A Methodist church in Chippenham has become the latest to install a working Auracast system.
Places of worship are key use cases for the new Bluetooth LE Audio technology, as many already have assistive listening systems. They are also community hubs, often used throughout the week by church groups and outside hires.
Being able to offer amplification for all is a must. Existing systems are not without their faults, especially if the person operating the AV system is unsure as to how they work or how to test them. With Auracast, it’s a case of putting on a pair of compatible headphones to quickly check if the sound is outputting as it should be.
Sheldon Road Methodist Church has opted to add Auracast to its sound system via a FlooGoo FMA121. We have previously called the first generation (the FMA120) a wonder device: a small USB-powered device, it is unobstrusive and incredibly portable as it remembers its settings. Its successor is just as impressive.
It is also incredible value, costing around £50 (FMA120 – Amazon UK affiliate link and FMA121 – Amazon UK affiliate link). However, it is just a transmitter (or receiver depending on the mode used), so it is only accessible via Auracast-enabled gadgets. Avantree has its own receiver unit in the form of the Venucast AuraClip that may work with the FlooGoo; we haven’t tried this, but if it does, it would solve this problem (Amazon UK affiliate link).
The church already has a Telecoil/hearing loop installed and has kept this running while adding the FlooGoo to the same sound output. As the building is used by other groups across the week, the AV desk is wheeled out when needed. This is an Allen and Heath digital desk that connects via Ethernet, plugged into a wall outlet.
Church member Terry Thring said he set up the FlooGoo FMA121 on his home computer, setting the sound output at 24kHz so it will work with all hearing aids – although it is now possible to offer 48kHz simultaneously.
“I have used it at church a couple of times and didn’t notice any delay (latency); the audio for spoken word is acceptable to me,” he told Aurahear. “I have Starkey Omega AI hearing aids and connecting is really easy through the app. I can adjust the volume of the hearing aid mics and the stream independently of each other and make my own mix of the two, or just listen to the Auracast.”
As the AV desk is wheeled into place, so is the FlooGoo: “Fitting takes a few seconds: I just used BluTack to stick it on the mixer,” Terry says.
At the moment, he is the only person in his congregation who has Auracast-enabled hearing aids … but he won’t be the last.
“Most private hearing aid users don’t have it, or they have NHS aids. A friend with a cochlear implant has been told it will probably be six or seven years before she can have Auracast.
“I have had conversations with someone who has the last model of Starkey aids before it introduced Auracast. He was going to go back to his audiologist to see if he can trade up to the Omega. In the meantime, I lent him a set of Auracast Aventree earbuds and a USB Auracast transmitter dongle (model C82) to see how he gets on.”
While Sheldon Road Methodist Church has a very simple Auracast installation, it is one that has made the world of difference for Terry, allowing him to enjoy services again.
He told the Bluetooth SIG Auracast page: “The sound quality is significantly better than relying on the microphones built into hearing aids, making speech during services much clearer and easier to understand.”
Aurahear in your inbox!
Leave a comment