Whispers Communication for tour?

Posted by monica (Corralitos, CA) on 09/12/25 02:57 PM

I looking at older post and wondering if anyone had more recent info about the communication system Whispers on a tour. My hearing aids have blue tooth capability and I called Whispers they said they could be paired with it, but the comment below suggest otherwise. Is there an easy work around if its not blue tooth campatible? Don't want to lose them taking them in and out.

Thanks

"While Whispers does not connect directly to hearing aids via Bluetooth, you can absolutely use your own headphones by plugging them into the Whispers device with a cable.
This setup will still allow you to get the full benefit of the system."

Posted by Laura

Virginia, USA

09/12/25 04:04 PM

6270 posts

The whispers used on my last tour used earbuds/headphones with a 3.5 mm jack. One of the tour members with hearing aids brought their own over the ear headphones with a 3.5mm jack to use with the whispers.

There are bluetooth adapters with a 3.5mm jack that you can buy. People typically use them on the plane. Here is a discussion about the whispers that might be useful:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/tours/whisper-systems

Posted by renee

Minnesota

09/12/25 04:33 PM

667 posts

I wear hearing aids. I find that the best method for me is to remove one aid and put it safely in a case in my crossbody bag. Then I wear the whispers earpiece (or my own over-the-ear earpiece, which I find more comfortable) in that ear. I can adjust the volume so I hear quite well. The hearing aid in my other ear allows me to hear sounds on the street, etc.

Sometimes the guide has an over-the-ear earpiece available, but not always, so I bought one on Amazon. Some people find that they can wear this over their hearing aid. I don’t find that very comfortable, hence I remove one hearing aid.

There is a gadget called an AirFly that can be plugged into the Whispers and which will make it Bluetooth compatible, However the AirFly will not pair with all brands of hearing aids. It will work with AirPods. I tried this once and found that there was a slight delay that caused an echo if I was standing very near the guide. This was very annoying, so I went back to the system described above.

Posted by monica OP

Corralitos, CA

09/12/25 05:44 PM

196 posts

Thank you so much, this info is very helpful. really appreciate it

Posted by dootle

Palmetto State USA

09/12/25 06:54 PM

62 posts

HI, just fyi when you say you called Whispers for info, I just wanted to share ...on all the RS tours 'Ive been on(except Portugal) the device brand was "Vox". I think the term whisper set gets used generically, and as you indicate, there is a brand called Whisper. We were just on one of the England tours and they were Vox branded. The guide had over the ear ear pieces as an option. Personally, I bring my own wired ear buds as they fit me much better than the cheapie standard "in ear" buds they provide. We did have some folks using blue tooth transmitters attached to the Vox , but would encourage you to call the Rick Steve's office for your specific tour date.