Featuring revolutionary new sound performance and full interactive functionality, all-new guide-U is a sleek, elegant tour guiding system that is suitable for use at every type of visitor destination; from tourist attractions and museums to exhibition centers and production plants.

This next-generation guide-U offers the best sound quality in the industry and with its flexible configuration options suits all group sizes and situations,” says Evert Dijkstra, Managing Director of Phonak Communications. “We are confident it will more than meet the needs of tourist sites and visitor centers for many years to come.”

guide-U employs Phonak’s celebrated Dynamic Speech Extractor technology. Optimized for use with guide-U’s new presenter boom-mic, this provides industry-leading speech sound quality, even in potentially noisy environments such as tourist hot-spots or factories.

Dynamic Speech Extractor identifies and separates out speech sounds from the surrounding ambient noise, automatically adjusting the output of each visitor’s audio to provide the clearest contrast against these potentially distracting sounds. The result is an enhanced listening experience that only guide-U can provide.

guide-U now also enables interactive group discussion, allowing additional presenters and visitors to join in the discussion by broadcasting their comments directly to other receiver-wearers. Thanks to its support of Phonak’s proprietary MultiTalker Network, up to 9 additional transmitter microphones - including a new visitor-friendly passaround microphone - can interact alongside guide-U’s primary transmitter (used by the group’s guide or leader).

The full guide-U system features one or more speech transmitters (up to 10 in total), while  visitors wear the elegant guide-U receiver around the neck and can choose between traditional headphones or guide-U’s alternative ‘around-the-ear’ headset. Thanks to guide-U being a multi-frequency platform several guide-U groups can easily operate in the same area. A public area transmitter, the TX300V, is also available, allowing guide-U to be permanently installed in public venues such as theatres and houses of worship.

The all-new guide-U is available in  summer 2010.

guide-U is currently the wireless tour guide system of choice at numerous sites around the world, including: BMW Welt (Munich Germany), Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (Fort Worth, TX, U.S.) U.N. Visitor Center (New York), Guinness Brewery (Dublin, Ireland), US Capitol Visitor Center (Washington D.C.), Roman Baths (Bath, England), Museum of Orsay (Paris), Dresden’s State Art Collection and many more.

Download the press release (.doc)

About Phonak Communications AG

Phonak Communications AG, a subsidiary of the Sonova Group, has been specializing in the development, design, production and distribution worldwide of ultra miniaturized wireless systems since 1992. By combining its expertise in hearing technology with ongoing research at the highest level, Phonak Communications AG has succeeded in making substantial advances in the field of wireless communication systems from its development and production base in Switzerland.

Matthew Wade
Tel:+41(0)26 672 92 85
Fax:+41(0)26 672 33 44
Email: matthew.wade@anti-clutterphonak.com

Phonak Communications AG
Länggasse 17
CH - 3280 Murten
Tel: +41 (0)26 672 96 72
Fax: +41 (0)26 672 96 77

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