Peak-clipping in induction loop systems

The decision to fit an induction loop system in many buildings is often dictated by cost, in particular that of the amplifier. In order to accommodate the peaks of speech the amplifier must be 4 times as powerful as that required for average speech. This often makes a profound difference to the cost and tips the balance against a loop being installed. Experience with two loops fitted for an audience of hard of hearing people where the peaks were clipped without any apparent loss of discrimination initiated this study. The findings showed that although high fidelity is to be preferred, peak clipping in loop systems can be tolerated without serious loss of intelligibility.