The Maico Diagnostics Detective Audiometer is a purpose-built pediatric and school-age pure-tone screening instrument designed to quickly identify hearing loss in children with minimal setup and maximum ease of use. Engineered with both manual and automated audiometry modes, the Detective allows trained screeners to conduct air-conduction threshold testing across ten standard frequencies — from 250 Hz through 8,000 Hz — with results displayed on an onboard LCD screen. The automatic Hughson-Westlake style protocol (10 dB down / 5 dB up) establishes thresholds efficiently while the screener attends to other tasks, making this an ideal solution for school health programs, pediatric clinics, and pediatricians' offices.
The instrument features voiced instructions delivered through the patient's TDH-39 headset in English or Spanish, guiding children through the test process with minimal examiner intervention. Error detection logic automatically identifies and reacts to common pediatric testing pitfalls such as false responses, button-holding, and no-response conditions — prompting corrective voice messages and flagging errors on the display. The screener retains full override capability, allowing seamless transition from automated to manual pure-tone presentation at any point during testing.
A built-in serial interface connects to the included thermal printer, which ships as a standard component of the Detective system. Results from individual sessions or the complete on-board database can be printed on demand. The patient database stores results by auto-assigned or custom ID numbers up to nine digits, and the display can be set to show either an audiogram view or tabular format for immediate result interpretation. Display contrast, frequency selection, automatic start level, pause length, pulse-tone mode, and multiple retest configurations are all user-adjustable through an on-device menu.
Constructed to ANSI S3.6 Tone Audiometer Class 4 standards and compliant with IEC/EN 60601-1 Class I electrical safety requirements, the Detective operates on 100–240V universal AC input, making it suitable for international deployment. The matched TDH-39 headset is factory-calibrated to its specific instrument; replacement requires recalibration by an authorized Maico service center. An optional carrying case and optional loudspeaker output are available for field use, and the instrument should receive an annual calibration per manufacturer and regulatory guidelines.
For secondary market buyers and resellers, the Detective represents a strong value proposition in school nursing, hearing health screening programs, and private practice audiology support settings. Key value considerations include the presence of the matched TDH-39 headset, an intact thermal printer with power supply and cable, current calibration certificate status, and overall cosmetic condition of both the main unit and the printer.
