TV Ears 10041 Original System (Black)
by TV Ears, Inc
|
List Price: Our Price: $59.99 You Save: $89.96 (60%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of TV Ears 10041 Original System (Black)
Customer Review: Brackets too flimsy
Summary: 3 Stars
The ear brackets are a bit week. After a few months, one of them bent, then, finally broke. The need to be strengthened.
The range is not that good. I have to be within 15' of the TV to get clear reception.
Once settled down & comfortable, & not moving, it works just fine. I prefer it over my hearing aid as the ear plugs block out background sound.
Customer Review: Exorbitant price.
Summary: 3 Stars
The manufacturer offers this on their web site for $140.00 (single headset.) Hearing aid stores charge the same.Customer Review: TV Ears 2.3 Mhz Purchased September 9, 2010
Summary: 2 Stars
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
TV Ears 2.3 Mhz, purchased September 9, 2010 @ Radio Shack. Date of this review is December 14, 2010.
I'll start out with the cons since there is a major problem with this product.
Cons:
1. The TV Ear headset is extremely uncomfortable when worn for a few hours daily. Having the weight of the headset suspended from the small ear buds (the manufacturer calls them "tips") in your ears can become very painful after a couple of hours. The 1st time I used them I lasted about 3 hours and my ears were really hurting. I removed them until the next day when I tried them again. My ears were still hurting from the previous day so I discontinued using them for a few days. I nearly returned them to Radio Shack because they were so painful - now I wish I would have returned them. After giving my ears a few days of recovery I then tried the "TV Ears" headset again, hoping my ears would grow used to the suspended weight of the headset. Did not happen! After a few minutes my ears were again hurting - very painful. I suspect most of the discomfort is due to the weight of the headset being supported by my ears. Some of the pain could be due to the pressure applied by the ear buds to the ears by the spring loaded headset arms (I have a large head so this is possibly true);
2. If you're eating / drinking while wearing the "TV Ears", be aware that something may drop / drip down and get on the electronic package hanging under your chin. I've already dripped on it a few times while eating and watching TV. Other than the mess left on the outside of the electronic module this has not affected the function;
3. The headset's electronic package should be designed so it sits on top of the head to assist in supporting the weight. This might reduce the most of the discomfort to the ears and would eliminate the problem of food / drink dropping and dripping on the electronic module hanging under the chin;
4. If you're watching something filmed on a beach, in a boat, in a windy or rainy location, the background sounds (waves, wind, rain) sound more like background static (white noise) than what they should sound like.
5. It is sometimes difficult to get the right volume. If the volume is set too loud you get a lot of static filling in the background when nothing is being said. This is especially bad if the actors are outside, maybe near a river or in a windy setting. Sounds like constant static (white noise) unless the "TV Ear" volume is reduced.
6. The tone control is pretty much worthless. All it does is add or remove some of the higher frequencies (depending on your preference). It certainly does not add bass tones.
7. Finally, I don't understand why the ear pieces could not be a standard headphone configuration. I guess the "TV Ears" business folks decided they needed to have something that would regularly need replacing (the foam ear buds / tips) and that they could charge a lot of money for these tips ($20 for a set of 5 pairs - ridiculous). After the initial, horrible, discomfort from using these tips alone, I made a set of silk covers that I wear over the tips which have reduced the pain somewhat (not completely).
Pros:
1. They work quite well for hearing & understanding the spoken dialogue! My wife told me that I ask far fewer questions about what has been said then I did before getting the "TV Ears". I still miss some things (I have a lot of tinnitus and more recently, Meniere's in my left ear) but I'm certainly hearing & understanding the spoken words much better than before;
2. The "TV Ears" will function OK anywhere in the same room as the TV is located in the room. They will also function some distance away from the TV, as long as I'm in the line of sight with the infra red transmitter sitting on top of the TV set;
3. I can watch / hear TV programs I like with my wife in the same or nearby room because she doesn't hear the audio. We both appreciate that a lot;
Suggestions:
I found that I could reduce the headset ear bud discomfort by covering the ear buds with cloth "booties" that I made from some scrap silk curtain material. They look like miniature pillow cases and I slip them over the headset's buds (tips) before using the headset. My little covers seem to somewhat reduce the discomfort and the sound is still adequate. They don't eliminate the discomfort, however (my ears still hurt), but they help. It appears that my little covers have the added benefit of reducing the need to replace the tips regularly as my covers seem to be absorbing some of the stuff that comes from my ears before it's "soaked" up by the foam tips.
Concern:
I could find nothing on the headset or documentation about what kind of rechargeable batteries are in the headset. The documentation states they cannot be overcharged, however, I'm not sure I agree with that. If they are NiCad batteries they can develop memories (a.k.a. shortened life) if not regularly run down completely before recharging. At this time I'm unsure about NiMH or lithium ion batteries with respect to developing memories. So far the batteries have held adequate charge for my usage pattern as long as I recharge them overnight.
Summarizing:
If it wasn't for the excessive and painful discomfort from the headset ear buds, this could be a really great product. As far as I can tell, the manufacturer opted for the ear bud design instead of a standard, far more comfortable, ear phone design because they can make money by forcing users to replace the buds / tips on a regular basis ($19.95 for 5 pair - very overpriced, maybe you can find them for less depending on where you buy them). If the head set had the standard ear phone design this would not be the case so the "TV Ears" people would lose money. However, maybe more people would buy this product because the product would be far more comfortable and no longer get negative reviews about the very painful ear bud design.
Customer Review: TV ears not that great!
Summary: 2 Stars
TV ears sounded like a good idea and indeed they do help the sound quality for someone who is moderately hearing impaired. But there are problems. First the quality of construction is terrible. The right arm broke off with no reason what so ever. Before that the ear plugs were either too loose (would fall off) or too tight and very uncomfortable. Also there was interference from some lights in my house. And the range on this thing was quite limited (8 ft or more and static overwhelmed everything.
All in all, I am sorry I bought the system. Wish there was something better out there.
Customer Review: cheap construction
Summary: 2 Stars
I have used these for about 3 years. On the first set, after 6 months or so the 2 screws that hold the head set together became loose and the container began to seperate. I tried tightening the screws but they would not budge and I didn't want to force them. I returned this set and received another. I've had them almost 2 years and the same thing is happening. The screws are too small and cheap and won't bite as the openings are also not deep enough. As for performance I was very satisfied but not if the headset requires replacement so often.