracastTM highlighted the role of innovation in sound broadcasting. It also gave leaders an insight into the potential of the technology to advance accessibility and quality of sound broadcasting for people with hearing loss.
