One of the many selling points of Auracast is that any company can create Auracasters – the devices that transmit the signal. This means that devices are available at all price points.
They come with varying levels of technology, but all share the same core offer: the ability to create a broadcast that anyone with an Auracast Assistant and a compatible hearing device can receive.
The advantage of the lower-cost boxes is that they enable smaller venues and groups to offer assistive listening devices for a fraction of the cost, while delivering incredible sound quality. And when some of these are volunteer-run groups that operate on a shoestring, every penny really does count.
Being able to offer assistive listening for a fraction of the price of a telecoil installation is a significant plus point for Auracast, highlighting why this technology is so important.
We often cite a group meeting, such as a local history society, as an example. The guest speaker could be wearing a simple Auracast microphone such as ReSound’s MultiMic+, and those who need assistance to hear can use it.
For larger groups, such as a place of worship, they may already have an AV desk in place and can add in a solution that works and doesn’t require a massive outlay for maximum benefit.
If a venue is upgrading from its existing telecoil, we recommend exploring professional-grade installations, such as the Auri or Bettear systems. This ensures backwards compatibility as their ‘pebbles’ allow users to connect their telecoil-enabled hearing aids.
However, for small venues or those that use portable AV setups, a small Auracast box is sufficient. We have experienced this ourselves by using a Homespot BA210 to create an Auracast at the church we attend.
This church meets in a school hall and uses an AV system that is wheeled out and plugged in each time it is needed. The room the church meets in doubles as a school assembly room, a gym, and a dining room, so the AV equipment needs to be out of sight when not in use; hence, it is on wheels.
The Homespot is a nifty little device which we struggled with in a home setting. However, it has excelled in this setting, delivering a strong signal that can be picked up around 20 meters from the AV unit. That means it can be heard in other parts of the building, only stopping when we leave it.
The sound quality is superb: it is loud, and clear. Users can adjust the volume level from their phone’s Auracast Assistant, and the latency is superb, so the speaker’s voice is transmitted in near real-time to the point that lip readers will not be struggling.
We have tested the signal with both ReSound Vivia hearing aids and EARISMax headphones and can confirm that it works with both devices.
The Homespot doesn’t have a wealth of connections: you plug its cable into the back of the box, and it then connects to the AV unit. The rest of the sound desk remains unaffected, so the sound continues to emanate from the wall-mounted loudspeakers as normal. This means that the rest of the congregation doesn’t even know that the Auracaster is on.
We have been running the Auracast setup as a trial, so this has not been advertised as available to the church. If we were, there are several hearing aid users within the 80-strong congregation, and that means we would need to consider solutions such as buying some Auracast-enabled headphones or some FlooGoos and adapting them to become Auracast receivers that then use the host phone’s ASHA or Made For iPhone settings to transmit the sound to the hearing aids.
However, the Homespot is a simple solution that is elegant and doesn’t require a long installation time. Once it has undergone an initial setup, it simply requires plugging it into the AV system – a job that takes seconds. It is possible to password protect the Auracast to prevent unauthorised listeners.
The bottom line is that this is a cost-effective solution, priced at around £43 ($50 plus postage) on Amazon.com (note that it must be shipped from the US), which offers numerous benefits, although it does not feature a telecoil.
There are alternatives, such as the EARISMax TV streamer – a review of this is coming soon.
For small groups wanting to offer Auracast, this is a great investment and a simple solution.
