Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Bedside speaker setup...

My mom is a night owl, and hard of hearing. She stays up till 2AM watching the TV that’s 10’ from her bed, but can’t hear it well. She uses closed captioning but can’t really read it easily while on her side looking at the TV from that distance. She’s tried those wireless headphone units designed for the hard of hearing but doesn’t like wearing headphones, and the results sounded pretty bad anyway from what she’s told me. My dad sleeps in a separate room, so her having the volume turned up but right next to her works, but having the TV volume up loud enough to fill the room then bothers him.

The TV in her room doesn’t have audio-out RCA jacks, but it does have a headphone jack. I’m thinking that if I can put a small, powered speaker next to her on the nightstand, it would work very well to help her out.

I’m thinking along the lines of these Edirol speakers or this Azden that are powered, have a volume control, and have inputs. Another possibility is computer speakers.

She only needs a single, not a pair, and would actually do better with a mono source rather than a pair split between nightstands.

Anyone have any other ideas?

Hmmmm.....
I just started thinking a T-Amp on top of one of the old, many Radio Shack Minimus-7 speakers I have sitting around would work well. One large volume knob, an 1/8" input.... Sized to sit right on top of the speaker....just might work!

Those can't be purchased at local stores anymore, can they?

If you really love your Mom, you'd buy her some of those Monster earphones.

Very interesting question, Mark.

I don't think that the headphone jack is going to be a problem. Actually, it might be quite an advantage, as it will track with the volume control of the TV. I presume your Mom is used to controlling the volume that way?

That's my concern - the user interface. Even if you get an elegant technical solution, is she going to "like" or "accept" adjusting the volume separately from the device she uses to change channels?

I didn't really have any luck finding a remote with a built in speaker (which would probably be a battery sucker, anyway)

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/02/28/curious-elpa-remote-sports-built-in-speaker/

Does she already have and use a FM radio bedside? Perhaps you could get an FM transmitter for the TV.

I'm not sure how they work, but hospitals use remotes that have the speaker bedside. Yeah, they typically suck, but this one looks slightly less horrible than most.

http://www.curbellelectronics.com/gen4_pillow_speakers.html

Maybe something like a pillow speaker?

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keyword...sl_81j7jimqis_e

I like the looks of the edirol speakers.

Good luck. Please let us know what happens.

Tom: thanks so much for taking the time to try to find a solution! I had researched the pillow speakers already since I remember that Radio Shack used to have a popular model. Unfortunately, the reviews of some of the Amazon models are less than stellar.
The Curbell / Hospital remote idea is one I hadn't considered, though preliminary info makes it seem prohibitively expensive.

I'm still continuing to research it, but wanted to thank you in the meantime.

I can't count how many beers I owe you at this point, but assume if we ever meet, you'll be really, really, really drunk.

I've seen Tom drink. I doubt it.

OK, I've settled on this little Pyle amp to provide a few watts and local volume control for a Radio Shack Minimus 7 of which I have eight or so sitting in the attic. Hooked up with a Monoprice 25' 3.5mm---> RCA cable, I think she'll be in good shape!

Nice solution, Mark.

I continue to be thankful and amazed by the combined wisdom and problem-solving skill expressed here. I love these kinds of puzzles, and it is always enlightening to see people come up with solutions I never considered.

I like how you have - with this project and your studio (the Mackies) - adapted pro-audio gear to other uses. We get so caught up in the marketing and other aspects of the Hi-Fi Community that it is easy to forget that what we're often talking about is a wire with gain.

I'll buy the first round