We Tested 4 Tour Guide Systems in Noisy Environments: Here’s Our Review

I hear it every day. “We have to yell at our tour guests to be heard. Even then, the message doesn’t always get through.”

Yelling to be heard doesn’t leave a great impression; even more concerning are safety risks. 

Without an audio tour guide system, some plant tour operators don’t feel comfortable having more than a couple of people on a tour at once. Any more than that and the group has to huddle around the tour guide to hear, potentially stepping outside safe zones rather than following in a single file. And it goes without saying that exposure to loud environments can lead to hearing loss.

Plant tour guide systems can eliminate these challenges, but choosing the right audio equipment can be confusing because there are a lot of options and no one-size-fits-all solution. To help, here’s my personal tour guide system review of the top four options.

RELATED: Successful Plant Tour Planning Tips

Plant Tour Guide System Review: Noisy Environments

I’m fortunate to be able to offer several tour guide system options so that I can recommend the one that works best for a given situation. Once I talk through your needs and learn more about your facility, we’ll narrow down the options and I can send you a customized demo kit for you to try for yourself.

That said, here are the top four tour guide systems I usually recommend followed by an overview of each one.

#1 ListenTalk Tour Guide System

One of the reasons the ListenTalk tour guide system is often a top pick for manufacturing plant tours is its sound quality and ability to cut through loud workplaces. The microphone has a background noise sensitivity setting that can be adjusted to match the environment and support meeting Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) requirements. Not all systems have that, and it can be a game changer. The ListenTalk system also feels rugged and substantial, providing guests with a quality experience.

Noise-canceling headset options help block out surrounding noise to further enhance the experience. Some tour guide operators prefer to keep this function turned off, however, so guests can experience a portion of the environmental sounds. 

Another big factor is whether a tour guide wants to field questions in real-time. ListenTalk has two-way communication capabilities that allow tour guests to ask questions with the push of a button. This function alone makes it a top pick for many.

ListenTalk features at a glance:

• Two-way and one-way communication
• Rugged and professional 
• Top sound quality
• Adjustable microphone and noise-canceling options
• Language interpretation mode for international guests
• Encrypted audio for privacy and security
• Near-field communication (NFC) pairing capabilities
• Rental, purchase and demo options

#2 Williams AV Digi-Wave

The Williams AV Digi-Wave system is often a go-to for government agencies and specific manufacturing applications. In fact, they often specify the use of this system in their RFPs. It’s similar to ListenTalk but without some of the bells and whistles. For example, it doesn’t feature Near-field communication (NFC) pairing capabilities.

It’s a rugged system that can be equipped with safety-rated headphones. It’s a no-nonsense system that gets the job done for those who need two-way communication. Because it is industrial strength, it’s suitable for harsh environments where durability is a must, but that also comes at a premium.

Another difference with the Digi-Wave system is that it doesn’t have a rental option. So, if you’re looking for a short-term rental for a special event, I’d likely recommend ListenTalk as the most comparable system.

Williams AV Digi-Wave features at a glance:

• Two-way and one-way communication
• Industrial strength
• NRR-rated headset options
• Top sound quality
• Adjustable microphone and noise-canceling options
• Language interpretation mode for international guests
• Encrypted audio for privacy and security
• Purchase and demo options

#3 Sennheiser Tour Guide System

Another great option is the Sennheiser tour guide system. Like ListenTalk, it exudes quality and is a recognized brand. Its biggest difference is that it only offers one-way communication. That’s a deal breaker for some manufacturing facility tours while others prefer to maintain a tight schedule and hold questions until the end.

An advantage of the Sennheiser system is that it is a simple, all-in-one wireless device that uses a stethoscope and it can be worn with a hard hat. It does not allow operators to fine-tune the microphone, but it does offer a handheld microphone option, unlike the ListenTalk system.

Sennheiser features at a glance:

• One-way communication
• Rugged and professional 
• Top sound quality
• Handheld microphone option
• Rental, purchase and demo options

#4 TGS-900 Implecho Audio System

The TGS-900 Implecho Audio System works best in manufacturing environments with lower decibel ratings. While it’s typically not suitable for heavy industrial plants, it is sometimes preferred for being the most cost-effective option.

Like the Sennheiser, it is a one-way system that offers a handheld microphone or headsets. It has completely wireless headphones with built-in receivers and simple controls, making it one of the easiest-to-use systems.

This system is coming out with bone-conduction headphone options that could make it highly effective in noisy environments. Bone-conduction technology allows users to wear earplugs and still hear the message clearly. The addition of this technology has the potential to boost the TGS-900 Implecho Audio System into the #2 spot. We’ll update you when that becomes available.

TGS-900 Implecho Audio System features at a glance:

• One-way communication
• Economical
• Handheld microphone option
• Bone conduction receivers (coming soon)
• Bluetooth transmitters
• Wireless speakers
• Rental, purchase and demo options

Test the Systems for Yourself

When I speak with someone at a manufacturing company about their tour guide system needs, I ask a lot of questions to drill down which system will likely work best. For example, if you require hard hats with hearing protection for your workers, that will generally inform how much noise we need to overcome and it gives us a baseline. 

Sometimes it’s clear-cut and a single system rises to the top based on our conversation. Other times, it might come down to two. Either way, we like to send demo kits for you to try them in your actual setting, along with various headsets.

How does a demo kit work? After exploring your needs, we’ll customize a demo kit with just the right accessories and send it out. Our demos are completely free; we even pay for round-trip shipping. Once your demo units arrive, we follow up and walk you through how to use them and answer questions virtually or in person. You can try them out for two weeks or so and play around with the configurations until you feel comfortable with your decision. 

If you have a tour in a couple of weeks, you might wonder whether you have enough time to request a demo. In a pinch, we can get you a demo kit the next day. The process is quick and easy, and it actually can save time and money in the end. In the same way that we can get you a demo overnight, we can get you an entire system just as quickly. 

RELATED: Tour Guide System Demo Kits: How Do They Work?

Hopefully, this breakdown of each system gives you a starting point to narrow down your options. But you still might not be sure about which headphones or accessories are best. I’d love to talk more and customize a demo kit so you can try them out for yourself. Contact me or anyone on our team to start the process and explore your options, pricing and more.