Assistive Listening Neckloop with Breakaway Safety Release

A neckloop is the interface between an assistive listening system and a hearing aid fitted with a telecoil. The wearer puts the loop around their neck, switches the aid to the telecoil program, and receives the programme audio directly, without the room acoustics and without a headset that has to be cleaned between users. Venues that provide them tend to buy in batches and replace them regularly, so the two things that matter are that they work with the receivers already installed and that they survive being handled by the public.

Where they are used

• Theatres and concert halls issuing receivers at the door
• Houses of worship and lecture halls with a fixed assistive listening installation
• Courtrooms and council chambers where proceedings are amplified for participants
• Museums and visitor centres running guided audio for tours

The breakaway is not a garnish

A loop worn around the neck will get caught: on a chair back, on a lanyard, on the arm of a helper leaning across a row. A breakaway safety release at the neck lets the loop part under a modest pull instead of tightening, and it reconnects afterwards without tools. If you are specifying these for a public venue, treat the breakaway as a requirement rather than an option, and check that staff know how to re-seat it.

Comfort and hygiene

The loop is made from a soft touch TPE that stays flexible and can be wiped down between users, and it is light enough that most people stop noticing it after a few minutes. The cable length is short by design, long enough to reach a receiver clipped to a belt or held in a hand without slack that catches on things. Where a venue wants to run a personal headset alongside the loop, we can supply a version with a 3.5 mm tap so both can be driven from the same receiver.

Compatibility

The plug is a 3.5 mm connector and we build both three conductor and four conductor versions, because receivers from different makers wire the sleeve and ring differently. Ordering the wrong one gives you a loop that is silent on one channel or that only works when the plug is held at an angle. Tell us which receiver model you run and we will match the wiring, or supply both so the venue is covered.

What still needs confirming

Field strength, frequency response and the published performance standard for this type of loop come from competitor listings. They need bench measurement and a supplier datasheet before they appear in any specification or tender response, particularly where the venue has a documented accessibility requirement to meet.

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