Every Seat Should Be the Best Seat in the House
We design, install, and certify assistive listening systems that make your venue truly accessible: invisibly, affordably, and beautifully.
Hearing loops and Aura Cast technology deliver crystal-clear audio directly to hearing aids, cochlear implants, and Bluetooth devices without stigma. Just sound, the way it was meant to be heard.
Why This Matters
36 Million Americans Have Hearing Loss. Most Venues Aren't Ready.
Hearing loss is often invisible. You can't look across a room and tell who's struggling to follow along. But roughly 1 in 6 American adults lives with some degree of hearing loss and for most of them, hearing aids alone aren't enough in large spaces. Distance, background noise, and room acoustics turn clear speech into muffled guesswork.
Some venues already have assistive listening equipment like FM receivers and headsets collecting dust in a closet. Nobody uses them because they're conspicuous, require checkout, and broadcast 'I have a disability' to everyone in the room. So venues assume nobody needs help, and the people who need help assume nobody cares.
The result? People stop coming. They skip the Sunday service, leave at intermission, stop attending council meetings. Not because they don't want to be there but because they can't hear well enough to participate.
There's a better way. Modern assistive listening technology is invisible, automatic, and works with the hearing devices people already own. And it's probably simpler to install than you think.
How It Works
Two Technologies. One Goal: Clear Sound for Everyone.
Hearing Loops
The Proven Standard
A hearing loop is a professionally designed wire system connected to your existing sound system through a dedicated amplifier. It creates a standardized magnetic field that hearing aids and cochlear implants pick up directly through their built-in T-coil, delivering clean, personalized audio straight to the listener's ear. Every installation is engineered for the specific space — using perimeter, phased array, figure-8, or other configurations depending on the room's size, shape, and acoustics.
- Invisible: no equipment to check out or wear
- Works with hearing aids people already own
- Personalized: sound is shaped by each person's hearing aid settings
- Universal: standardized magnetic field works with any T-coil worldwide
- Versatile: scales from a single service counter to a 2,000-seat auditorium
We install perimeter loops, phased arrays, figure-8 configurations, counter loops, portable systems, and home installations, each engineered for the specific acoustics and geometry of your space.
Aura Cast
The Next Generation
Aura Cast is a new Bluetooth-based broadcast audio standard that transmits high-quality sound from a venue's audio system to any compatible devices including hearing aids, earbuds, or smartphones. It's the next evolution in assistive listening, extending accessibility to anyone with a Bluetooth LE device, not just those with T-coil-equipped hearing aids.
- Works with most Bluetooth LE Audio-compatible devices
- No special hardware needed by the listener
- Supports multiple audio streams (language channels, different zones)
- Complements existing hearing loop installations
- Future-proof: backed by the Bluetooth SIG standard
Not sure which technology is right for your space? That's exactly what the site assessment is for.
How We Work
From First Visit to Certified Installation
Free Site Assessment
We visit your venue, review your existing sound system, understand your needs, and assess the space. No cost. No obligation.Custom Design
Our engineer designs a system tailored to your space, accounting for room geometry, acoustics, seating layout, and your budget. Whether it's a 50-seat chapel or a 2,000-seat performing arts center.Professional Installation
Clean, code-compliant installation that blends seamlessly into your facility. We work around your schedule to minimize disruption.Certification
Every system is tested and certified to the international standard IEC 60118-4. We don't guess, we measure.Ongoing Support
Troubleshooting, repair, and maintenance, backed by Apt Interactive's full managed services team. Your system keeps working because we keep working. Learn about our services
Where We've Done This
177+ Installations Across 6 States
Worship Spaces
80+
Performing Arts
Education
Government & Civic
Healthcare & Senior Living
From the Folly Theatre in Kansas City to the Iowa City Public Library to a one-room chapel in rural Nebraska, if it has an audience, we can make it accessible.
What People Say
Don't Take Our Word for It
"I'm real excited we have the hearing loop. One woman who had quit attending services has returned and expressed gratitude."
Pastor Jann Osborn
Broadway Christian Church, Council Bluffs, IA
"I just wish you could have been there to see the smiles on people's faces as they experienced the clarity and direct sound. Once again I was thrilled that I was able to participate in the service with ease."
Muffy Harmon, Deacon
Cathedral of St. Paul, Des Moines, IA
"As a person with hearing loss, I often find lectures, plays, and PA system announcements indecipherable. But who else notices? Unlike someone visibly left outside because of wheelchair inaccessibility, which would leave others appalled, inaccessibility due to hearing loss is invisible and thus often unremedied."
Dr. David Meyers
Author & Professor of Psychology, Hope College
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a hearing loop cost?
It depends on the space. Home TV room loops can be self-installed for $100–$300. A professionally installed system for an average worship space or auditorium typically runs a few thousand dollars — roughly the cost of one pair of high-end hearing aids. Larger or more complex facilities cost more. We'll give you a clear, honest estimate during your free site assessment.
Do hearing aids need special equipment to work with a loop?
Most modern hearing aids and all newer cochlear implants include a T-coil (telecoil) — the tiny receiver that picks up the loop signal. About two-thirds of hearing aid fittings now include one. For listeners without T-coils, we provide portable receivers and headsets as part of every installation.
Will a loop interfere with our existing sound equipment?
Almost never. While some very old lighting or dimmer switches can cause interference, modern installations are designed to be interference-free. We've installed 177+ systems without significant interference issues.
Can you loop adjacent rooms without sound bleeding over?
Yes. Professional loop design controls sound spillover between rooms. We use different loop configurations — including phased arrays and figure-8 designs — specifically to contain the signal where it belongs.
What about Bluetooth and newer wireless technology?
That's where Aura Cast comes in. It's the newest Bluetooth-based broadcast audio standard, and it extends assistive listening to any compatible device — not just hearing aids with T-coils. We install both hearing loops and Aura Cast systems, and often recommend them together for maximum coverage.
How far do you travel?
We're based in Nebraska and work primarily across the Midwest — Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota. But we've installed systems as far as California, and we'll go wherever the work takes us.
Who Does the Work
Certified Expertise, Backed by Apt
Sheryl Butler
Lead Installer & System Designer
Sheryl brings over 30 years in the technical field, including 18 years as a Systems Engineer at the Kellogg Company designing electrical control systems. She's completed 100+ hours of advanced training in loop theory, design, installation, and certification, and holds field certification from Contacta and Level II Integrator certification from Listen Technologies. Every system she installs is certified to the international standard IEC 60118-4.
Backed by Apt Interactive
Assistive listening is now a division of Apt Interactive, a managed IT services and cybersecurity company serving businesses across Nebraska and the Midwest. That means your listening system is backed by a full technology team, from network infrastructure to AV integration to ongoing support.
Building on the legacy of Hearing Access Solutions, Glenwood, Iowa, proudly serving the Midwest since 2011.
Let's Make Your Venue Accessible
Schedule a free, no-obligation site assessment. We'll visit your space, review your setup, and give you honest options.