Hearing loops: what they are, how they work, installation and checks

What is a hearing loop?

A hearing loop (also called an induction loop) is a type of assistive listening system. According to NIDCD, the US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, it has four parts:

• A sound source: the venue's sound system, a microphone, or a TV at home.
• An amplifier: a dedicated amplifier that drives the loop.
• A thin cable: a cable that runs around the room or under the carpet. According to ASHA, the cable can run through the walls or the floor of the area.
• A receiver: a hearing aid or cochlear implant processor with a telecoil, or a portable receiver with headphones.

According to HLAA, the US Hearing Loss Association of America, the loop creates a “covered area” of any size, from a small ticket counter to a large hall.

How does a hearing loop work with a telecoil?

A telecoil (induction coil, or T-coil for short) is a small coil inside some hearing aids and cochlear implant processors. The sound passing through the loop creates a magnetic field, and the telecoil picks up the field and turns it back into sound inside the device. According to NIDCD, because the sound is picked up directly, it is clearer and has less competing background noise.

There is another advantage: the sound comes through your own hearing aid, so it passes through the settings that were fitted to your hearing. NIDCD notes that a portable receiver with headphones gives a similar benefit, but without this personal fitting.

To hear the loop, you switch the hearing aid to its telecoil program, sometimes called “T mode”. According to HLAA, it is worth asking for the telecoil to be activated at the fitting itself. Which Philips and Oticon models have a telecoil, according to the manufacturers' documents: Hearing aids with a telecoil.

What does G-Sound do in the field of hearing loops?

G-Sound works in hearing aid fitting and service. Its installation team is trained before it installs, and works across Israel by appointment. These are the services:

A loop for a service point or counter

For a till, a reception desk, a bank counter, an information point or the branches of a chain: a small loop for the area where the customer stands or sits. Planning and installation for service points and buildings

A perimeter loop for a synagogue or hall

For gabbaim, synagogue committees and hall managers: planning according to the building, the men's and women's sections, the seating areas and the existing sound system. A loop for a synagogue or hall

Portable kits for events

For a one-off event, or for a place without a permanent sound system. A portable system for an event

Checking an existing system

Already have a loop? We check whether hearing aids actually pick it up. Checking an existing system (in Hebrew)

Auracast alongside the loop

Bluetooth broadcasting for halls and public places, as an addition to the loop and not instead of it. Auracast for businesses (in Hebrew)

Why a hearing aid company?

A loop that is plugged in and switched on does not necessarily work for the people who need it. The problem only shows when someone with a hearing aid stands at the counter and hears nothing. That is why we start from the user's side:

• A trained installation team. The installers are trained before they install.
• We check after installation: a check with a measuring instrument and a listening check with a hearing aid in T mode, in the area where people stand or sit.
• We know the hearing aids themselves. G-Sound fits hearing aids, so we also know the device side: which models have a telecoil, and how a T program is set up.

How does it work?

1. A conversation. You tell us what kind of place it is, how many service points or seats there are, whether there is a sound system, and whether a loop has already been installed.
2. Planning according to the building. Where people sit, where the sound comes from, where the cable runs, and what to do about metal in the floor or the counter.
3. Installation by G-Sound's installation team.
4. Checking: a check with a measuring instrument and a listening check with a hearing aid in T mode.
5. A follow-up check. A system that worked on installation day can stop working without anyone noticing. A follow-up check can be arranged.

Where are hearing loops used?

According to HLAA and RNID (the UK charity for people with hearing loss), loops are installed in places such as these:

• Synagogues and houses of prayer, to hear the cantor, the sermon and the Torah reading through the sound system.
• Lecture halls, theatres and community centres.
• Counters and service points: clinic reception, a till, a bank, a ticket counter. A small loop next to the counter is used here.
• Classrooms and training rooms.
• Public transport and airports, for public-address announcements.
• At home, in front of the TV: according to NIDCD, a loop can also be connected to a TV. This is one way to hear the TV. Another is a TV adapter from the hearing aid's manufacturer. More: Hearing aids and watching TV.

Tips for users, such as where to sit in a synagogue and what to ask the gabbai, are in the guide Hearing aids in synagogue, lectures and events.

What does the user need to hear the loop?

• A hearing aid with a telecoil. Not every hearing aid has a telecoil. In some models it exists only in certain styles.
• An active T program. Sometimes it has to be set up at the fitting. Once it is set up, you switch to it with a button or in the app, depending on the model.
• Sitting inside the covered area. According to NIDCD, you need to be inside the loop or close to it.
• A loop that is switched on. According to HLAA, in some places you need to ask the staff to turn the system on.

No telecoil in your hearing aid? According to HLAA and NIDCD, some places lend a portable loop receiver with headphones.

How do you know a place has a hearing loop?

Look for the international symbol: an ear with the letter T. According to NIDCD and HLAA, this symbol marks a place where a loop is installed.

In Israel, regulation 18(g) of the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations, 5773-2013 refers to a service point with a loop installed: according to the regulation, a symbol is placed there showing that the service point is accessible with a hearing loop, and the sign carries the instruction “To use the hearing assistance system, switch your hearing aid to T mode” (our English rendering of the Hebrew wording).

No sign? Ask the staff, the gabbai or the hall management whether there is a loop and whether it is working.

What are the limits of a hearing loop?

• You only hear what goes into the microphone. The loop carries the sound source connected to it. Someone speaking far from the microphone, or a question from the audience without a microphone, will not be heard through it.
• Metal in the building. According to a maker of loop systems, steel and metal in the building can weaken the field unevenly and change the sound quality. A metal counter or panel can also weaken a counter loop, according to a loop maker. That is why planning is done according to the building itself.
• Interference. According to the same reviews, incorrect equipment connections can cause humming, and an amplifier that is not designed for a loop can distort the sound and cause radio interference.
• Maintenance. A loop that was installed and that nobody checks can stop working without anyone noticing. RNID recommends checking and maintaining a loop every 12 months. To check an existing system: Checking an existing system (in Hebrew).

What to check before installing a loop in a building: Hearing loops for synagogues and halls: what to check before installing.

What is the difference between a hearing loop, FM and infrared?

These are the three types of assistive listening systems for large spaces, according to NIDCD. The Israeli accessibility regulations also list them in their definition of a “hearing assistance system”.

• Hearing loop: a magnetic field inside the covered area. A hearing aid with a telecoil picks it up without an extra receiver.
• FM: radio transmission from the microphone to a receiver. According to NIDCD, it passes through walls, so neighbouring rooms sometimes need different channels.
• Infrared: transmission by light. According to NIDCD, it does not pass through walls, but it does not suit outdoor use or strong light.

FM and infrared systems use a receiver. People with a telecoil can connect a neck loop to it. HLAA also mentions Auracast, a Bluetooth broadcast technology found in some newer hearing aids, and recommends asking about it in addition to the telecoil. An explanation for venue owners: Auracast for businesses (in Hebrew).

What do the regulations in Israel say?

The Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations, 5773-2013, define a “hearing assistance system” and list within it an infrared system, an FM system and a hearing loop. Among other things, the regulations deal with service points (regulation 18), events (regulation 54) and religious services in a house of prayer (regulation 77).

A few examples, according to the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations, 5773-2013:

• At a service point, a hearing assistance system of the hearing-loop type is required, with an external microphone and an option to connect headphones. There is an exemption for a commercial service that is not a public authority and not a chain, when the area in which the service is given to the public is smaller than 150 square metres.
• In a house of prayer, a permanent hearing assistance system is required when there are more than 60 seats, or when the service is regularly given to at least 60 people. If the place has no permanent sound amplification, there is an exemption.

Who must do what, under which conditions and when, is set by the full text of the regulations. We do not interpret obligations here. For what applies to a specific place, contact a service accessibility consultant (in Hebrew: morshe negishut ha-sherut). The full text: the regulations on Nevo (Hebrew). A plain-language summary: When a hearing assistance system is required (in Hebrew).

Further reading

Hearing loops: what they are and how they work · Installation for service points, counters and buildings · Loops for synagogues and halls · Checking an existing system (in Hebrew) · When a hearing assistance system is required (in Hebrew) · Auracast for businesses (in Hebrew) · Services for institutions · Hearing aids with a telecoil · Hearing aids in synagogue, lectures and events

Sources

• HLAA — Hearing Loop Technology · checked 03.11.2026
• HLAA — Assistive Listening Systems · checked 03.11.2026
• NIDCD — Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders · checked 03.11.2026
• ASHA — Hearing Assistive Technology Systems (PDF) · checked 03.11.2026
• RNID — Providing a hearing loop in your venue or business · checked 03.11.2026
• Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations, 5773-2013 (text on Nevo, in Hebrew) · checked 03.11.2026
• Wikipedia — Audio induction loop (technical background) · checked 03.11.2026
• Ampetronic — Overspill loop (counter loop) · checked 03.11.2026

English version: 3 November 2026 · Written by the G-Sound editorial team. General information. It does not replace a check, medical advice or the advice of a service accessibility consultant. Whether a given model has a telecoil is checked against the manufacturer's documents.

More in English

Loop installationLoops for synagogues and hallsHearing aids with a telecoilServices for institutionsContact G-Sound