1950’s Zenith “Phone Magnet” Hearing Aid
The Zenith Phone Magnet was an accessory for one of Zenith’s early transistor hearing aids. Its purpose was to make it easier for the wearer to use a telephone while wearing their hearing aid.
At the time, telephone receivers were electromagnetic, and when held close to a hearing aid’s microphone, they could cause feedback or distortion. The “phone magnet” solved this by acting as an induction coil that picked up the magnetic signal directly from the telephone receiver and transmitted it to the hearing aid’s input, giving the user a clearer sound.
It plugged into the hearing aid via a small connector or could sometimes be used with a switch that toggled between “mic” and “telephone” modes.
