There are some experiences in life that you remember vividly: weddings, major news events, getting the keys to your first house, the birth of a child, and hearing an Auracast for the first time.
Tracy Bathurst is the Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Listen Technologies and Ampetronic. With more than 25 years of experience in the audio-visual industry, he has been leading the firm’s product development, management, and innovation, including Auri, its Auracast-based system.
The company was the first to bring a solution to the market in January 2025 and has been instrumental in high-profile installations such as the Sydney Opera House, St Paul’s Cathedral, and Bristol Temple Meads railway station. But its Auri transmitters can also be found in theatres, cruise ships, churches, universities, tourist attractions and cinemas across the world.
“I was there at the St Paul’s Cathedral demonstration event last year,” Tracy says. “My first impression was of the quality of the audio. I had expectations of what the technology would deliver, and it didn’t disappoint – a real pleasure to listen to. The quality was excellent. It was loud and clear and artefact-free.
“It was an experience that more than met what we had hoped and expected.”
That’s getting ahead of ourselves a little. Tracy has more than 25 years of experience in the audiovisual industry and joined Listen Technologies in 2011. The firm was founded in 1998 and has its headquarters in Utah. It has been at the forefront of assistive listening solutions, helping people with hearing loss hear clearly in challenging environments. That includes hearing loops for Telecoils, infrared and Wi-Fi solutions and now Auracast.
“Listen Technologies and Ampetronic help people hear better through all different types of technology,” Tracy says of the product range. “We’ve looked at various technological solutions over the past 10 years, and it has to meet the needs of those who need assistive listening solutions.”
Auracast and the Bluetooth LE Audio standard have been in development for quite some time and have been working on it as a result: Tracy says it was a no-brainer for their team to explore the technology and how they could utilise it.
One of the first public demonstrations of Auracast was at the CES event held in Las Vegas back in 2020, a moment Tracy says was exciting as Listen and Ampetronic had recognised the value of the new Bluetooth LE Audio technology and wanted to invest in it. That demo was also a step forward for companies seeking the specifications to build an Auracast ecosystem with transmitters and receivers, helping us accelerate the development of the system we now know as Auri.
This process ensured the sound experience was robust and met all Auracast requirements, including transmitters that can deliver sound to headphones, hearing aids, Cochlear implants, ear buds, and devices without Auracast equipment. For the latter, they would borrow a receiver unit and plug in wired headphones or a portable neck loop that works with Telecoils in hearing aids.
Tracy says of the thoroughness: “We carried out a robust series of tests working to the Bluetooth SIG’s specifications. We had an internal group that set Auri up in different environments to test it, then we tested various scenarios. It is quite a great effort with lots of steps, and we continue to do so to ensure compatibility.”
Which brings us back to those early adopters: the venues that jumped on board with Auracast last year, to the benefit of their patrons. The success of those high-profile spaces means other venues have the confidence to install their own systems. Tracy says they are continuing to receive enquiries from many potential customers, from big venues to smaller settings such as churches.
“We are seeing a lot of interest from many diverse venues,” he says, adding that the flexibility of Auracast and the speed at which it can be installed is a key benefit – it can be as little as 45 minutes from an Auri engineer arriving to the setup being calibrated for use.
“We are continuing to modify our systems to make the setup easier, looking to reduce barriers and complexity in the installation,” Tracy says, adding that this will help smaller venues just as much as the bigger ones, and help get assistive listening solutions to boldly go into settings they have never been in before, such as public transport hubs such as airports and railway stations.
“That’s one of the great things about Auracast,” Tracy says. “It has the potential to work in so many types of venues, enhancing the experience for everyone.
“We have had people who have tried it and commented that they never knew it would be this good or have such clarity. It’s a real game-changer.”
While there has been swift uptake in places where assistive listening solutions have already existed, Tracy admits that with transportation hubs, “uptake has been a little slower,” partly because the installations are more complex. However, he adds, “things are moving in that direction, the trials at Bristol Temple Meads railway station are continuing, and we are focusing on how we can get the Auri system into other venues.
“There are lots of places where Auracast can make a huge impact. It will take some effort, but it will be well worth it in the end.”
It’s also fair to say that venues that have never had Auracast before may need some encouragement to install it, whether from sales reps, customers or champions.
“We need a multi-pronged approach,” Tracy says. “We need to ensure that people hear it and go ‘wow!’ For this, demo, demo, demo is a key part: people need to try this technology and experience it for themselves.
“We need education, and we need advocacy to get the messages out there. The bottom line is people will love it when the benefits are explained.”
Listen Technologies and Ampetronic are continuing to evolve the Auri product line, something Tracy says is a key focus for them.
“For us, our whole focus is on what the customer needs,” he continues. Among those updates is a simple one: releasing an Auri transmitter in a black box rather than white, so it blends in even more to the venues where it is being installed. More developments are on the way: “The customer feedback loop is essential to the evolution of Auracast,” he says.
But above all else, the more Auri installations take place worldwide, the quicker Auracast adoption will be. Tracy is committed to seeing the 2030 goal – where Auracast is commonplace everywhere.
“We’re pushing for greater adoption, along with the removal of barriers. The 2030 goal is achievable, if we can get there quicker, that’s great for everyone.”
For more on the Auri range or to arrange a demo, log on to: https://www.listentech.com/ or https://www.ampetronic.com/
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