Recommended Telephones

Using the Telephone Reader system can mean long periods of listening to the telephone. For your comfort, you might consider using a speakerphone or headset telephone. This page offers some suggestions for good quality telephones at reasonable prices.

 

SPEAKERPHONES

Most speakerphones require an outboard power supply. Such phones cause problems, mainly that they won't work when the power is off, and they require an outlet close to the telephone hookup. The speakerphones listed here DO NOT require a power supply. They run off the current supplied by the telephone company, and will work fine when you have a power failure, even retaining the programmed phone numbers in memory. 

AT&T CL2909 Corded Speakerphone - Caller ID, 100 Number Phonebook Director 
This phone can be wall mounted or sit flat on a table. Your favorite phone numbers can be programmed in. The cost is $24.99 from Tiger Direct. 

AT&T 927 Corded Speakerphone 
This phone offers most of the features of the CL2909 above, except Caller I.D. It's only $14.00 from Amazon.com. 
 

HEADSET TELEPHONES

For privacy and to avoid annoying others, and for greatly increased clarity, you might consider using headphones to listen to Telephone Reader. 

XACT COMMUNICATIONS XG2500 Cordless Headset Telephone This is a very small cordless headset telephone, which can easily be worn/carried to wherever you're most comfortable. $38.99 from Amazon.com. 

Panasonic KX-TGA290B 2.4 GHz FHSS GigaRange Cordless Handset This is a standard cordless phone. It comes with a replacement battery. For extended listening, it can be switched to speakerphone mode, so you can carry it anywhere, lay it down and listen. Or, you can use the built in jack to plug in a headset for headphone listening. It's $31.97 from Amazon.com. 
 

HEADPHONES

Almost all cordless phones and even cell phones contain a standard headset jack. (Many cell phones, however, require a proprietary adapter to plug in headsets.) There are large and small headsets, including some tiny earbuds. Generally, the bigger the headset and its speaker, the better the sound. 

Panasonic Cordless Phone Headset 
This is a good quality headset at a low price, $19.88 at Walmart.com. The headset can be shipped to your local Walmart store for free, in case the store does not carry it. 

Plantronics M214C Headset with Adjustable Volume 
This headset includes a volume control inline. The price is $14.76 at Amazon.com.

Telephone Reader is a part of the Audio Reader network, a reading and information service for blind, visually impaired, and print disabled individuals in Kansas and western Missouri.