Acousticon A-152 (International) Vacuum Tube Hearing Aid
The Acousticon A-152 (International) hearing aid was produced by
Dictograph Products, Inc. of New York in 1950.
It featured a case of gold anodized aluminum. The hearing aid measured 3⅛” by 2⅜” by 13/16” and
weighed 5˝ oz. with the batteries installed.
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
 
|
| |
|
|
The Acousticon A-152 showing the volume control/on-off switch (top left corner), the
receiver cord plug (center) and the tone control (top right).
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
The Acousticon A-152 was powered by a 1.4 volt
RM-3 "A" cell
and a 22˝ volt
505E
"B" battery. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Rear view of the Acousticon A-152. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
The Acousticon A-152 with an air conduction receiver and ear mold.
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Close-up of the Acousticon A-152 receiver and receiver cord plug. Notice
the rather unusual flat prongs used in this model, rather than the
typical round pins used in most other hearing aids of this time. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
Top view of the Acousticon A-152 showing the unusual flat-pronged
receiver cord plug and and corresponding jack on the top of the hearing
aid (center).
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
The Acousticon A-152 could also come with a bone conduction transducer. A head band (not shown) held the
transducer tight to the bone behind the ear which allowed the wearer to
hear via bone conduction. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Bottom view of the Acousticon A-152 showing the serial number. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Right side view of the Acousticon A-152 showing two plugged holes. The
plastic plugs could be removed so you could plug in a couple of optional
devices (see below). |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Right side view of the Acousticon A-152 showing the two holes where you could plug in either a "Radion" radio
receiver (see below) or an external microphone (see bottom 2 pictures). |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
The Acousticon A-152 with the Radion attached to the right side of
the hearing aid.
Click here for more information on the Acousticon Radion. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Another most interesting feature of the Acousticon A-150 (and also
the A-90, A-100, A-152) was that instead of plugging in the Radio, you
could also plug in an external microphone that looked just like a wrist
watch. This allowed you to keep the body aid hidden--because the sound
would then be picked up by the microphone hidden in the watch-like
casing. A cord ran up the sleeve to the hearing aid in an inside pocket.
Here is an ad (bottom left corner) for this "Wrist-Ear" external
microphone published in the Sunday Morning edition of The Democrat and
Leader newspaper of Davenport, Iowa on July 17, 1949. |
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
|
Here is a close-up of this ad so you can read it easier.
Here is a link to a photo of the actual "Wrist
Ear" in the Kenneth W. Berger Hearing Aid Museum.
|
 |
Click picture for larger view |
| |
|
(If a larger picture doesn't appear, you may have to
turn your pop-up blocker off)
|
|
|
