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10 TV & Assistive Listening Devices

A Beginners Guide to Hearing Aid Direct Input

Many people who wear hearing aids every day are not aware that
they could plug their hearing aids into a headphone socket. The
sound quality is fantastic and it is particulary good for listening to
music. The method of connecting into a headphone socket is
referred to as ‘direct input’ and uses a ‘direct input’ lead and
hearing aid connection known as a ‘hearing aid direct input shoe’.
The majority of behind-the-ear hearing aids, including almost all those in the
current NHS range, have a direct input facility. We would suggest asking your audiologist if your
hearing aid has a direct input facility and if it has been activated. If your direct input is not turned
on, it will take your audiologist a matter of moments to activate the relevant program.
So how does hearing aid direct input work? As you will have noticed, your
hearing aid doesn’t have a socket on it to allow you to connect in a cable. This
is because the hearing aid would need to be larger to fit a socket plus ‘holes’
in the hearing aid itself would attract dirt, dust and condensation, none of
which are good for hearing aids. Instead, you use a ‘shoe’ as a connecting
interface between the hearing aid and the cable. The shoe clips onto the
bottom of your hearing aid and has a small three-pin socket on the
bottom which allows you to plug in a direct input lead. The direct
input lead can then be connected to your audio source (fmGenie,
iPod, MP3, tablet, CD player etc).
Shoes: Direct input shoes are specific to the make and model of each hearing aid so it’s important
to get the right one!
In section 2 of this catalogue, we have grouped the shoes alphabetically by manufacturer. To find
the correct shoe for your hearing aid; start by browsing through the section until you find the
shoes relating to your hearing aid manufacturer and then look through the blue headings to find
the correct model ‒ keep in mind that many hearing aid models have very similar names, but
require different shoes. For example, there are different shoes for the ‘Phonak Naída UP’ and the
‘Phonak Naída SP’. If in doubt, please contact us for assistance before ordering.
You will see from section 2 that hearing aid direct input shoes come in all shapes and
sizes, but what they all have in common is that they have a standard three-pin socket
on the bottom.
Direct input leads: There are several different types of direct input lead, depending upon
where and how they are to be used. The lead options are fully explained on pages 64 & 65,
however all these leads have the same three-pin europlug at one end. Cleverly each of these three
pins are a different size, meaning the lead will only plug into the shoe one way round, so you can’t connect it
incorrectly! We have leads available for people who have either one or two hearing instruments, in a variety of
different lengths and in black or white.
At the other end of the direct input lead is a standard 3.5mm plug ‒ this will fit almost all
headphone sockets. The leads are most popular for use with MP3 players and iPods, but they can
also be used with devices such as computers, tablets, digital voice recorders, DAB radios, metal
detectors...the list is endless!
If you want to connect to a product with a larger socket, you probably just need a simple adaptor
(try our handy headphone extension/conversion kit MX100321 see page 215)

Direct input shoes and personal stereo direct input

iPod & earphones iPod & DPV lead leads allow you to plug in anywhere that a pair of
headphones can go.

If you have a Baha or a cochlear implant you can still take

advantage of the benefits of direct input, you just need a
different lead.
See pages 64-65 for more information.
Should you need any more information on direct input or
audio shoes, the Connevans Customer Service Team will be
pleased to help.

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