Conversation tube hearing aid
- Made:
- 1850-1920 in unknown
- maker:
- Unknown
Conversation tube hearing aid, also known as a speaking tube, with flexible fabric-covered rubberised tube and ivory or bone earpiece and sound-capturing bell, 1850-1920
Much like cupping your hand around your ear, a conversation tube helps to direct sound to the ear. Conversation tubes were particularly effective because they were good at blocking out background noise. The horn shaped end was designed to collect the sound waves as one person speaks and there is an angled earpiece at the other end to listen. Conversation tubes could be made from a range of different materials and came in various lengths. They therefore didn’t require the people talking to stand as close together as most ear trumpets did.
