I recently asked Phonak (Australia) this because I want to BT my “dumb” TV’s audio to my Phonak P-30R HAs. They advise BT 4.2 is the minumium requirement to do this (a local shop recently sold me a AD BT converter/transmitter that they claimed would do the job and it doesn’t) - has BT 4.1 Class II - I am currently “discussing” that with them.
Phonak also listed the technologies they use for various functions such as media streaming, phone calls, etc, but they didn’t state what version BT is in the HA, however others tell me the technologies they list are all in BT 5.0 by default, so that might be in the P-30R.
Oticon supports MFI for iPhone, and ASHA for android.
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Unfortunately you will not always find every feature you want in a pair of hearing aids that are right for you in every other way. The most important thing is for them to help you hear in the situations you most need them for. That is both a combination of the particular aids, your hearing loss, your hearing needs and most of all the programming abilities of the person fitting them. Try to find somewhere that has multiple brands and free trials. Hearing aids are expensive but if you just cherry pick the release version of features you want without considering the other advantages and disadvantages then you may not end up with the aids that best suit your needs. We all wish that the manufacturers would give us the features we want in the aids that give us the best sound but that does not always happen. That is why trials can be very important especially when you are new to aids.
Connectivity is obviously important to your listening needs and LowEnergy Bluetooth would be the best Bluetooth version but it isn’t really there yet for hearing aids - remember that new tech has to be small and fit inside the aids and be integrated. The big 6 brands don’t change their aids every time new tech is invented. It takes a while. With connectivity the bigger question these days is whether you are an iPhone user or android and whether you want any of the MiFi features. That may guide which aids you trial.
But always remember that the first job of your aids is to help you hear every day in the many situations you find yourself in.
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If I understand you correctly, you want to stream audio from your TV to your Phonak aids? If so, you’ll likely need the the Phonak TV Connector V2 to get the job done. I had a LOoooOoOOONG saga trying out various transmitter receivers to replace what I thought was a lame, short-distance Phonak TV streamer … turns out the aids will not stay paired + connected to other transmitter receivers - even those with Class 1 transmission of much greater distance. Why? Dunno!
I finally threw in the towel and went right back to the VERY over-priced Phonak TV Streamer. I paid $250 for that device vs $43 bucks for a top line transmitter receiver on BT 5 that I bought at Amazon. Total waste of time and money. Oh, and I pulled out half my hair, so now I need a wig.
Couldn’t agree with you MORE!!! That exactly nailed my own decision, and while I’m an audiophile, I traded off music (which my compression needs will probably never do tip-top) for speech comprehension. Not as sexy, but that’s what gets me through the day.
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I totally agree, what I want is word recognition, and the ability to keep up with conversations, at least one on one conversations. But so many times I am so frustrated because I have to try and guess my way through conversations and hope I am guessing correctly.
And I can honestly say the fault isn’t with my hearing aids, it is with my hearing loss. It has taken me about 20 years to come to the realization that hearing aids can only help me so much, but a great audiologist can take hearing aids to the best possible setting that the aids can provide but if I don’t explain what I am hearing and not hearing or understanding then the audiologist is flying blind.
Once a hearing impaired patient finally understands and accepts the facts that hearing aids are called aids for a reason, and understands that those aids can only help so much, then the patient is much better off.
When a patient has severe to profound hearing loss, and expects aids to give the patient a perfect hearing then that patient is setting up for a total failure.
The sooner we as hearing loss patients accept the fact that hearing aids are just fancier sound amplifiers and cannot perform miracles the better off we are as individuals with hearing loss, we may not be able to hear the way we want but we can accept our disabilities.
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Thanks for exposing me to some aspects I hadn’t been familiar with! In looking further, though, it seems that there’s a little more info on BT. In this article (Classic Bluetooth & Bluetooth Low Energy: What's The Difference? | by Ovyl), it makes is sound like “classic” BT is version 4 (4.2 or whatever), and BT LE is an energy-saving type of BT 4 that saves energy by going into sleep mode when it’s not being used, and is used for devices with limited battery storage. That would make sense as to why Phonak aids keep disconnection from the phone app, for instance.
The article goes on to explain that BT 5 is different than BT LE, in that BT 5 is twice as fast, can transfer 8 times as much data, has 4 times the range, and even has less power consumption. It sounds like it would be ideal for hearing aids.
One user here opined that these companies can’t be expected to keep up with all current technologies, which is not in itself objectionable. But BT 5 has been out since 2016, 7 years! Granted, hearing aids are more complex than cell phones, but they’re also 10 time the price of the phone I got more than a year ago that has BT 5.2!
It’s interesting to find, though, that even with the BT 5 that some aid companies use, they still don’t have the direct connectivity with other devices. Is is impressive that Phonak does. I’m becoming more curious about MFI, though - it sounds like some folks have even changed over to iPhone to take advantage of the connectivity there.
With the latest update for MyPhonak app you can choose that the Phonak hearing aids stay connected to the phone, as long as the MyPhonak app and bluetooth is active.
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Yesterday I received a pair of Orka Two HAs. US$1,899. The ad says it is suitable for moderately severe hearing loss. Bluetooth 5.3 and BLE. I programmed them using an iPhone app, which turned out to be close to my recent audiogram. Streaming from my iPhone is beautifully clear and clean, breaking up from my iMac, though. But, when it comes to phone compatibility, the other party can hear me beautifully when I talk via the HAs, but I can hardly hear the other party at all. I have a scheduled Zoom session with their tech in a few days, so perhaps that deficiency can be corrected because it is a non-starter for me (there is a 45-day return policy). I will report more in a new thread after I have a bit more experience with them.
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What made you do this? Orka Two never heard of them before obviously it wasn’t price, did you try Costco or others before checking these Orka out.
The online description looked interesting enough for me to try them out before returning within the 45-day window. I facilitate a hearing support group, and I am always looking for new things to introduce.
As for Costco, I still have a functional pair of KS-10s. And, I agree with the point that I think you are making: For even less money than these Orka’s, one can get a “real” HA and personal service at Costco.
But, again, I was just testing, albeit non-scientifically.
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Ok got ya, yes this would be good for anyone else you is considering these, let us know how you get on.
The iPhone hearing aid control screen is reachable almost instantly via triple-click of the side button. From there you can control volume, program, and equalizer if available, and see battery level (interpretation of battery level for zinc-air batteries is a whole separate discussion). It’s faster than even a good hearing aid app like ReSound’s. And it’s certainly better than a buggy app, and judging from this forum some hearing aid apps are pretty buggy.
You can also turn on Live Listen from that screen. It turns the iPhone into an assistive listening device AKA remote microphone, bringing the mic closer to the person who’s talking.
MFi includes the ability to make phone calls where received sound is sent to your hearing aids, and you talk into the iPhone mic. You might think this is obsolete now that aids, even MFi aids, have hands-free calling using the hearing aid mics to pick up your voice. But for phone calls the iPhone mic has better noise cancellation than the hearing aid mics, so some of us still prefer to use it instead of hands-free.
Oddly, my Phonak Lumity Life aids are permanently paired + connected to my Android Samsung Flip-4 phone. I have two identical sets of aids, and the minute I put in one pair or the other, I can instantly make or receive streamed phone calls without doing one thing. I don’t have to launch BT, then find that set of aids in the list, click it, turn AUDIO ON, etc., It just happens. I don’t have the MyPhonak app on my phone yet.
@1Bluejay Sorry, but my post were bit misleading. The Phonak aids have a classic bluetooth and also LE Bluetooth , if you check in the bluetooth settings you will find three entries for the aids
- one Audio Connection (for streaming to the master hearing aid) no App needed
- two LE-connections (Low Energy Bluetooth for changing settings in left/right aid via MyPhonak App)
The single Bluetooth connection via “Audio Connection” to the Phone is always on, after the aids were initially paired. The pairing process need to be done once and then it is finaly paired and aids are permanently paired. This is the classic bluetooth and is for audio streaming, this also include phone calls. You are right that one is able to instant make or receive streamed phone calls without doing a thing. You just to make sure that bluetooth in the phone is enabled. Thats it.
The MyPhonak App is NOT needed for streaming.
The thing with the MyPhonak app is that the App uses the two LE-bluetooth connections for editing settings in the hearing aids. With the older versions of the app the LE-connections to left/right were always droped after you leave the app, or the app were put in the back, or the phone going to sleep.
Prior the newest update of the MyPhonak app the LE connection always needed a view seconds to establish the connection to the hearing aids, and whenever you opened the app there were a notice “connecting” and you had to wait a bit before you could edit settings in the aids.
With the new update of MyPhonak App you have the option, to enable “always connected”, and with that option ON the App is always connected to the hearing aids, so you don’t need to wait for connect when you open the App.
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Go to Costco first and take your audiogram or let Costco test you and use their long trial period
OK - that is very helpful to know! I may some day have that MyPhonak app dowloaded to my phone. I’d put it on a year ago when I bought the Paradise (which I traded in under trial for the Lumity Life), and it was the odd LE-Phonak that fuddled me. So I removed it. Now that I know its purpose it makes sense. Thanks!
BT compatibility was a big deal for me, so Phonak was a clear winner. I am super satisfied in how BT in the Phonak aids works seamlessly across Apple, Android, TVs, laptops, my garmin watch, etc.
I consider them my most expensive earbuds, because I use them that way everyday, in addition to helping me hear.
I would prefer any other device with Bluetooth 5.3 to Phonak, for future compatibility with Auracast and BLE Audio. Phonak have old Bluetooth 4.2 with backward Bluetooth 2 compatibility.
Yes plus LE Audio will be backwards compatible with some devices and is true wireless stereo broadcast, this is a game changer for sure, I wouldn’t bother with anything that is 4.2 now. LE Audio is expected to be up to 50% of the market in the next few years, for HAs/hearables it’ll be far more then that.
Phonak tried to get around the limitations of 4.2 by using the “master/slave” set up, too power hungry, dual streaming will minimise power consumption plus latency as well.
I’ve even heard that 5.2 could be “updated” to accept LE Audio as well, so I guess even more devices could be used.