People don't like to hear the question "Do you need a hearing aid?"

Even if there is much to suggest that this is the case.

Such questions are likely to arise frequently on the sofa in front of the television set.

It's too loud for some, and others don't understand what's being said in the film.

Sennheiser now has a solution: a hearing aid for watching TV.

The good ears continue to hear through the speakers of the TV or soundbar.

Weakening ears put Sennheiser's TV Clear Earbuds in their ears and adjust the volume as they want and also decide how clearly the voices in the film should come out.

If both viewers want to talk to each other while watching TV, that's still possible.

Marco Dettweiler

Editor in Business.

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The highlight of this hearing aid for viewers is the coupling of the in-ear headphones via a transmitter.

This is a small black box that intercepts the sound of the TV set and sends it directly to the two plugs, which, by the way, doesn't happen via Bluetooth, but with a wireless technology called Airstream.

The transmitter is connected either via the analog audio output or digitally via the optical interface.

Since soundbars are usually connected via HDMI, they and the transmitter have space.

In the case of TV Clear, the app is important.

Normally we like to do without such software when testing headphones.

But here the added value is indispensable, because the listener can influence the speech intelligibility with the help of the app.

The lack of speech intelligibility of the sound is the problem when you don't understand dialogues in films and series well.

On the one hand, this is due to the quality of the production and intentionally obtrusive background music.

On the other hand, manufacturers of soundbars and televisions do not always distribute the frequency response in a voice-friendly manner, so that low frequencies dominate and drown out voices.

With TV Clear, voices can be highlighted in five steps.

The test shows that levels two and three were good and effective, but four and five had an unsightly effect.

Because the frequency band rises sharply, women's voices sound brighter and quakier, men sound tinny, and the sibilant phenomenon occurs.

The gradual dosing of the "Ambient Awareness" is also practical.

Then the earphones amplify the outside noise, including questions and comments from the neighbor on the sofa.

A well-groomed communication is still difficult, because you can hear yourself talking through the tight fit of the in-ear headphones, as if you had earplugs in them.

Speaking of fit: Like all headphones that you put in your ear, the TV Clear Earbuds also pinch after a certain time.

Of course, for some people this can only be after three hours, for others after half a hour.

Sennheiser has included ear adapters that have a thin bar to stabilize the fit.

Nice idea, but you need it more when you're on the go and not lounging on the sofa.

Ordinary essays will do, too.

Since the in-ears talk to the smartphone via Bluetooth, they also work as headphones with which you can make calls or listen to music.

If a call comes in during the movie, a double tap on the right housing is all it takes to answer it.

As soon as a song starts in a music streaming app, the pegs start playing.

Sennheiser pays well for the multifunctionality.

The TV Clear Earbuds cost 400 euros.

That's a lot of money, but still less than the price of a medical hearing aid.