Customer Ratings & Reviews

Quality is Excellent my only problem with the Rating is their are no instructions on how to use the Pocket Amplifier.

We have been looking for something like this for my mother-in-law who is hard of hearing. What a great tool!

Good for who needs help hearing and easy to carry around

Good micrphone and reciever, not great sound quality

Work's very good .................................

Works great. Would recomment to someone with hearing loss

The headphones must be adjusted frequently in order the hear in both sides of the headphones. My headphones work fine in other devices.

This is most useful in a classroom type setting. Church, school, etc. It does a great job picking up sounds, maybe even too much. Why 4 stars from me though. First, with today's day and age, this does feel like something from the 80's. One of those things being that it is still using batteries. I would have like to see this come with a rechargeable built in battery with a usb-c port to charge. I would have also loved to see this come with a carry case. This would have been great especially if you are using them in classrooms, church etc. The headsets are ok. I prefer the over the head one to use as the ear buds were just one size and big. I would have loved to have this support other 3.5mm headphones that allow you to have left and right. I plugged in a 3.5mm gaming headset that I have for instance, and then could only hear out of the left ear. So may be a challenge to get a nicer headset that would work. Also, it has a dial on each side. One for turning it on and adjust the volume and the other to change if you want more bass or treble to get thru. Not bad, and easy to use, however, this again makes it feel like it is from the 80's or something. Why not go digital, with a light up screen that you could adjust and see. It also lacks being up to adjust left and right. So, if you have a little more hearing loss in one ear over the other, you can't adjust this to have one ear louder than the other. Those aside, I was able to hear everything better overall. It is not surround sound so harder to tell direction of sound, but I was able to hear the TV in the other room playing etc. I don't see myself using these everyday over hearing aids for that regard. However, I have plenty of classroom and church as well that I do were these at over using my hearing aids. Even car rides if I want to hear, these work great. They do come with a very long extension cord for the audio so if you don't like to sit up front, you can place the device up front, or were ever you want, run the cord to where you are at and then plug in the headphones. Overall, it's a decent alternative to having to wear hearing aids. Especially if you have the same hearing loss in both ears. It picks up all the sounds great. Like my start said, maybe a little too good.

Bought this for a friend who has had difficulty hearing conversations in a group setting and she loves it!

So I received my Williams Sound Pocketalker Ultra Personal Amplifier a few days ago and have been putting it through its paces. Now I have not been properly diagnosed with with any type of hearing loss, though, I have known myself for awhile that my dominant ear is my right ear, which means there's has to be some hearing loss (even if its just a little) in my left ear. This device has been billed as sort of a personal amplifier for conversations or listening to your TV without having it blasting or disturbing others. Now upon opening the box you will find: * Pocketalker (PKT-D1) Personal Amplifier * Plug-In Microphone * Single Mini Earbud * Folding Headphone * 2 AAA Batteries * 12ft Microphone Extension Cord * Lanyard * User Manual/Documentation Now setting this up and getting started is fairly simple. Just open up the battery door on the back of the pocketalker and insert the AAA batteries, plug the microphone in on the top left and the single earbud in on the top right (or the folding headphones). And you're ready to go, just power on the pocketalker using the volume scroll wheel on the right side and adjust accordingly as well as the tone wheel on the left. In my testing, initially I got a loud screeching sound played back to my ear, until I was able to figure out the controls a little better between the volume and tone. Once I found that sweet spot (which may be different for everyone), I was able to clearly hear my TV in the bedroom without disturbing others. This little device also came in handy while sitting in a meeting at work, where I purposely sat in the back to hear how well it picked up sound from the front of the room. It did pretty good until a bunch of people started talking at the same time. So it may be better for more of a one on one type of conversations. Also included in package is a lanyard that can be attached that the bottom and this can be worn around the neck. Overall, I liked the device and can see myself using this for conversations or listening to the TV without having it turned up too loud; especially at night.

There really isn’t too much to describe about this personal amplifier, which is probably what makes it most useful for the very old folks. It looks like something straight out of the 1980s with the simple headphones and two dials on it for tone and volume. It does have an extension microphone you can plug in to get the mic near a sound source like a TV, but it seems like having a cord strung out that far all the time might not be the best. I’m sure it would depend on your situation. The batteries are also very simple—just a couple of regular AAA batteries will power it. So, replacing the batteries, putting the headphones on and adjusting the volume is about all anyone will ever need to do with it. I think this makes it ideal for giving to someone and knowing they’ll be able to continue using it even if, for example, they have arthritis in their fingers. It seems the ideal place to use this is for people at home watching TV or having conversation with just a few people. Even though it’s small, light, and portable I’m not sure most people would be comfortable carrying this around and using it in public just because of the way it looks. Also, it does amplify ALL sounds around you, so in a restaurant or any kind of crowded environment it gets much harder to hear just what you’re interested in. It does work really well, though, to boost the volume of the TV or a conversation in a quiet room. If that’s your use case, I think you’ll be pleased with it.

Let's set the stage for this review: My father-in-law has been suffering from poor hearing for many years due to exposure to a very noisy work environment (oil rigs). His hearing is impaired and he gets very frustrated at times. He was the best person to try the Williams Sound Pocketalker Ultra PKT D1 Personal Amplifier as he doesn't like in-ear hearing aids. The device is small and he liked the fact that he was able to attach it to his belt. It is equipped with microphones which are able to pick up a vast range of frequencies (my father-in-law has mostly problems with higher frequencies). It can be adjusted to fit your needs, such as the volume and amplification. It comes with a pair of over-the-ear headphones. The sound they produce is rather good and they aren't huge, but he said he would have preferred ear-buds to make it more discreet. His initial reaction was, and I quote, "This thing is amazing!". That's high praise coming from him. He's now able to watch TV without cranking the sound to 100, and he can hear people talking clearly even if there is a lot of background noise. To summarize, this device is great and allows people with bad hearing to navigate everyday life with more comfort. I can only recommend the Pocketalker Ultra PKT D1.

When I first looked at this device I didn't quite know how it would work compared to just using hearing aids. This unit is perfect for people that just need to boost their hearing. Such as if you are watching a movie on the TV or maybe you are trying to listen to a conversation and need to boost the voices. This really worked well when watching TV and then someone was listening to music and I adjusted the tone control on the side of the unit and it seemed to block out the music. This unit is very easy to setup and use. It comes with headphones as well as earbuds. The connection is the standard 3.5mm mic jack so if you have other headphones/earbuds you can use them as well. It also comes with an audio cord extension (12 feet) so that you can use a external mic if you are trying to listen to a music performance or the TV. You can place the mic near the TV and you can then sit comfortably away from the TV but still be able to hear the sound. It comes with 2 AAA batteries but I have not tested how long they last to date but I have used the system for over 5 hours and the unit is still running great. The instructions say the battery life is 200 hours. This unit can be used for many uses to help boost hearing.

Picks up alllsurounding sounds to a fault. Drowns out sounds you are concentrating on. Other concerns also. Too many to write them all down. Sad to say this item is a dud.

The Williams Sound Pocketalker Ultra PKT D1 is a sound amplifier. The unit is gray and fits into the palm of your hand. The Pocketalker comes with 2 alkaline batteries, one manual/user guide, one pocket clip, one set of headphones, one lanyard, one earpiece, and an extension cord for the microphone. The manual had 3 sections for English, Spanish, and French. The unit is made from plastic. Take care when opening the battery compartment as it will crack. It was hard to open the first time. The lanyard has a reasonable length and is equipped with a latch. The headphones are very uncomfortable. They are adjustable, and have minimal padding. The 12-foot TV extension cord allows you to move the microphone closer to the TV, however it then becomes a tripping hazard. The earpiece is one size fits all and has no adjustability. The unit has user operated controls, one is for tone control and the other is on/off and volume control. There is no filtering, the unit amplifies every sound in the range of the microphone.

Excellent option for quick and easy hearing enhancement! I previously gave my dad a set of wireless hearing aids, and as expected, he has lost one of them God knows where. Being that they were $600, I found it to be a waste of a lot of money for small ear buds he could easily use. The Pockettalker is absolutely PERFECT for my dad! He actualy prefers this to the wireless hearing aid earbuds. A few quick pros and cons: PRO Comes with headphones; less likely to misplace Extended microphone (to hear others in conversation better) Lavalier mic option for conversation CONS Requires two AAA batteries so be prepared to stock up on this Only amplifies and does not mix sound It's also helpful to know that this is simply a sound AMPLIFIER; doesn't exactly do all that the hearing aid does, nor come with the nifty app to mix and control the sound. In other words, in addition to people's voices, you are also hearing amplified noise from all over the room, so other peoples conversations, the TV, the radio, whatever else, you are hearing more of those things too. Apart from all that though, this is truly a lifesaver for any empty nesters that have a generally quiet home now.

I ordered the Pocketalker specifically for use at work as I work in an office environment with a dozen or so employees in individual 6x6 ft cubicles, and the noise from the surrounding cubes often makes it difficult to understand the person in the one right next to me who I collaborate with often. I will cover the various features before giving a final verdict. The Pocketalker includes headphones and an ear bud, an extension for the microphone, and even batteries so it works right out of the box. Controls are very simple, 2 dials, one that turns it on and controls the volume, the other a tone dial that in my experience was useful for dialing in the specific frequency that was amplified the most. The device is mono only, which is fine; the main use for it is amplifying the voice you want to hear, although it works well for the television as well. I can verify that the device does what it is intended for; I can indeed hear my next door coworker more clearly when using the Pocketalker than without. It is especially useful when plugging in over the ear headphones rather than the buds or headphones included with the product; I used my Yamaha YH-E700A headphones which do an awesome job at muting sounds around me. While there are features I wish these had, I can understand leaving them off given the low price of the Pocketalker. Bluetooth connectivity to higher quality headphones would have been a welcome feature for sure, along with some form of noise cancelling that could filter out what was voice vs. what is just ambient noise. The only real issue I have with the Pocketalker is a constant “white noise” sound, regardless of the volume or tone setting selected, and regardless of what I have plugged in to the headphone jack (included headphones, ear bud, or my expensive Yahamas). If you have ever held a sea shell up to your ear and “heard the ocean”, that is what I hear through the Pocketalker in the background. Not as loud as the voice I am trying to hear, but loud enough to be a distraction. I have been in contact with their support people and there is a chance I simply have a faulty unit; I will post a follow up review should it be determined that the noise isn’t normal and a replacement device solves the problem. I therefore give the device 4/5 stars as a result of the noise, as well as the opportunities for improvement in future devices. I still recommend the Pocketalker, but I feel that expectations need to be tempered. Yes, there is improvement, but I don’t think you’re going to have a revolutionary improvement in your hearing by using these.

The Williams Sound Pocketalker Ultra Personal Amplifier is a small battery powered mono amplifier designed to aid those with and without hearing impairment better hear faint sounds. I have mild hearing impairment and wear hearing aids at times. My primary issue is understanding voices in a conversation in an atmosphere with lots of background noise. I have taken this amplifier to several restaurants that are often loud and therefore difficult for me to hear. Unfortunately, the restaurants I have been to since having this amplifier have been unusually quiet making the amplifier unnecessary. I have yet to be able to see how much it helps in a noisy environment. At home, it has been great to be able to leave the television at a very low volume level after my wife has gone to bed. The amplifier allows me to listen as loud as I wish while not disturbing her sleep. I also have a habit of turning the television volume way up when watching many of the BBC shows from Great Britain. While the volume level is the same as with American Television, I have difficulty understanding the accents. I have enjoyed listening to the birds through the amplifier at home and at the lake. I have also been made aware of racoons, squirrels and deer through noises I wouldn't have heard without the amplifier while listening for birds at the lake. The amplifier comes with a set of headphones and a single earbud. The headphones squeezed my large head a little too tightly to be comfortable and adjusting the size while wearing the headphones tended to trap hair in the sliding adjustment area. The single earbud worked fine for me. The amplifier set comes with a lanyard for wearing around the neck, a belt clip, a 12-foot microphone extension cord and a couple of microphone mounts with adhesive backs allowing you to mount the detachable microphone to a TV speaker or in an area of a vehicle that you have difficulty hearing the passengers. This unit will work with an optional neck loop for telecoil equipped hearing aids. The amplifier has volume and tone adjustment dials. The claimed battery life is 200 hours. Even though I have yet to get to try the amplifier in a noisy restaurant, which was my primary reason for getting it, I have enjoyed using it with the TV late nights and listening to nature in the forest and at home. The only reason I rate this 4 stars instead of 5 is that the headphones are uncomfortable on me and pull my short hair. Aside from the headphones, I love this amplifier

I am really happy with this product and I wasn't sure I would be. I kinda felt like it was old technology, but it proved itself in spades. Opening the box and the Pocketalker comes with a pair of headphones, a single earbud, the plug in microphone, a pair of aaa batteries, and a lanyard/neckrope. You can use rechargeable batteries if you like. Setup doesn't get much simpler for an old man like me. Plug in the headphone, plug in the mic, and turn it on. The volume knob is also the on off switch. A red light comes on that lets you know it is working and that's about it. For the testing part, I knew exactly what I needed this for. Now that I am starting to get older, the hearing is starting to slip. My wife is one of those people who talks incessantly while I am absorbed in a movie or tv show. It drives me up the wall. This device is PERFECT for my problem. I use the single earbud and I put it in the ear closest to her and I can tune her right out. It is brilliant. I just nod my head and it's she just keeps prattling away. I am not a fan of the headphones. They are straight from the 80's. Overall this product is great and works exactly as advertised.

I'll say right out of the gate, this is an interesting product. It has it's quirks, but it also has real-world applications that could benefit almost anyone, but especially those who don't want to go the route of a hearing-aide. If you're in a room with a lot of ambient noise, it not only amplifies the sounds you want to hear, but everything else as well. So, for instance, if the TV is on, and someone whispers in another part of the room - you not only hear the TV but you hear the whisper as well. The fact that it does this using only a pair of AA batteries is fantastic though, and they last several hours as well. Again though, you're amplifying EVERYTHING in the room. I could hear my clothes rustle as I moved in addition to my feet brushing the carpet and the person I was talking to as well. At some point too many sounds becomes sensory overload - I guess that's a trade-off though as without it I couldn't hear half of what I should. Overall a really good product though - your mileage may vary though!