Does this exist - combined microphone & earbud

Quantumcat on 27/01/2022 - 21:06

Is there such a thing as a microphone that relays what it picks up to an earbud or that can connect to headphones with Bluetooth?

I am deaf in my left ear, I play cello, and it is my left ear that faces the instrument. I got a new teacher recently and he thinks my challenges with intonation is because of my deafness making it harder to detect close differences in pitch (head absorbs higher frequencies such then don't make it to the right hand side).

I was thinking it would be helpful to have a microphone near the bridge or f-holes that relayed the sound to my right ear. However I can't find anything that does this. Google searches and searches on Amazon or alibaba have plenty of gaming headsets, Bluetooth earbuds (that connect to phones or computers) and things like that but no microphones connected directly to an earbud. I could connect a separate mic to my laptop then connect a set of earbuds to the laptop but that would be very cumbersome (though if you know software that will take the mic input and send it directly out to a connected earbud let me know)

Can anyone help? What words should I be searching for?

Electrical & Electronics Earphones Microphone

Comments

  • duk242 on 27/01/2022 - 21:13
    +3

    iPhones have a hearing aid mode that can boost sounds from the Mic to the headphones?

    Haven't used it myself, but might be worth looking into?

    Also things like Zoom Recorders have a plug for headphone monitoring, so you could slap that on the left side of you and put the headphone in?

    Good luck with your hearing problem! Cello's are sick!

    • Quantumcat on 27/01/2022 - 21:47
      +1

      iPhones have a hearing aid mode that can boost sounds from the Mic to the headphones?

      Wow I didn't know that, sounds very helpful!!! Thanks!

      • eug on 28/01/2022 - 10:37

        Google can do the same thing with their Sound Amplifier app.

        Bluetooth (and phones) will always have a delay though, so that might not be good for music.

  • aoeueoa on 27/01/2022 - 21:38
    +1

    I'm not an expert obviously. My partner has a hearing impairment. SHe has custom made hearing aids. they've tested her hearing, found which frequencies are deficient, and tuned the hearing aid to boost these areas in particular. Would a custom made hearing aid work for yoU? Possibly could. Expensive though.

    Some bluetooth devices might have latency (lag/delay) and that would not worth with cello practice. You'd notice even a 1/100th second delay.

    A wired "pocket talker" might work https://www.amazon.com/Williams-Sound-PKT-D1-Pocketalker/dp/…
    these boost the sound quite a bit, but i don't know about the quality of the sound that comes out, whether it will produce a cello sound that is acceptable/good/or crap. It's not wireless though but i know these don't have any latency/lag.

    Then you can get a "personal sound amplifier" too.

    But really, a hearing aid custom made for you would be the highest quality solution at the highest cost.

    https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/51934-The-case-against…

    Goodluck

    • Quantumcat on 27/01/2022 - 21:52
      +1

      I had a hearing aid as a kid but you don't get them for free after age 25 unfortunately. I remember I used to hate it soooo much and the idea of spending $10k+ on something I remember I hated and also that is very fragile doesn't feel good though I know it would help me. Hmmmm choices choices…
      That pocket talker thing looks like just what I am after - "personal amplifier" were the words I was needing to search 😁 Thanks heaps!

  • brendanm on 27/01/2022 - 21:48
    +2

    Pickup to small combo amp/preamp, to wired headphones. Something like a Behringer um2 would do this, and also allow you to record to PC if that was something you were interested in. I doubt a standard microphone would do a very good job at this.

    https://www.musicspecialists.com.au/product/kna-vc-1-cello-p…

    https://djcity.com.au/product/behringer-um2-audio-interface/

    Or, on a budget, something like -

    https://www.swamp.net.au/swamp-piezo-contact-microphone-pick…

    https://www.artistguitars.com.au/buy/Nux-GP1-Guitar-Plug-Hea…

    • Quantumcat on 27/01/2022 - 21:54
      +1

      Oh wow that is cheaper than I thought, I had a look at pickups but they seemed to be hundreds +. Thanks for finding this!

    • Muzeeb on 28/01/2022 - 07:55

      Would the slight delay in this have implications?

      I doubt but possibly something to consider / research.

      • brendanm on 28/01/2022 - 10:38

        No idea what the delay would be like to be honest. I don't play anything myself, only know a little about it as my son plays guitar.

      • eug on 28/01/2022 - 10:40
        +2

        There is zero delay as the inputs have a direct analog connection to the outputs. That's enabled by pressing the "Direct Monitor" button on the front.

        • Muzeeb on 28/01/2022 - 12:37

          That makes sense. Cheers

  • eug on 28/01/2022 - 10:53

    It sounds like what you're after is just a headphone amp with a built-in mic preamp, like this.

    That sits in between a pickup or mic and your (good) earphones. There is an additional audio input that lets you mix in an extra audio source. It's a completely analog audio path so there is zero latency. You can get virtually-zero latency wireless in-ear receivers but they'll cost a fair bit.

    The choice between a pickup or mic is up to you. A pickup will probably let you hear more detail but a mic will sound more natural.

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