ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE INSTALLS STATE-OF-THE-ART
HEARING LOOP SYSTEM
(SARASOTA, September 6, 2016) — In order to ensure the best possible theatrical experience for all of its patrons, Asolo Rep has installed a state-of-the-art hearing loop system throughout its 500-seat Mertz Theatre, located in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts. This system will significantly improve the sound quality for patrons with hearing loss.
According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, a hearing loop is a wire that circles a room and is connected to a sound system. The loop transmits the sound electromagnetically, and the signal is then picked up by the telecoil in the hearing aid or cochlear implant. A telecoil is a small copper coil that is an option in most hearing aids and is built into cochlear implant processors, and functions as a wireless antenna that links to the sound system and delivers customized sound to the listener. To use a hearing loop, a patron will simply flip on the t-switch on the hearing aid or cochlear implant to activate the telecoil. If patrons’ hearing aids do not have a telecoil, they will need a headset plugged into a loop receiver to achieve the same effect. Asolo Rep will provide headsets for patrons who need them.
“It is truly exciting that we will now be able to guarantee superb sound quality for all of our audiences,” said Asolo Rep Managing Director Linda DiGabriele. “The hearing loop system will provide a much-needed service for patrons and immensely enhance their enjoyment of our productions.”
Asolo Repertory Theatre’s hearing loop system was made possible with gifts from Anonymous; Joel Fried; The Hearing Loss Association of America, Sarasota/Manatee; and The Edward K. Roberts Emerging Needs Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
