I have hearing aids and I want to know what telephone headset is best for me?

Supraplus monaural, Encore monaural, and Supra monaural telephone headsets, the proper choice when hearing aid compatibility is required according to the Electronic Industries Association – (EIA) RS-504

Problem: I have hearing aids and I want to know what telephone headset is best for me?

Answer: First, we will briefly discuss the three types of hearing aids that you will be using with your telephone headset.  There is the behind-the-ear (BTE) type and it is supported by an ear hook.  The microphone is located at the apex of the ear and the receiver in the body produces the sound that travels through a tube into the ear.  BTE aids generally have a telecoil which can be connected in place of the microphone by manually activating a miniature switch on the aid.

In-the-ear (ITE) aids partially fill the bowl of the ear.  They generally incorporate a telecoil.  There is a tendency for the ITE aid to feed back, or howl, when the ear is covered by a telephone receiver, although some of the new phones are compensating for that.  The feedback is generally avoided when the telecoil pick-up is used.

Finally you have canal aids.  They are small and fit predominantly within the ear canal, so are the most discreet when worn.  Canal aids have not previously contained telecoils since the switch is not easily to manipulate.

So, what telephone headsets does Plantronics recommend for use with hearing aids?  The SupraPlus monaural, Encore monaural and Supra monaural telephone headsets are the proper headset choices when hearing aid compatibility is required since these headsets meet the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) RS-504 recommended standard for hearing aid compatibility and are compatible with BTE aids, ITE aids and canal aids (if they have telecoils).  The Tristar and Mirage telephone headsets are not compatible with BTE style hearing aids due to interference with behind-the-ear placement of the headsets and they have insufficient magnetic flux output to meet EIA 504.

Of course, you will need to make sure your headset is compatible with your telephone.  For that, you can contact the telephone headset experts at Headsets Direct (800-914-7996) and they will help you get the most out of hands free communication.