The Bottom Line:We were not impressed by the Loud 'N Clear. The white noise, sqeaking when adjusting the volume, and lack of sufficient amplification made it less than useful. We also found the design to be bulky and uncomfortable. If you're looking for a hearing aid, we suggest going for the real thing.
Reviewed by: Andrew RabadanReviewed on: 4/9/2010 11:23:25 AM
What it claims to do: The Loud 'N Clear advertises itself as a solution to hearing loss. Designed to look like a bluetooth headset, it claims that it will sufficiently amplify the sounds around you while cleverly hiding itself as a headset (as opposed to a hearing aid). What we found: The Loud 'N Clear did not function as well as we had hoped it would. We first tested the Loud 'N Clear by using it to listen to music. It amplified the sounds somewhat, but it amplified ALL the sounds in the room. In the end, the other amplified sounds were so distracting, that we did not feel that the Loud 'N Clear allowed us to hear the music any better. Furthermore, we heard a loud metallic hissing sound the entire time the device was on. It was kind of like what you would hear if you put a tin can or seashell to your ear. Adjusting the volume on the Loud 'N Clear often created a squeak that sounded like that microphone squeak you sometimes hear when they adjust the microphone before a lecture. We next used the Loud 'N Clear to listen to television. Same results. We started with the volume on the Loud 'N Clear way up, and the volume on the television way down. We slowly turned up the volume on the television until we were able to hear the sound. We were able to follow the program... but when we then listened without the Loud 'N Clear, we were still able to hear the television. The amplification of the sound just wasn't that great. We tried numerous other tests, but with similar results. The Loud 'N Clear did not provide significant amplification of sound, and the accompanying white noise was very bothersome. The bottom line: We did not like the Loud 'N Clear at all. The sound amplification was both insufficient and noisy. The design was old-fashioned and bulky. The white noise was distracting. We suggest a real hearing aid if you need a little help hearing better.