Connecting Oticon Real to Mac Via Connect Clip and Sennheiser BTD800 Dongle

Hearing Aids
#1

Hi all,

I have Oticon Reals and have a Macbook Pro (mid 2014) running Macos Big Sur 11.7.4.

My Oticon Clip works fine as a remote mic and my Reals work great with my iPhone and iPad. However, the Reals / Oticon Clip cut out sporadically when connected to my Mac. The Reals pair and connect without problem to the Mac (after I shut down Bluetooth on my iPad and iphone), but the audio cuts out quite a bit.

The Oticon documentation recommends using a Sennheiser BTD800 Dongle as an additional intermediary to stabilize the connection between Reals and Mac. I don’t mind spending the extra $70, but would like to make sure the solution will work.

Has anyone used the Sennheiser BTD800 dongle to solve a connection issue with the Reals or other Oticon HA?

I do realize connecting to a Windows laptop probably works without problem. What I’m really interested in has anyone used the Sennheiser dongle / Connect Clip / Reals or other Oticon HAs to connect to a Mac.

Thanks so much!

#2

Yes, I have used a BTD800 that was supplied with my ConnectClip with an iMac Pro (2017 model now running Ventura 13.4.1 (c)). I had problems with audio cutting out when I tried to use the built-in Bluetooth (BCM_4364B0) in the iMac with OPN 1 and later, OPN S 1 aids. The same ConnectClip and aids worked fine with a MacBook Pro 15" from 2016 (Model MacBookPro13,3) without using the BTD800. When I asked about the poor audio with the ConnectClip at my provider, she called Oticon Tech Support. The person at Oticon told us to use the BTD800 if there were connection problems and that typically desktop machines had more issues than notebooks.

I still use the BTD800 if I use the ConnectClip but I typically use closed back, around the ear, wired headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 770 pro) with my iMac. My More 1 aids have vented molds and I don’t have any feedback issues with the headphones. The headphones provide significant passive noise reduction which helps, especially with AC fans and such (it was 109 F today in Tucson :frowning:). They also have better low frequency performance than the aids so things sound better to me with the headphones.

Note - your connection issue may not be because of your Mac. Many users of More and Real aids and ConnectClips have had issues unless the More aids have an older 1.3 firmware version. Newer 1.4.X firmware versions for the More seem to cause streaming problems with the ConnectClip. Oticon has apparently told others that they have identified the issue for Real aids that will be fixed with a firmware update.

Good luck solving your issue.

#3

Thanks so much for this extremely useful response.

I had read previous posts about the firmware issues with the Connect Clip but was hoping they weren’t biting me here since the Connect Clip was functioning well as a remote mic.

It seems from your experience that the BTD800 does solve the audio cut out problem, but that I might get lucky by upgrading the MacOS and getting a more friendly Bluetooth version. I’ll probably try that. Not sure there’s a way to discretely upgrade just the BT version on Mac.

I am curious about your over the ear headphones. Are you just using the 3.5mm port on your Mac? Also, if you use the headphones with an iPhone does using an adapter on the iPhone (since iPhones don’t have 3.5mm jacks anymore) affect the sound quality? One last question: do I need Genie to figure out my current firmware level on the Connect Clip?

I’ve always had larger HAs but the Reals are so powerful and small that trying headphones is now possible. Your headphones have fantastic reviews and I’d love the extra bass. I just wish they also had a mic for Zoom and Skype calls.

Thanks again for your help and TIA if you have time to answer my questions.

#4

How were you able to pair the Bluetooth with the BTD800?

It seems when the Mac does Bluetooth pairing it uses the built-in Bluetooth even with the BTD800 inserted in the USB port.

#5

I have no idea if it is possible to update firmware and drivers separately on a Mac. I would try updating macOS to the latest version that you MacBook can use. OS updates have changed the Bluetooth firmware version several times on my iMac. That might make a difference with your MacBook if the firmware is updated.

I plug the headphones into the port on the iMac. I typically don’t use the headphones with my iPhone but I do have the tiny (easy to lose) lightning to headphone adapter from Apple. I also have the very similar USB-C to headphone adapter for my iPad Pro but I typically just use my hearing aids with the iPhone or iPad. With my tin ears I probably would not be a good judge of whether the adapter affects the sound quality. There are battery powered headphone amps that one could use with a phone and high quality headphones but I expect I wouldn’t notice a benefit although others might.

I don’t know of a way to find out the firmware version of the ConnectClip other than Genie. I use Boot Camp on my iMac to run Windows 10 and Genie works with that setup. There is an upgrade tool in Genie that can check and update (if needed) the firmware in the ConnectClip or the TV Adapter 3. You just plug in the appropriate USB cable to the Mac and the Clip (or TV adapter) and turn on the Clip. Then select the device in the upgrade tool and it reports the current version and offers an upgrade if needed.

Note that the firmware of the BTD800 can also be upgraded. You use the EPOS Connect application to do that. I’ve always done that in Windows as previous versions for macOS have been problematic. There have been lots of updates over the years I’ve had the BTD800 - most are for new device support (typically headset) but some are bug fixes. My BTD800 (original USB-A version - there is a newer USB-C version) is at Firmware 2.17.16 and Software 7.6.1.42114 according to the current macOS version of EPOS Connect.

#6

I’m not sure about your first question.

I am NOT an expert in macOS or the sound system, just a user who has some experience. I would suggest doing a clean setup of the ConnectClip and BTD 800 - something like the following should work:

  1. Clear all the Bluetooth pairings in the ConnectClip (press and hold the Multi-button, Volume Up AND Volume Down for 10 seconds) and then turn off the ConnectClip
  2. In bluetooth settings in the Mac, Forget the ConnectClip to remove the existing pairing if it exists
  3. Turn OFF bluetooth on the Mac
  4. Turn on the ConnectClip and activate pairing mode on the ConnectClip (Press and hold Multi-button and Volume Up for about 6 seconds until the status indicator BLINKS BLUE).
  5. Plug in the BTD800 and if it isn’t in pairing mode (flashing LED) then press the button until it goes into pairing mode (hold about 3 seconds and then alternating blue and red flashes).
  6. The ConnectClip and BTD800 should pair and the LEDs should turn to solid blue in both devices.
  7. In the sound settings on the Mac, select the Sennheiser BTD 800 as the input and output device
  8. Turn the Bluetooth back on in settings on the Mac if you need Bluetooth for other devices. If you don’t need it, leave it off while you get familiar with using the BTD 800 and ConnectClip.

At this point, the Mac should use the BTD800 as the sound device and as long as the ConnectClip is on and connected, you should get sound from your Mac in your aids and be able to use the mic in the connect clip for transmitting your voice back to the Mac and into the sound system as the input. Applications like Zoom should be able to use the ConnectClip and hearing aid combination as a “headset”.

Note - you do not want the Mac Bluetooth to be paired with the ConnectClip if you wish to use the BTD 800. If both are paired, the ConnectClip will connect to whichever one it finds first. Using my ConnectClip with a Cisco VOIP phone with Bluetooth at work was always an adventure as the ConnectClip more often than not would connect to my MacBook Pro rather than the phone. I would have to disconnect from the ConnectClip using the Mac settings and then initiate a connection to the ConnectClip from the phone settings.

#7

While I don’t yet have the BTD800, I was wondering the same thing since my Mac definitely wants to connect to the Connect Clip as soon as it’s turned on.

In addition to everything @biggar described, I’ve seen a lot of hits online about deleting / modifying bluetooth.plist to control bluetooth connections.

I haven’t read any of the posts in detail but the bluetooth.plist file seems modifiable via command line to provide some amount of control on how and when devices connect to your Mac. Simply deleting it also seems to clear up more general connection problems.

The devil is obviously in the details but it might be a place to look if none of the steps biggar outlined work for you.

#8

Thanks, this is very useful info. I’ll try upgrading the OS, then see if I can just upgrade the BT, then probably break down and buy the headphones or the dongle.

On the subject of Genie, I did want to ask if you ever used VMWare fusion? I have the Genie code (no Noah Link) and it runs fine under Fusion EXCEPT that the auto upgrade to the latest version of Genie doesn’t work. (Mainly I just like to read the screens so I can help my audi adjust my HAs, but not being able to get the Genie version that supports Reals is a problem.) I prefer Fusion so I don’t have to reboot my main Mac, but it’s good to know that Boot Camp definitely works.

Thanks for all your help!

#9

I did try Fusion but I haven’t used it lately as I need to run some Windows software that doesn’t seem to work correctly under Fusion (LabView with funky drivers for IEEE-488 GPIB connected devices for example).

I recently got a refurb MacBook Pro (last one with an Intel i9 CPU rather than an M series) and I’ve got Windows 10 on it using Boot Camp as I need LabView and the macOS version of LabView won’t run IEEE-488 on Ventura and not always correctly on earlier versions. I put an old version of Genie on it. I tried to upgrade various times and it never would. Then a couple of weeks later, it came up saying an update was available after a cold boot of Windows and the new version installed so I now have the current version of Genie running on that machine. No idea why it wouldn’t update when the update was actually available prior to me installing the older version …

#10

Thanks. I’ll try Fusion again and, if that still is broken, switch to Boot Camp when I order the Noah Link.

I did upgrade to the latest OS available for a 2014 Macbook Pro Retina but no joy with Connect Clip.

I also read that while I can’t upgrade BT discreetly on Mac, I do have the option to reset the BT module. Since that clears all my working connections and has a low likelihood of succeeding, I’ll just go ahead and order headphones or the dongle.

Thanks for your help.

#11

Thanks! Step 3 (disable Mac Bluetooth) and Step 7 (select output/input source to be BTD800) did the trick!

#12

I wanted to add some info to my own post for what it’s worth. @biggar

My Audi and I called Oticon tech support yesterday and talked to the “Bluetooth” group about why my Connect Clip kept cutting out when streaming audio from my Mac.

The tech support guy said I needed to not only turn off BT on my iPad and iPhone, but also needed to make sure “control nearby iOS devices” and “take over audio streaming” (I’m too lazy to look up exact wording) are turned off on both iPad and iPhone. He also said the Sennheiser dongle wasn’t needed / wouldn’t help and that modern Connect Clips only had one level of firmware and not to worry about that.

I was pretty skeptical of what he said on multiple levels and, sure enough, none of it worked.

My sense is that MFi has some real problems once you get past the fantastic iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch support, control of external microphones — which really are what’s most important to me. And the remote mic support on Connect Clip is very good too.

I just wish Oticon, Apple and other MFi vendors would explain in detail the limitations and lay out their roadmap, if any, for supporting Macs in the future. Many of us, particularly IT guys like myself, gave up on Windows and its spaghetti code years ago and have moved to Macs.

In the interim given the decreased size of the Reals (versus the behemoth Resound Enzos I used to wear), I expect I’ll just buy over the ear headphones.

If anyone can recommend large over the ear headphones that also have a built in Mic, I’m all ears. :grinning:

Thanks!

#13

I wrote about this issue some time ago. While I wasn’t connecting to a Mac, I was connecting to a windows desktop, using the recommended dongle. After much back and forth with Oticon, they finally admitted that the Reals were not completely compatible with the connect clip. The issue is supposed to be resolved with an update in the fall. Meanwhile, Oticon provided me with an edu/mic which met my needs for direct computer to hearing aid audibility.

#14

If anyone can recommend large over the ear headphones that also have a built in Mic, I’m all ears.
Verry “Punny”!!
If you want Bluetooth Over ear headphones, I’d Suggest:
Sennheiser Momentum4 Best Sound Quality -Good ANC.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Best ANC - OK sound quality.

Both have large earcups.

#15

Thanks very much for the info. I’ll call Oticon and see if they’ll talk to me.

#16

Thanks. As long as I don’t have to fiddle with turning off either iPhone or iPad Bluetooth, I’m fine with a BT flavor of headphones.

#17

I should mention it was my Audi who dealt with Oticon directly, not me.

#18

Right, I suspected as much. And I don’t know if I’ll get to anyone. But it sounds like your Audi maybe got to the truth of the matter. If that’s the case, I really don’t like being strung along while there’s a known problem. I was a software product manager before retiring so have a pretty good idea how this whole thing works. I just need to find an honest soul who is willing to explain the issues.

#19

I have the older Momentum 2 wireless, and they pair with multiple devices, so you’ll be gold!

#20

I don’t have a Mac, but I do have an iPhone, android / ASHA phone and a Windows 10 laptop. I have used the CC and MFi side by side for several years, starting with Opn and then upgrading to Opn S. I only pair the CC to the laptop. When I first got the Opn and CC, I tried pairing the CC also with my previous android phone. In a relatively static environment, I found that everything worked pretty well. However, I found that the CC wasn’t very happy switching between the laptop and the android phone, so I eventually gave up using it with the android phone and only paired it with the laptop. (It’s not that it wouldn’t switch, but if I was in a call on my laptop and I received a call on my android phone, it was cumbersome to get the CC to connect with the phone.) With the HAs paired to the iPhone and the CC and the CC only paired with the laptop, I could reliably switch between the laptop/CC and iPhone and the audio was good quality.

All of this ended when I got More hearing aids. There were problems with the iPhone and also with the CC (audio drop-outs). My HAs and CC were sent to Denmark for analysis, because at the time, Oticon wasn’t sure what was happening. They eventually were able to replicate the problem that I was experiencing, even though they didn’t know how to fix it. I waited for months for a solution. When Oticon finally fixed the problem with the iPhone, I paired the More HAs with the iPhone and I used my Opn S HAs with the laptop/CC. Not a very satisfactory situation, considering how much money all of this equipment cost.

When the Real HAs came out, since Oticon still had not identified a fix for the audio drop-outs with the CC, I demoed the Real HAs. Initially found that they worked somewhat better than the More HAs and Oticon told me they knew how to fix the problem in the Real HAs, but not the More HAs, so I returned the More HAs and exchanged them for Real HAs. I said initially because after using the More HAs for a few weeks, I found that they are no better than the Real HAs WRT the CC. I have to periodically clear the pairings and re-pair them to get them working properly when the audio drop-outs return. This happens often enough that I decided to get my own NoahLink Wireless unit so I could clear the pairings myself and not have to make an appointment at the clinic.

This hack of clearing the pairings works for random lengths of time. Sometimes it lasts for a few weeks, sometimes for a few days, sometimes only for a few hours and sometimes not even that. Last week, I had to clear the pairings 3 times in 2 days. Since then, it has worked fine.

I keep in contact with Oticon and I’ve been pressuring them to fix this problem. They have assured me they are working as fast as possible, but I’m not expecting a fix until the fall. Early fall would be nice, but I’m not optimistic.

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