By Carolyn Stern
Assistant Director of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives
Carolyn Stern, Asst. Dir. of Outreach and Strategic Initiatives
A good accessory to have is a headphone splitter cable (also known as a Y-splitter or Y-cord), particularly if you have a hearing loss. This accessory allows two different audio playback devices to plug into a single headphone jack on the computer. For example, I used a Y-splitter on a recent plane trip so that my daughter and I could plug our personal headphones into the same laptop and watch and hear the audio of the same movies together. Y-splitters come in different styles and are affordable.
Hearing better on video calls
Recently, the need for a Y-splitter came up during the coronavirus crisis while working from home and needing to function better on video conferencing calls. By using a Y-splitter I could connect external speakers and my hearing streaming accessory into a single headphone jack on my computer at the same time. By doing this, I could now hear the audio directly through a cable to my Phonak ComPilot and, at the same time, I could view the automatic captions generated on my smartphone placed next to the external speakers.
Below shows you an example of a Y-splitter plugged into a headphone jack and connected to a streaming device (Phonak Compilot) and external speakers. Then, I place a smartphone next to one of the speakers with an automatic captioning app activated (not shown).
Tech solution for parents
CHC’s pediatric audiologists also recommend this for parents who need to listen to the remote lessons or a social videoconferencing activity at the same time as the child with hearing loss. The parent can plug in their own headset and the child can listen with either a headset placed over their hearing devices or direct connect to their hearing devices.
Below shows you an example of a headphone and a streaming device (Phonak Compilot) plugged into a Y-splitter.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this or other hearing tech solutions, please click here to contact us and we’ll gladly provide assistance. Also, if you have tips to add, please send them our way to share with our readers.
Remember, CHC is here for you. If you are having difficulty hearing well with any aspect of your remote work set-up, or are looking for support in any way, please contact your CHC audiologist. If you prefer, you can call our main number in New York at 917-305-7700 or in Ft. Lauderdale at 954-601-1930.
If you’re not currently a CHC client, but need assistance, we’re happy to help. Also consider reaching out to your hearing aid manufacturer’s help line which is also readily available to aid as well.
More videoconferencing tips
This post is just one in a series from CHC to help you Hear and Connect better through communication strategies and technology solutions that you can use at home. Click below to check out these related posts:
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