Auracast™ LOCATION PROFILE
SONEO Hörgeräte
About this location
Key stats
Location: Saarland, Germany
Venue type: Hearing care center
Auracast™ equipment installed: Opus
Installation: DIY installation
SONEO Hörgeräte is an owner-managed hearing care specialist with four locations in Saarland, Germany, dedicated to supporting people with hearing loss across all age groups. Led by Managing Director Tom Fröhlich, a master hearing care professional (Hörakustikmeister), the organization’s mission extends beyond individualized care to advancing accessible hearing in public spaces.
Inspired in part by personal experience (Fröhlich’s father wears two cochlear implants), the team launched an initiative to promote inclusive audio environments. As part of this effort, SONEO collaborated to equip Camera Zwo, making it the first Auracast™ enabled cinema in Germany, and also brought Auracast™ broadcast audio to the Kieselhumes athletics and football stadium in Saarbrücken.
These deployments serve as early milestones in a broader vision to scale accessible audio infrastructure across the region.
The problem statement
Before implementing Auracast™ broadcast audio, ensuring consistent and effective audio accessibility in public venues remained a challenge. While assistive devices, such as clip-on microphones, offered some level of support, they were limited in scalability and convenience. A more fundamental barrier, however, was awareness and acceptance.
Communicating the value of accessible hearing to those without hearing loss proved difficult, despite the clear daily benefits observed by hearing care professionals. This gap created a need not only for better technology but also for solutions that could demonstrate clear, shared value in public settings.
The Auracast™ solution
Deployment
SONEO identified Auracast™ broadcast audio as a promising solution through both media exposure and ongoing technological developments. Guided by a commitment to advancing accessibility, the organization selected the Opus AuraGate system to deploy Auracast™ broadcast audio in real-world venues.
Deployment focused on ease of use and demonstrable benefit, beginning with high-visibility locations such as a cinema and a sports stadium. In both cases, Auracast™ broadcasts allow audio to be transmitted directly to compatible hearing aids, cochlear implants, or personal devices, providing users with a clearer listening experience tailored to their needs. The simplicity of implementation and operation proved to be a key advantage during rollout.
Benefits
The introduction of Auracast™ broadcast audio has delivered measurable improvements in how users experience audio in challenging environments. People with hearing loss can follow dialogue and announcements more clearly, even in settings with significant background noise. Beyond this core user group, individuals who struggle with concentration in noisy environments also benefit from enhanced audio clarity.
Feedback from users, customers, and employees has been consistently positive, highlighting both the effectiveness and usability of the solution. Additionally, the deployments have generated notable media attention, helping to raise awareness of accessible hearing and reinforcing the broader mission of inclusion. The combination of simplicity and high user value has exceeded initial expectations.
A look ahead
Building on early successes, SONEO aims to expand its Auracast™ implementation across Saarland, creating a more comprehensive network of accessible audio environments. The long-term goal is to normalize inclusive hearing support in public spaces, making it an expected feature rather than an exception.
As awareness grows and more venues adopt the technology, Auracast™ broadcast audio has the potential to transform how audio is delivered and experienced in shared environments. For organizations considering similar solutions, Fröhlich’s perspective is clear: the benefits are compelling, and there is little reason not to embrace a technology that meaningfully improves accessibility for a wide range of users.
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