Hearing loss makes watching TV pretty complicated. Even turning the volume to maximum doesn’t really help, because although the person will hear the audio better, those with no hearing problems will be pretty annoyed with the loud noise. 

So, the first thing to do if you notice some hearing problems is to visit your audiologist. In the meantime, check these tips and recommendations on how to improve the TV sound for people with impaired hearing.

Basic Tips 

Here are the most basic things you can do to improve your TV watching experience.

Activate “Closed Captions”

Perhaps the easiest thing to do instantly is to find and activate the “Closed captions” feature on your TV. By doing this you will be able to read the dialogues on the screen.

At the same time, you can use this function if you must watch your TV on “mute” either because you don’t want to disturb the others in your house or there are too many people talking and you can’t hear anything.

Check the TV Audio Settings

Another thing to do to improve your audio on TV is to find the setting on your TV specially designed for people with hearing problems. Just enter the TV settings and find the options that can enhance dialogue. 

Check whether your TV has the so-called User mode. Such modes let you play with the equalizer so lowering the bass and mid-range, while boosting the higher frequencies may make you hear the TV audio much better.

Are there any gadgets that may help?

Here is a short list of gadgets designed to make your listening experience much better and help people that have hearing problems. The gadgets are ordered from the most affordable to the most expensive.

Hearing Aids

Even the most basic hearing aid can improve your listening experience. On the other hand, most modern hearing aids come with many options and features. Therefore, it is important to speak to your audiologist about the best settings to choose when watching TV. Another good thing is that most hearing aids have the option to adjust the volume either on the device itself or using a remote so finding the volume level that works best for you is not a problem. By doing this you won’t annoy the people around you with the loud sound coming from the TV.

Wireless Streaming Devices

In case you have some hearing problems, you will be able to hear your TV better with the help of hearing aids. However, sometimes they are simply not enough to make you hear crisp and clear sound. This is the situation when wireless hearing aid accessories help your hearing aids reach their full potential. 

People wearing hearing aids need to know that there are several available options to connect them directly to the TV.  One example are wireless streaming devices. They act like transmitters attached to the TV and they send signals to the hearing aids directly. Just like any other wireless device they have different ranges and portability. If you decide to buy it it’s important to check if there are any compatibility issues with your current hearing aid.

Loop Systems

In case you already use some hearing aids then a recommended option is a loop system. It is practically a magnetic field installed in the room (this is a so-called loop) or is placed in a neckloop the person should wear around its neck. This loop or neckloop can be connected to the audio output of the TV or receive sound from the TV speakers directly. Then it sends electromagnetic signals that can be received by most hearing aids. 

The advantage of this system is that several people can use it at the same time if they have a receiver in their hearing aids. This system also promises good signal reception no matter where the person is in the room.

Today people prefer installing loop systems if they need it, mainly because in that case they don’t have to wear the neckloop.

Wireless Headphones for TV

Wireless TV headphones are designed to make the TV audio better and the TV volume clearer and more comfortable. They especially do a good job eliminating the surrounding sounds making the TV listening even better. 

These headphones generally have two parts, a headphone receiver and a transmitter base connected to the TV. This allows the user to adjust the volume independently which is excellent if you are watching TV with someone else. 

Sound Bar Speaker

This solution is a bit simpler than the next one. A soundbar will drastically improve your listening experience. Some of them can be described as TV speakers for those with hearing problems because these speakers even have special integrated voice-enhancement technologies. A great example is the AccuVoice AV157 TV Speaker that comes with even 12 levels of voice boost. 

Home Theater System (Vocal Clarity Device)

The sound clarity can be drastically improved with a home theater system. The installation and setup are pretty easy and straightforward, all you need to do is to connect everything and activate it. We assure you that your TV watching experience will be much better. 

As you can see here there are several very good options to improve the TV audio for those who have hearing problems. Therefore, there is no need to turn up the volume more and more, but instead just go through the recommendations and choose the one that suits you best.