Generation Y represents the current crop of tweens (pre-adolescents) and teens born between 1977-1995. Most of these lucky teens and young adults have a MySpace or Facebook account, a cell phone with oodles of functions, are hooked on at least one reality TV show, and cannot remember a time before the Internet, Play Station, Xbox, MP3 players and iPods! This generation is connected!
The music of the Gen Y era includes hip hop, post grunge, nu metal and emo punk as well as pop stars like ‘N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and the likes. Music is as important to this generation as it has ever been and even tweens and teens with hearing loss demand good sound quality from enough instruments, stationary and portable, to fill their every hour (out of school) with music.
Enter the MP3 player. Everybody wants one and thatmeans teens with hearing loss too. The seven most popular MP3 players are shown in the table and it is advisable to consider each device’s access and compatibility with online digital media stores and rippers, as well as the number of hours of battery usage.
Many smart phones have built-in MP3 players too. Smart phones keep tweens and teens connected to the social scene via text and Web-based applications in addition to basic telephone service. See “Bluetooth and You: More Compatible than Ever” for an overview of hearing aid compatible smart phones with built-in digital music players.
Hooking up with Hearing Aids and ImplantTechnologies
There are basically four ways to mesh MP3 players and hearing technology: picking up sound acoustically with headphones; magnetic induction connected through silhouettes, or neck loops and the device T-switch; direct audio input (DAI); and wireless input via FM or Bluetooth.
Acoustic
Lightweight, high-quality, over-the-ear headphones such as those manufactured by Bose, Koss and Sennheiser are great selections for teens with completely in-the-canal, and in-the-ear hearing aids. As with all output devices, it is important to make sure that the connector on the headphones is compatible with the MP3 player or smart phone your teen owns.
One highly innovative solution for getting into the groove is the T-Mic®Earhook by Advanced Bionics
(www.bionicear.com). The T-Mic sits in the bowl of the ear, which allows sound to be picked up from a natural position. Advanced Bionics implant users can wear a standard pair of headphones over the ears or use earbuds and the T-Mic will pick up the sound. Talk to your audiologist about ordering this earhook option.
Magnetic Induction
Silhouettes and neck loops are examples of “hardwired” magnetic induction systems, meaning the connector is plugged directly into the device. Magnetic induction housed in silhouettes and neck loops must be used in conjunction with a hearing aid or cochlear implant telecoil. MP3 players and smart phones connect to silhouettes and neck loops via a 2.5 mm output jack. The Music-Link headset available from TecEar is a bilateral silhouette with small earpieces that are placed between the head and the hearing aid or sound processor with the switch placed on T (to hear only the music) or MT (when friends are around and you want to be able to hear them too). The neck loop, worn around the neck instead of behind the ears, works in much the same manner. Check out TecEar’s neck loop comparison guide on their Web site, www.Tecear.com.
Direct Audio Input
Another form of hard-wired DAI is to use an audio cable that connects an MP3 player or smart phone to a hearing aid via an audio boot or shoe snapped onto the hearing aid or directly into the implant via an input jack. Most hearing aid and CI manufacturers will offer the proper audio cables for sale on their Web sites, or they can be ordered through a hearing healthcare professional.
Wireless via FM or Bluetooth
Some tweens and teens need the freedom of wireless DAI, either via FM or Bluetooth technology. FM receivers are worn on the hearing device or implant as they typically are for any other application. The transmitter is plugged directly into the output jack of the MP3 player and voilà, instant access to noise-free music entertainment. Some devices give a choice to have ambient microphones left on while receiving DAI. Bluetooth technology offers similar access and advantages and is covered in depth in “Trends”.
MP3 Manufacturers Web sites
Apple iPod www.apple.com
Creative Zen http://us.creative.com
iRiver http://iriverinc.com
Microsoft Zune www.zune.net
Samsung www.samsung.com
SanDisk Sansa www.sandisk.com
Sony Walkman http://www.sonystyle.com
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