If you’ve never taken a river cruise before, there’s one – well, actually two – items in your stateroom that you may not recognize: the QuietVox audio system.
Sitting in a charger base on your desk or vanity area, these two battery-operated receivers come with two sets of headphones and are used on nearly all shore excursions offered by the cruise line. They’re exceedingly common in the river cruise industry, but QuietVox technology is just beginning to catch on in the deep-ocean cruising world.
Here’s how they work: The neck rope and headphones clip into the receiver, allowing you to carry the package in one go. I don’t want to look like a tourist, so I slip the receiver underneath my jacket and wire the single headphone up so that it comes out of my coat or collared shirt.
While the thought of wearing a receiver around your neck might take some getting used to, what doesn’t is how well these units work, and the level of freedom they provide you.
We’ve all been there at some point: Standing among a group of 30 in some cathedral that’s older than time, unable to hear as the guide strains to impart its diverse history on you in the time-honored “yell-whisper” that tour guides have perfected to a science. Equally frustrating can be standing in a large square, remaining clustered in that same large group, struggling to hear your guide over traffic, passersby and whatever else may come your way.
But with the QuietVox receiver and earpiece, you have the freedom to move about while on tour. Your guide will tell you to activate the headset by turning the receiver on, and standing in proximity to your guide ensures the set automatically picks up the proper frequency. After that, you just listen – it’s that simple.
The Quietvox gives you the ability to wander and go where you want to go and see what you want to see, all while being in constant contact with your guide, who can impart the history of a particular place on you, or tell you when the group is on the move again.
I enjoy taking photographs when I travel, but many times, this means wandering away from the group in order to get the shots I want and still be able to keep up with the tour. So I decided to test the wandering capabilities of the QuietVox in one of the most crowded places I could find: in front of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. I was able to walk nearly two blocks away and purchase some of the city’s iconic treats, dubbed Mozart Balls, from a chocolate shop.
I don’t advocate wandering too far from your tour unless you know the city you’re in – but in enclosed locations, like Europe’s many Cathedrals, this kind of technology enables you to truly do what you want and see what you’d like — all without ever stepping out of earshot.
wlmaurer says
There are Bluetooth devices that plug into a standard headphone jack that should open up the option to use Bluetooth headphones. They are often marketed for use on airplanes. They are rechargeable and the one I’ve used was certainly small enough and worked well.
Bob says
Earbuds are not compatible with hearing aids. Most hearing aids today are Bluetooth compatible, so it would be simple for us if our hearing aids could be Bluetooth connected to the Quitevox receiver or transmitter, just like we are Bluetooth connected to our smartphones. Is that something that is possible?
Kay says
Is there any way to plug in headphones to use with bilateral hearing aids?
Gail Olbur says
I wear two cochlear implants. They are not enough for a tour if I get shunted to the back and away from the speaker..2what can I use?
Gail Olbur says
I wear two cochlear implants. They are not enough for a tour if I get shunted to the back and away from the speaker..2what can I use?
I was told can be used, Quietvox, over hearing aids, not implants
Steve says
I wish they would provide a headset that is hearing aid compatible. The over the ear model is useless for those of us that need hearing aids. I would be willing to buy a headet that plugged into the Quietvox.
Karen Whaley says
I am going to take the Danube cruies in about 7 weeks. I am severely hearing impaired and earbuds usually don’t work for me. I have a smart phone and my hearing aids play right through the phone directly into my hearing aids! Does anyone know if I can make the quiet box compatible with my smart phone and actually hear right through my own hearing aids via the Iphone? That would be a Godsend!
Scott Johnson says
Did you receive any type of response?
We are looking for the same information.
RiverNoob says
This really is a game-changer. I recently took a river cruise that came with a bunch of included tours. I was really more interested in the ports than the tours for the exact reason you mentioned- staying in contact and earshot of the guide keeps me from making the photos I want and getting a better look at things.
Using the quietvox, I was able to wander long distances- out of visual range- from the group and not get lost because I could hear the exhibits and artifacts the guide was describing and could catch up when I wanted. I will absolutely use these again on my next cruise vacation.