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House of Worship Solutions

The spoken word – the message – is the most fundamental element of a worship service. Support your congregation by offering hearing assistance, so the message reaches everyone. 

Nearly 15%* of Americans ages 18 and over report some degree of hearing loss, and that increases to about 33%* in older adults. Even for those without hearing loss, intelligibility can be adversely affected by distance, ambient noise, and poor room acoustics. Members of your congregation deserve the chance to fully experience the service, be they hard of hearing or not. 

*via National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

Create Accessible Experiences

The primary message in a worship service is delivered in the form of sound. An assistive listening system ensures every individual can fully experience the service and connect with your message. 

Include Everyone

Assistive listening systems can be used for those with hearing loss and for language interpretation.

Crystal Clear Sound

Transmits audio directly from the source to the listener's ear without amplifying ambient noise.

Simple Solutions

Easy-to-use solutions means more time spent with members of your congregation and less time spent managing and maintaining a system.

Assistive Listening for Your House of Worship

An assistive listening system benefits your house of worship in many ways. Be it regulatory compliance, serving the membership, increasing inclusivity, or expanding your reach, an assistive listening system allows the message to be heard by all. 

  • Audio Source
  • Broadcast
  • Connect
  • Promote

An Assistive Listening System transmits audio directly from the source to the listener's ear without amplifying ambient noise.

In practice, a wireless Assistive Listening System (ALS) transmits your venue’s audio to one or more receivers, sending the audio directly to the users’ earbuds, headphones, hearing aids, or cochlear implants – without amplifying ambient noise.  This provides a vastly improved experience for those needing, or desiring, hearing assistance.

The first element of any ALS is the audio source.  Be it a presenter’s microphone, a sound system mixer, or an integrated A/V system, your audio source can easily be connected to an Assistive Listening System to broadcast your service to multiple users simultaneously.

Assistive listening systems use radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), or Wi-Fi technology to transmit audio from the source to the listener.

RF systems transmit the audio much like an FM radio station. Each user, equipped with a compact portable receiver and personal listening device (e.g. earbuds, headphones, telecoil neck loop), can hear the direct audio signal. 

IR systems broadcast the audio via infrared light radiators. Best for indoor applications, listeners (with IR receivers) must be within line-of-sight of a radiator. The line-of-sight requirement provides security and/or privacy be ensuring only those within the room can access the audio. 

Wi-Fi technologies use your existing Wi-Fi network to stream one or many audio channels to listeners' personal smartphones via a customizable app. If desired, the audio can be encrypted to achieve the same security as an IR system but with the reach of an RF system. 

Whether for assistive listening, language interpretation, or both, the receiver is the human interface - the connection - to any wireless listening system. Each listener uses a portable receiver to pick up the wireless audio, connect a personal listening device, and adjust the volume to their liking. 

Listen Technologies offers personal receivers for all our ALS platforms. Our receivers provide superior audio quality and proven reliability in a compact, easy-to-use form factor. With our wide range of listening devices - earbuds, headphones, and ear speakers - users have many options for comfort and fit. Also, Listen's personal neck-loops can be used with any of our receivers for listeners using telecoil-equipped hearing aids or cochlear implants. 

Once your Assistive Listening System is in place, Listen can help you make sure your members and guests are aware of its availability. 

Listen Technologies offers ALS signage plaques and window stickers in English and multi-language versions. Free digital signage downloads are also available, suitable for both print and web applications. We even provide sample website text you can customize to promote your venue's accessibility and inclusiveness.

Listen can also direct you to the Assistive Listening Device Locator, a listening service of ALS-providing facilities, where you can request a free listing to have your venue included in the locator.

House of Worship eBook

Download our Assistive Listening for Your House of Worship eBook, a guide to understanding what technologies exist and which is right for you and your needs.

Simple Solutions

It can be difficult to find an assistive listening technology that’s simple, reliable, and works for everyone. Houses of worship around the world have been using our solutions to include and engage their congregants for over 25 years. 

Flexible Technology for Houses of Worship

ListenRF

Radio frequency (RF) systems are essentially the same as an FM radio. An RF transmitter, with an antenna, broadcasts the audio signal. Since RF signals can penetrate most walls, the antenna is often mounted to the transmitter (can also be remotely positioned). Each uses a portable receiver and headset, earbuds, hearing aid or cochlear implant to hear the audio. The user can move about freely with no reception loss or dropouts. There are three ListenRF receiver models. 

ListenIR

An infrared (IR) assistive listening system operates much like an RF system, except the signal is transmitted via infrared light. An IR transmitter is connected to one or more infrared radiators that emit the infrared signal into the room. Radiators must be positioned in the coverage space since IR does not penetrate walls, floors, or ceilings, and only IR receivers within the room can receive the audio. Listen offers two of the most advanced IR receiver models available. 

Listen EVERYWHERE

Wi-Fi technology offers a new platform for wireless audio delivery and allows venues to use their existing network. Providing one or more audio channels to a network audio interface lets the interface and Wi-Fi network function as the transmission system, broadcasting to Wi-Fi audio receivers and/or personal BYOD smartphones. 

ListenTALK

A truly portable, and highly versatile, communication system suitable for a variety of one-way and two-way applications. ListenTALK uses DECT wireless protocol that provides a broadcast range of up to 200 meters (over 650 feet). The LK-1 transceiver (meaning it transmits and receives audio), and the LK-11 and LK-12 which are receivers (listen-only) are available. All three units employ secure 64-bit encryption, are powered by long-life Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, and include a belt clip and lanyard. The ability to mix and match units, along with a complete line of ListenTALK accessories, makes it easy to create the right portable solution for your needs. 

Case Studies
Boulevard Baptist Church exterior

Walnut Street Baptist Church

Walnut Street Baptist Church

Walnut Street Baptist Church, a small community church located in Newark, New Jersey, with a congregation of about 300 members uses ListenRF for interpretation during services. The congregation is primarily Brazilian-born immigrants that speak Portuguese.

Full Case Study

Gwanpyeong Church 

Gwanpyeong Church

The Catholic Church in Gwanpyeong-dong, Daejeon, South Korea, was built in November 2018. Its exterior mirrors the deck of a ship, like Noah’s Ark sailing toward the sky. Its minimalist interior has tall stained-glass windows and is 91-feet long and 55-feet wide, with 26-foot-high ceilings. The church has approximately 2,800 members participating in worship services each week.

Full Case Study

Emanu-El Synagogue

Emanu-El Synagogue

San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El had its temple’s membership in mind with its installation of an assistive listening system from Listen Technologies. The synagogue had some assistive listening systems in place, but they weren’t compatible or effective for some members. 

Full Case Study

It's Easy to Get Started

1

Talk to us

Let us know how you plan to use an assistive listening system.

2

Get a Quote

We can design an assistive listening system unique to your house of worship.

3

Inspire

Touch the hearts of all of your congregants with your message.

Group product photo of our Radio Frequency product family.
Which technology is right for you?

Answer a few questions and we can suggest a solution.

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How can we help?

We would love to answer your questions, provide a detailed quote, or send you more information.

After the High Holy Days, we checked in with Judi to see how the Listen systems had worked – she said that there were several congregants for whom it made a huge difference, and she even got a letter from one who had been part of the congregation for decades, and said that this is the first time she’s been able to really hear the service. And it was an easy installation – we basically got the system configured and handed it over to them. Plug and play!
Patrick Waller Pro media/Ultra Sound, Project Lead
We had been looking for a language interpretation solution and Listen’s system solves multiple needs with one product.
Tim Blaum River Oaks Community Church, Technical Director
At the last deacons meeting, one of the older members stood up and told everyone about Listen EVERYWHERE. We didn’t have to broadcast it, didn’t have to market it. They just took over and ran with it. Word of mouth has taken over.
Bobby Rettew Boulevard Baptist Church, Deacon and Chair of Communications Committee