Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" Vacuum Tube Hearing Aid
The Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid was made by
the Mears Radio-Hearing Device Corp—Micro-Electronic Products, Inc. of Boston, MA in 1947.
This 3-vacuum tube hearing aid measured 4¼” x 2⅝” x ¾” thick (10.8 x
6.8 x 1.9 cm). Without batteries, it
weighed 3.7 oz. (106 g).
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Front view of the Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube
hearing aid showing the
attractive microphone grill design of a fleur de lis above a shield
design. The yellow grill cloth indicated that this aid had a magnetic
microphone. (A red grill cloth would indicate it contained a crystal
microphone.)
The case came in three colors—beige, ivory or black. |
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Top view of the Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube
hearing aid showing the
on-off/3-position tone control (left) and the volume control wheel
(right).
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Top view of the Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube
hearing aid showing the receiver cord pins unplugged. Note that they
were not yet contained in a single plug as became the standard in the
following years.
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Rear view of the Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube
hearing aid showing the rare rounded pocket clip.
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Bottom view of the Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube
hearing aid showing the piano hinge for the battery compartment. One
unusual feature of this hearing aid was that the front (rather than the
back) swung down to reveal the battery compartment.
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Inside view of the front cover of the Mears Aurophone Model 200
"Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid showing the name and model molded in
the plastic near the top. It reads, "Model 200 Pat. Pend'g/AUROPHONE/Mears
Radio-Hearing Device Corp./New York, N.Y. Made in U.S.A."
The serial number (58435) is stamped into the plastic on the right
side of the label.
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At the bottom of the battery compartment door is an instruction label.
(It appears upside down in the above picture.) It is shown here right
side up and enlarged.
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Inside view of the battery compartment of the Mears Aurophone Model 200
"Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid showing the volume control (top
left), the power transformer (top center) and the on-off/tone control
(top right). Below that is the square microphone. Underneath the
microphone are 3 vacuum tubes. This hearing aid takes three batteries,
one "A" battery on each side of the microphone and the "B" battery below
it.
The label at the back of the "B" battery compartment again gives the
name and model, "Standard Aurophone Model 200". In addition to the
"Standard" model, there were also "Deluxe" and "Super Deluxe" models
(not shown). |
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Inside view of the left side of the Mears Aurophone Model 200 "Standard"
vacuum tube hearing aid showing a vacuum tube sandwiched below the large
square microphone.
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Inside view of the right side of the Mears Aurophone Model 200
"Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid showing another vacuum tube
sandwiched below the microphone.
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View of the battery compartment of the Mears Aurophone Model 200
"Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid. This hearing aid used two 1½ volt "A" batteries
such as the
Eveready 1015E and a 22½ volt "B" battery such as the
Eveready
412E shown in place. It was not common to have 2 "A" batteries in
a hearing aid.
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Close-up view of the back of the receiver of the Mears Aurophone
Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid. Note that the plug almost
burieds itself inside the receiver. |
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Close-up view of the back of the receiver and the plug. Note that the
plug has flattened pins rather than the usual round ones.
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Close-up view looking into the socket of the receiver of the Mears
Aurophone Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid. In the back, you
can just see the jacks for the flat pins. |
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Close-up view of the front of the receiver of the Mears Aurophone
Model 200 "Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid showing the nubbin that the
ear mold snaps to. The center hole conducts the sound into the ear mold.
Another interesting feature of this receiver is that the nubbin is
offset from the center. This is quite rare in receivers.
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Side view of the ear mold and receiver of the Mears Aurophone Model 200
"Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid shown snapped together.
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Shown here are the ear mold and receiver of the Mears Aurophone Model
200 "Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid unsnapped.
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The Mears Aurophone Model
200 "Standard"
vacuum tube hearing aid in its original case.
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Close-up of the imprint on the inside of the lid of the case in which the Mears Aurophone Model
200 "Standard"
vacuum tube hearing aid came.
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Outside view of the case in which the Mears Aurophone Model 200
"Standard" vacuum tube hearing aid came.
The box measured 7⅛" x 3⅛" x 1⅜" (18 x 8.1 x 3.5 cm).
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