Hugh Hetherington Hearing Aid Museum
Hugh Hetherington Hearing Aid Museum

The Hearing Aid Museum

Hearing Aids of all types—Ear Trumpets, Carbon Hearing Aids, Vacuum Tube Hearing Aids, Transistor Hearing Aids, Body Hearing Aids, Eyeglass Hearing Aids and much more!

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Click on the "General Information" button (top button above) for an overview and general information on this category of hearing aid.

 

Carbon Hearing Aids: 1900-1939

Acousticon Dining Table Model Carbon Hearing Aid

The Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid was manufactured around 1908-1910 by the General Acoustic Company, which later became Dictograph Products, Inc. of New York, NY.

This unique triangular-shaped table-top hearing aid had double carbon microphones on each of its three sides in order to pick up conversations all around a dining room table.

Constructed of beautiful solid oak, the case measured 7⅛" on each side and stood 7½" high. It weighed 2½ pounds without the battery.

The battery shown here (right side) is a 4½ volt Acousticon No. 57 Hearing Aid battery. This is not the original battery, but a later one (shown here for comparison purposes).

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View of the left side of the Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid showing the volume control (upper left), earphone jacks (lower left) and lid fastener (upper right). The earphone on headband is in the lower left corner.

 

 

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View of the right side of the Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid. Note the fastener (upper left), one of two that held the lid closed, and the battery jacks (lower right).

 

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Close-up of the battery plugs and "Battery" name plate on the bottom right corner of the right side of the Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid.

Incidentally, you could either use a small battery internally, or plug in an external battery to these jacks. Internally, battery cables are wired to these battery jacks.

 

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Back view of the Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid, showing the hinged top.

The double carbon microphones used in this hearing aid were almost identical to the carbon microphones used in the Acousticon Model "D".

The double carbon microphones measured 5 ⅞" by 3⅜" by 15/16" thick.

 

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Top view of the Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid with the lid open.

 

 

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View of the inside of the Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid, showing the three double carbon microphones—one on each side.

The volume control is the flat metal assembly in the upper left corner.

 

 

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Close-up of the name plate on the inside of the lid of the Acousticon Dining Table Model carbon hearing aid, showing the model and serial number (37759) so a fair number of these hearing aids must have been made, although very few seem to have survived to the present.

 


 

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