My initial reaction is that you can't get a decent microphone alone for
$40!  A hearing system whose name is a Spanish word meaning "silence"
does not inspire great confidence.

Of course, for $40 you can afford to try it out and throw it away if you
want.  I tried two or three such systems -- not this one to my knowledge
-- before conceding that what I really needed was real hearing aids.
 They are expensive, and you have to be careful to get a pair that
amplify high frequencies. Many actually suppress the highest frequencies
in order to control background noise.  You need aids for both ears, so
you know what direction the song is coming from.  Background noise never
bothered me, and I think that having two aids is part of that.  It is
easier to ignore (or carefully listen to, if birding) background noise
when its position is different from the louder things you are hearing.

Pat Taylor wrote:

>Since my hearing is on the wane, I am very interested in a device which would enable me to better hear bird songs.  Is anyone on the MDOsprey list familiar with the portable sound amplifier described below?  It was pictured in the NYTimes of April 16 -- in an article on birding.    I'm also interested in any other devices with which you have had good results.
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>Silencio Super Ear -- a portable sound amplifier with a boom that swivels 180 degrees.
>Hands free amplification system. A versatile amplifier compact enough to fit in your jacket breast pocket, attach to your cap, or strap to your arm giving you complete hands free ability. A detachable binocular mounting clip for mounting the Super Ear to most models of binoculars is included.
>
> A multi-element microphone is mounted inside an acoustically engineered sound boom that swivels 180 degrees. The boom is fully enclosed in a foam windscreen      A google search will yield a picture of the Super Ear
>
>About $40.
>
>Pat Taylor
>Washington DC
>
>
>
>
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--
Maurice Barnhill
  [Use ReplyTo, not From]
[bellatlantic.net is reserved for spam only]
Department of Physics and Astronomy
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716

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