Roy’s clever tech for hearing well in a convertible car

[Mary Beth]

Here is your topic @Roy

Thank you for sharing today at our GoogleMeet.  Post pics and links and descriptions!  Very cool!

@Joan

@Kylie

@Dave in Pittsburgh

@Lauren

@Dianna

@Ralph34

@Andrew42

@Kirk S.

@Heather W

@Theo

@Anne N

@AlexExpo

[Roy]

I'll do this in a series of posts. If I run out of file space, at least you can see something while I'm getting some more photo storage.

Here's the system, connected and laid out:

Two headworn mics are upper left. Moving right, next is the connection to an iPhone (not shown 'cause it's taking the photo), and then the wired output to the AudioLink. The mixer is powered by a USB cord in its right side, coming from a car lighter socket adaptor. The AudioLink is also powered from the same adapter. At the lower left is a cheapie pair of earbuds plugged into the headphone jack, for a normal-hearing companion. My wife is currently on the road with her Bose noise-cancelling earbuds, so I can't show them. But they plug into the same jack.

[Roy]

Here's the system in the car. The AudioLink is held by the rear windscreen. It could easily be attached to the seat headrest, clipped on the seatbelt or worn around the neck. The iPhone can be attached to an air vent on the dashboard with one of the gizmos available online, where it functions as navigation system and entertainment source. An iPad (with cellular) might be even better, and it wouldn't need that stupid Apple 3.5mm to lightning adaptor!

[Roy]

One of the mics.

[Roy]

The back of the mixer, with the magnetic plate attached with adhesive.

The magnetic holder attached to the mixer, with the plastic glob that holds it in the car's console.

[Roy]

[Cleaning up double posts...]

[Roy]

[Another double post; just cleaning things up.]

[Roy]

All this stuff came from Amazon, and here are the links:

Maker Hart mixer: https://www.amazon.com/Maker-Hart-Just-Mixer-Microphone/dp/B079DGL422/ref=sr_1_4?crid=7HK2J3SRZS4V&keywords=hart+mini+mixer&qid=1679764575&s=musical-instruments&sprefix=hart+mini+mixer%2Cmi%2C70&sr=1-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

Headworn mics: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D49N8C4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB adaptor for car: https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Ainope-Aluminum-Charging-Compatible/dp/B0795DJXNH/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=car+usb+port&qid=1679764662&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A1SA9DRPFVI8H3&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExVUpHSU9PWDZSTjJGJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTI2NTM1M0dYSkRVNllURFRKUSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjgzNjY2MU1RU0IzS0xZSElPTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Moldable plastic goop: https://www.amazon.com/InstaMorph-Moldable-Plastic-6-oz/dp/B004MFLU4Y/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3CG2DXB49S6DE&keywords=meltable+plastic+pellets&qid=1679765304&sprefix=meltable+plas%2Caps%2C91&sr=8-5

The cords, earbuds and other stuff are pretty generic, but if anyone would like more links to those things I'll be happy to provide them. 

[Mary Beth]

Thank you Roy for taking the time to post all of this for us.  It’s a ingenious system!

[Roy]

My pleasure.

I'll be very interested to hear of anyone else putting one of these things together, especially if they find ways to improve it!

[Mary Beth]

@Roy

I would think that this set up minus the headphone for the acoustic person could be used by anyone of us with a CI who has difficulty hearing their friend/family member in the car. (Not reserved solely for convertibles… smile)

[Roy]

Very true. But you can gain a lot of that advantage by simply clipping the AudioLink to your companion and listening through its mic. Which we do for short hops.

But what you don’t get with that is a sense of your own voice, which you only hear through the AudioLink at a distance. So - you tend to speak too loudly. And at 80mph, way too loudly.  With my own headworn mic connected to the mixer I hear my own voice the same way my companion hears it. 

But, alas, if my poor companion is afflicted with normal hearing (😈) she can only hear my dulcet tones 🪗 with noise canceling headphones or earbuds…

[Joan]

@Roy very ingenious!