Phonak Kicks Off New Era in Classroom Amplification with Launch of Dynamic SoundField System

Murten, Switzerland (PRWEB) July 15, 2010

Phonak’s Dynamic SoundField is the world’s first soundfield system to offer industry-leading sound quality, intelligent automated settings and a transmission mode to suit every student listener.

Developed over several years by Phonak’s expert team of wireless connectivity, acoustics and software engineers, Dynamic SoundField amplifies the teacher’s voice throughout the class without increasing the overall noise level, allowing students to clearly hear and understand commands without the system creating distracting feedback or echo.

“Dynamic SoundField overcomes all the issues associated with traditional soundfield systems such as in-class echo, feedback, complex settings and incompatibility with wireless FM hearing systems, to bring schools an easy-to-use, high-performance system that simply works,” said Valentin Chapero, Chief Executive of Phonak.

“The result is that schools, teachers and students around the world can now benefit from the performance and vocal health benefits soundfield technology has always promised,” he added.

The system’s unique feature set includes:

• Industry-leading signal to noise ratios (SNRs)

Dynamic SoundField amplifies ‘useful’ sound such as the teacher’s voice but not the surrounding noise, ensuring the ratio between these, the SNR, is impressively large.

• Instant use

No teacher confusion, simply switch on and teach.

• Zero configuration

Dynamic SoundField continuously and automatically measures a room’s actual noise level and optimizes its settings and volume level accordingly, ensuring the very best sound performance possible.

• 3 transmission modes

Dynamic SoundField mode is optimized for normal-hearing students while Dynamic FM mode is designed for students with a hearing loss who wear wireless FM systems. In mixed classes, the teacher simply chooses Phonak’s exclusive dual Dynamic SoundField & Dynamic FM mode. No more technical in-class patchworking is required in order to combine existing soundfield and FM systems; Dynamic SoundField seamlessly combines both signals.

• Future-friendly

USB connections allow free future firmware updates to be easily downloaded via the internet.

The Dynamic SoundField system comprises Phonak’s new DigiMaster 5000 loudspeaker unit and its award-winning inspiro teacher transmitter microphone.

inspiro
The inspiro transmitter microphone is already used in tens of thousands of schools around the world and is supplied with the durable EasyBoom face-worn microphone, which accurately picks up the teacher’s speech without also amplifying the surrounding noise.

inspiro features Dynamic Speech Extractor (DSE), a Phonak-exclusive technology that dramatically improves signal-to-noise ratios; DataLogging, which records usage data for reference and analysis by school audiologists, and the ability to use several inspiros and/or DynaMic passaround microphones in one class via Phonak’s MultiTalker Network (MTN).

DigiMaster 5000
This innovative new speaker unit features no less than 12 individual high-quality loudspeakers housed in a sleek and robust aluminum frame. Dynamic SoundField’s signal to noise ratio benefits greatly from this type of ‘line-source’ loudspeaker design, especially when children are sat further away from the teacher (when they need high sound quality the most). The DigiMaster 5000 is available with a sturdy floor stand or can be wall-mounted.

Soundfield classroom amplification has been proven to boost student comprehension and performance in numerous scientific studies (1). It also has the benefit of the teacher not needing to raise their voice to be heard; improving their vocal health (2) and enhancing class management (3).

Dynamic SoundField by Phonak is available immediately in the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

For further system details and to learn more about soundfield, visit http://www.dynamicsoundfield.com.

References
1 The MARRS Project: Mainstream Amplification Resource Room Study:
http://www.classroomhearing.org/research/marrsStudy.html
http://www.prometheanworld.com/upload/pdf/Research_review_of_Sound_Enhanced_Classroom_technology.pdf

2 http://www.thehardofhearingguy.com/ica-project.html

3 http://www.classroomhearing.org/research/marrsStudy.html

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