December 29, 2009

ClearSound Neckloop Headset

I got a lot of exciting gifts for Christmas this year, including an Amplified Neckloop Headset by ClearSounds. This is a handy device that allows hearing aid users to use their cell phone hands free. The really cool thing about this model is that it will work for any phone type - cellphone and home phones!

The CLA7v2 kit comes with 4 different cables to handle both a 2.5mm and 3.5mm connections. There's a mono and stereo cable for the two connector types. It took a while to figure out which one would work with my LG Vx8360, but after a couple of tries I discovered that my phone uses a 2.5mm stereo cable!

I did a quick test of the Neckloop this morning and it worked great! The sound was very clear and the caller said that my voice was also clear. I was able to answer the phone very quickly and didn't encounter any problems using the new Neckloop. It was a little weird to hear the conversation in both ears.

This is supposed to also work with iPods too, but I haven't tested that yet. However, since the Neckloop needs two AAA batteries to opperate, I am not sure I would be using this for my iPod on a regular bases. I can see this being handy for traveling since I can use one device for multiple sources.

I would highly recommended getting the Amplified Neckloop Headset. ClearSounds has a Bluetooth model, but its more expensive and will only work with Bluetooth devices. This means you can't use it on home phones or with an iPod. The CLA7v2 model works great and very easy to set up.