The EARISMax Auracast microphone aims to solve one of the biggest problems people face when needing help to hear: how to hear in situations where there is no sound desk to amplify what you want to hear?
That could be in a small group such as a book group, a pub quiz or a barn dance caller. It could be out with friends in a restaurant. It could be when in crowded environments and there is noise everywhere.
A small, discreet microphone can make all the difference when hearing the person you want to hear.
The EARISMax Auracast microphone from Humantechnik is a tiny, very simple box of tricks: not even an inch wide or two inches high. But it is very powerful.
A clip on the back means it can be attached to the lapel or top of the person you want to hear. It is simply a case of pushing the on switch, logging on via an Auracast Assistant, and away you go.
With just one button to press to turn it on, it is relatively foolproof.
On the side are volume controls, meaning the sound can be turned up or down.
There is also a switch to toggle the transmission output between 24kHz, and 48kHz transmissions. The latter will allow for the best sound quality but doesn’t work with hearing aids, which will fox some people the first time they try out Auracast. Simply, once the EARISMax Bluetooth Microphone is placed in the 48khz mode, it won’t show as an option for hearing aids. If you don’t know this, you could easily think the device is faulty.
It also has a Classic Bluetooth mode. Again, this could confuse some hearing aid users who are looking for the microphone in their Auracast Assistant rather than as a Bluetooth gadget paired to the phone and then outputting sound the traditional way.
First impressions of the EARISMax Bluetooth Microphone
The EARISMax Bluetooth Microphone is part of the same stable of products that include headphones, which we reviewed here. There is also a TV transmitter box, which we will review shortly.
Years ago, when people bought computer programmes on CDs or floppy discs, the boxes would be massively bigger than the contents. That memory was evoked when seeing the box for the EARISMax Bluetooth Microphone. Kind of.
This box was about the size of a credit card, and thicker than a doorstep sandwich; the box houses the microphone, charging cables and instructions. There is no plug, but that’s standard these days: the cable will plug into a phone charger.
This manual is fairly simple because the microphone is straightforward to operate. While multilingual, it is easy to follow and contains all the information needed to charge and turn on.
Small, light and clearly a quality item
The EARISMax Bluetooth Microphone’s size and weight will come as a surprise at first. Having an impressive amount of technology in something about the size of a button badge or a USB stick really does feel like something from The Jetsons – the future is clearly here.
The large EARISMax logo could be an issue for some, especially if used in a social setting, as it is very noticeable and a distraction. We tested the microphone at a garden centre and bumped into friends – they immediately asked what the box was, possibly thinking the round on/off switch was a camera, and this was a body cam rather than a microphone. This could lead to some awkward conversations from people not understanding the technology being used.
If a version two could be more discreet in this department, that would be beneficial.
However, this is unlikely to be as much of a problem if used in, say, a lecture hall.
The sound quality is good, but when in the wind, the microphone picked up the wind noise as well as the speech, making it less comfortable to listen to. This interference is an issue, but otherwise the sound is great.
We also tested the microphone in a restaurant which wasn’t too busy, with the nearest occupied table around 10 metres away from us. While we could clearly hear those on our table, we could also make out the ambient chatter. If the choice was the microphone or nothing, we would definitely use the microphone.
But if the budget can stretch to it, we felt the GN ReSound’s MultiMic+ offered a better experience: we took both microphones to the same garden centre in the same windy conditions, and also in the restaurant, and felt the MultiMic+ coped better with the background noise.
The range that the Auracast carries is impressive: The official range is 20 metres, but we exceeded that. We tested both indoors and outdoors. The Auracast signal could be heard in a different room and through several walls. Of course, this experience could vary depending on the thickness and construction of those walls.
Battery life is an impressive seven hours, which is almost a full working day. With a USB-C charging block, it can easily be given a top-up – handy if you have a full day of lectures ahead.
We didn’t have to install any special software to get the EARISMax Bluetooth Microphone to work; it just did, and that showcases the benefits of the technology.
This is an excellent solution for clubs, such as a Local History Society or Astronomy Club, wanting to amplify the voice of the guest speaker; no computer or even specialist software is needed, it is literally turn on and tune in. And being small, it can easily fit in a pocket, ready to be pressed into use at a moment’s notice.
With a retail price of around £120, it’s also an affordable entry point.
One caveat: like many similar devices this is Auracast only, and isn’t backwards compatible with Telecoils. The workaround involves adapting a FlooGoo to act as a receiver and connect to the mobile phone, provided the hearing aid supports Bluetooth pairing with the phone in use.
Final thoughts about the EARISMax Bluetooth Microphone
This is a nice piece of kit. It feels sturdy, it looks nice, and it is incredibly straightforward to operate.
The price makes it entry-level, and that’s a good thing, as it will encourage small groups to invest a little and suddenly make their club more accessible.
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