Mike Lyle writes
My mother doesn't get on too well with her digital thing. Somebody in
alt.usage.english once mentioned that people he knew were very happy
with some kind of cheap mini-amplifier from Tandy. Unfortunately, he's
a no-archive exponent, and doesn't seem to be around at present. Does
anybody happen to know what he meant? I'd very much like to get one for
my mother to try.

My late mother had something simple that sounds as if it might be sold
by Tandy here - a sort of amplifier with a box and an earplug. Sadly I
don't know the make - it was bought in the States but was, I think,
German. She got on very well with it (and the neighbours stopped
complaining about her TV!). I tried it from the window of her flat, and
the birdsong I could hear was beyond belief! - This isn't much help, I'm
afraid, specifically for the Tandy one, but if it is similar, then that
sort of thing can work very well for someone who doesn't move around
much (because of the box).

--
Klara, Gatwick basin