Winning in background noise & tricky places
Practical ways to get more out of your aids in the situations people find hardest.
Practical ways to get more out of your aids in the situations people find hardest.
Choose quieter times, ask for a booth or a corner, sit with your back to the room and the noise behind you. Research shows that restaurant noise above 50 decibels makes conversation very difficult for people with hearing loss. Arriving before the rush makes a real difference. Many modern aids have a restaurant programme; ask us to set one up.
Turn on subtitles (press S or 888 on your remote — all UK regulated channels are required to provide them). Streaming TV sound straight into your aids via Bluetooth or a TV streamer is far clearer than turning the volume up for everyone else.
Pair your aids with your phone so calls play in both ears. If a call is hard, Relay UK is a free service where a trained assistant types what the caller says in real time — download the app and dial as normal. iPhone 11 and later have built-in Live Captions for calls.
Sit where you can see everyone's faces. A remote microphone clipped to the main speaker sends their voice directly to your aids, improving clarity by 10 to 20 decibels compared to your aids alone. Ask us about remote microphone options.
Look for the ear-with-T symbol and switch your aids to T (telecoil) mode. The hearing loop transmits sound directly to your aids. Under the Equality Act 2010, many venues are legally required to provide this. If you cannot see the symbol, it is worth asking at the desk.
Wind noise is one of the hardest challenges for hearing aids. Many modern aids have wind noise reduction; if yours whistles or sounds harsh outdoors, ask us to check whether this programme is enabled or needs adjusting.
Not sure if you need to see someone? See when to come back to us →
Book a follow-up to fine-tune your aids, or have a chat with our hearing assistant any time.