For anyone who is hard of hearing, enjoying TV has always been a lonely activity. Either you watch TV with your family, not being able to hear what they’re hearing, or you watch TV alone. That’s because there’s been one major problem with pairing a TV to wireless headphones: all the sound either goes to the primary speaker system, or to wireless headphones. Never both.
That is until now. AudioRange has a set of wireless TV headphones that a hard-of-hearing listener full control of their own listening experience, while everyone else in the room continues to hear the TV through the regular speaker system. It’s such a simple concept that it’s a little wild it hasn’t been done before.
Hearing loss affects over 1 billion people around the world. So it’s about time there’s a solution for hearing impaired individuals to enjoy TV with their loved ones.
AudioRange OTE-1000 Wireless TV Headphones
The flagship AudioRange product is the OTE-1000, which look like a standard set of wireless headphones, but with some unique features.
The OTE-1000 works with any hearing aids, they require no fussy pairing with bluetooth or a phone, and the battery lasts up to 8 hours of continuous use. When you’re not using them, they recharge via a magnetic headphone stand.
To connect to your TV, you simply use one of the audio outputs of your TV, and AudioRange claims it will work with any TV going back to the 90s. And that means no matter what you’re watching, whether it’s cable, streaming platforms, or a DVD or Bluray, you’ll be able to use the AudioRange headphones.
The OTE-1000 also boasts a greater range than most wireless headphones, reaching up to 100 feet, even through walls, doors, and ceilings. So you can keep your headphones on and continue to listen to a show, even when you get up to grab a snack.
You can manually adjust the volume in your headphones, so you can pick what works for you, without changing the volume on the TV. And one cool bonus is the OTE-1000 is designed to be lighter than most wireless headphones, so they can remain comfortable even for long Netflix binge sessions.
Finally, there is no lip sync delay with this pair of headphones. If you’ve ever watched a video with even the slightest audio lag, it’s brutal. So thankfully you won’t have to worry about lip sync delay ruining the TV or movie experience.
AudioRange ITE-1000 is a More Advanced Wireless Listening System
The other headphone in the AudioRange lineup is the ITE-1000, which has a different form factor as well as some extra features that the OTE-1000 doesn’t have.
First, the ITE-1000 is an in-ear headphone, and it comes with multiple tips for you to adjust what works best for your ears. Everyone’s ears are different, so it’s important to use the tip that fits your specific ears. Also, the in-ear form factor means it’s also considerably lighter and more comfortable for long listening sessions. That is, if you enjoy the in-ear fit more than over-the-ear headphones.
But the most significant difference with the ITE-1000 is it has a built-in microphone. So at any point while you’re wearing the headset, if you want to hear what’s happening around you, what others are saying, you simply press the button and it broadcasts the sounds to you at the volume that you’ve selected. This is a really nice way to ensure you don’t feel isolated as you and your family are enjoying TV together.
Of course the ITE-1000 also works with your hearing aids, so you don’t have to remove anything. The headphones simply act as an additional hearing aid that lets you tune into what others are saying around you, in addition to the sounds from the TV. You can adjust the volume of the voice mic, independent from the volume of the TV show you’re watching.
The ITE-1000 boasts the same 100 ft range and 8+ hour battery life as the OTE-1000, as well as the easy installation process and rechargeable headphone stand.
For the price, either of these headphones are worth picking up and giving a try. They may completely change how you and your family watch TV together.
Or maybe you like to watch TV alone, but would rather skip the painful pairing/unpairing process for most bluetooth headphones? Either way, we can be thankful that AudioRange exists to solve this seemingly simple problem for anyone who is hard of hearing.
