Hearing amplifier from the nineties...

Thread Starter

Externet

Joined Nov 29, 2005
2,628
Hi.
They were at the 99 cent store; together with scanning FM receivers, clocks, watches and a bunch of other gadgets.

Anyone remember those amplifiers ? Smaller than a pack of cigarettes, shirt pocket worn, high gain amplifier and if I remember well, with speaker, no earphone :rolleyes:. Meant to amplify nature sounds or for weak of hearing ?
Or am I wrong and were only with earphone? Name was something like 'super ear'... What do you remember ? Have one behind spider webs ?
 

joeyd999

Joined Jun 6, 2011
6,245
Hi.
They were at the 99 cent store; together with scanning FM receivers, clocks, watches and a bunch of other gadgets.

Anyone remember those amplifiers ? Smaller than a pack of cigarettes, shirt pocket worn, high gain amplifier and if I remember well, with speaker, no earphone :rolleyes:. Meant to amplify nature sounds or for weak of hearing ?
Or am I wrong and were only with earphone? Name was something like 'super ear'... What do you remember ? Have one behind spider webs ?
I think they were "As Seen on TV", along with The Clapper ("Clap on, clap off") and Life Alert ("Help me! I've fallen and I can't get up!").

I don't remember any details, though.
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,473
I had a buddy in an electronics class back in the 70s who had a cigarette pack size shirt pocket hearing aid and yes it had wired ear buds. I'd have to tap him on the shoulder when studying because he would turn it off to cut out all the BS going on around us in the lab. It was a basic amplifier compared to today's "word recognition" and shaping filters hearing aids. Mine also has Bluetooth connection to my iPhone for not only phone calls but also music. I can tune in Spotify but have to keep the level down or else I won't be the only one hearing it. They have come a long way and their prices as well. I played around with a basic amplifier one before I got the real thing and was not at all happy with the results.
 

Thread Starter

Externet

Joined Nov 29, 2005
2,628
Thanks, fellows.
Joey... yes, that one in the video looks very similar if not the same. Found a few in the market now, some bigger fancied with a display as in

1742051064570.png

What mislead me was remembering the front perforations, as if for an internal speaker.
 

SamR

Joined Mar 19, 2019
5,473
Let me put it this way, You get what you paid for... Cheap ones boost the entire audio range, good ones boost the frequencies your hearing lacks. Expensive ones digitally filter and shape the sounds your ear is lacking and adds features such a Bluetooth and various shaping filters for noise, voice, and music.
 

elonthefelon

Joined Mar 16, 2025
3
Let me put it this way, You get what you paid for... Cheap ones boost the entire audio range, good ones boost the frequencies your hearing lacks. Expensive ones digitally filter and shape the sounds your ear is lacking and adds features such a Bluetooth and various shaping filters for noise, voice, and music.
Not only that, but the old devices really ate up expensive button batteries. The better ones today have long life recargeable batteries.
 
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