ListenIR Provides a Superior Infrared Listening Experience

ListenRF and ListenWIFI transmit audio using radio waves, with signals that can facilitate exceptional reach and coverage with little concern for physical or structural obstacles. The listener can easily move about a venue, even down the hall and from room to room, while receiving constant audio without signal dropouts. That is a great approach for many, if not most, applications. Yet, other situations (e.g., courtrooms, medical facilities, classrooms) require, or prefer, private and secure audio with the signal limited to the confines of the room. The solution for this is infrared audio technology. Infrared, also called IR, transmits audio via infrared light. That light does not penetrate the room walls (nor floors and ceilings), so only those IR receivers in the room with line-of-sight visibility can receive the audio. ListenIR from Listen Technologies meets the needs when private or secure audio is required, and it does so with proprietary Listen-only, patented* IR technology to deliver the most advanced, powerful infrared audio systems available.

Let’s explore some of the many ListenIR advantages.

Transmitters and Radiators

An infrared audio system begins with a transmitter and one or more radiators. The transmitter modulates (converts) the venue’s audio signal into the appropriate frequency range, then that signal is sent to one or more infrared radiators installed in the intended coverage space. A radiator is the unit that emits the infrared signal into the room.

In many cases, just a single radiator is needed to provide complete coverage for IR receivers in the room. In some cases, the necessary radiator-to-receiver line-of-sight connection can be interrupted in large venues and/or rooms with columns or odd angles. In those situations, ListenIR systems allow for adding one or more “extension” radiators, assuring IR coverage throughout the room. Multiple radiators emitting the same signal, though, can still be problematic. Different cable lengths and variable physical positioning can create a situation where the IR radiators may be “blinking” at slightly different times, potentially causing signal cancellation and audio dropouts at the IR receivers. That is why Listen Technologies developed variable IR delay compensation. This signal-timing innovation makes ListenIR the first and only IR listening system with onboard delay compensation, assuring receivers get clear, time-aligned audio.

ListenIR systems can fully cover any venue, regardless of size or configuration.