Rock group Simple Plan is helping out some deaf teenagers in Canada enjoy their music by testing a high-technology wireless device during their 19-city tour.
"I was actually able to pick up what they were saying," said Mariah Angus, 17, after a recent concert by the Montreal band in Toronto. "The sound was very good."
Angus is one of 120 deaf teenagers from across Canada who were offered a way to experience the band, courtesy of a special wireless FM system created by Sennheiser, a manufacturer of audio products. It allows the teenagers to receive sound transmitted from the band's microphones through to their hearing aids or cochlear implants.
A wireless microphone and transmitter are plugged directly into the band's console. The teens' receivers, slightly larger than an Ipod, are put on the same frequency. The receivers have a tiny cable attached to the hearing aids or implants, bringing sound to the auditory nerve.
Sennheiser contacted audiologists in several cities to select hearing-impaired teens and then asked them about their favourite music group and most identified Simple Plan.
"They could hear and have a good time like everybody else," said guitarist Sebastien Lefebvre. "It blows my mind."
The band met with several of the teens before their Toronto concert to sign autographs and take pictures.
"Nice and smooth, lots of beats," described Ashleigh Brady, 18, about her new experience. "I could understand them and read lips. It makes me feel great," added the first-time concert-goer.
