The Sonido portable amplifier is designed to help you hear conversations and other sounds (like the TV) more clearly. Simply point the Sonido in the direction you want to listen and it will amplify the sound you want to hear and reduce the background noise from everywhere else.
You will need to choose from a neckloop, headphones, stethoset or ear hooks to make the unit complete. See accessories below.
The Sonido is an excellent value listener as it gives you digital quality sounds (similar to that used in digital hearing aids), but at the fraction of the price of other digital listeners. We helped influence the design of this product so we know it's great for people with hearing loss.
The tone control function allows you to adjust the bass and treble of the sound. This is useful because you can tailor it to suit your particular hearing loss.
Do you have a hearing aid or not?
If you wear a hearing aid then you will need to purchase a neckloop or earhook from the accessories listed below. These plug into the Sonido and transfer the sound to your hearing aid - a bit like headphones. You will need to switch your hearing aid to the T setting to hear anything, though. Check with your audiologist if you don't know if your hearing aid has a T setting.
If you don't have a hearing aid you need to plug in a pair of headphones or stethosets to hear the amplified sound. These can be purchased from the selection of accessories below.
Listening to the TV
The Sonido comes with an extra microphone on a 5m long lead. This can be placed next to the TV to help you hear more clearly. The sound is sent straight to your ears and cuts out background noise. However, if you press the 'mic' button you will hear the TV and any other sounds in the room, while the button is pressed. When you release the Mic button, you will return to the plug-in sound. This is useful if you want to speak to someone while watching TV, or if you don't want to miss the phone or doorbell ringing. For the very best TV sound you can even buy a TV kit (see accessories below) which plugs directly into the TV.
- Excellent for people who have trouble holding small things - it has an easy grip rubberised coating and a large, raised soft-touch buttons.
- 5m long external microphone (included) allows you to amplify sounds direct from other sources, such as TV, radio or MP3 player.
- Volume and tone control - useful for tailoring the bass and treble to your hearing loss
- 150 hours' battery life - almost double that of most other listeners
- Hinged battery cover for easy access
- Battery status light
- Clear LEDs show volume and tone
- To protect your hearing, Sonido automatically switches to a lower volume setting when turned on
- You can set the volume at different levels for each ear via a button in the battery compartment
- T setting that even allows people who don't wear hearing aids to benefit from induction loops or test they are working