My Shouter was enabled for notifications, but it was set on silence. But still after changing it to sound, it still did not announce calls. Shouter used to announce “Missed call from _____”, but doesn’t do that anymore. I think you’re right about Google - I don’t think this works anymore - but if yours works then…
I’ll try others.
I’ve had my KS9s for a couple of days now, so in the spirit of sharing I’ll run through my thoughts, and questions so far. Firstly it was great to have learnt from so much experience on this thread, so working through my notes with the very helpful Costco Audi, I do believe I have had a pretty good 1st fit.
I had the Auto, plus 3 manual programs set-up 1) Acoustic Phone, 2) Loud Noise, 3) Music. In the Auto, we went to the Music program and changed all the settings to match the “Quiet” auto program as I have found with Autosense 2 (Brio 3s), that the Music in Auto program causes the volume and compression to kick in at weird and unwanted times.
I had the REM routine run, and went with the recommended NAL2 algorithm. In hindsight I should have stuck with the Phonak Adaptive I have with the Brio 3s. NAL2 sounds a little splashy to me, with high frequencies coming across too strongly. So, my first question - If I change to Phonak Adaptive, do I have to re-do the REM test?
When the KS9s were first turned on, the sound was super occluded, and my first thoughts were really negative. I’m fitted with the large vented domes, but I think the vent holes were being blocked. I found that I had to push the domes & receivers really deep into my canal, and the occlusion thankfully stopped.
So, the domes themselves seem to be made of a thicker material than the previous generation used with the Brio 3s. I don’t know if the large vented size is bigger than before, but it takes some effort to literally shove the receiver up my canals - heaven help me if one comes loose & gets stuck up there. It’s not painful, but I really “feel” these domes. Maybe the Medium will be better to try at my first follow up.
I also got the TV connector, and decided to turn off all the Ding/Bing whatever noises. As rdboukes mentions above, the downside is that on the aids I now have to do 4 long presses to connect the TV device - a bit of a faff. On the app, it’s a single press on the screen, so it’s ok if I have my phone handy. Would anyone know if the TV program can be made to be the 1st button press rather than the 4th?
So, streaming Music from my phone - Wow! This is a joy compared to the clear, but relatively tinny experience with the Brio 3s. The KS9s have real depth, and music feels alive again. I’ve been walking the dog streaming music & feeling exhilarated again. Love it! Still need to adjust the mid range a bit, but this will be a big selling point to me for the KS9s. So far, no dropouts, and the Bluetooth connection seems rock solid.
Streaming from the TV - good, but I have work to do on the settings as a bit boomy at the moment. Connection is solid though, and the range seems perfectly adequate - drops out if I go two rooms away from the connector.
Phone - I’ve just used this a couple of times, and seems to work very well. In a quiet environment my voice is coming across crystal clear according to my wife. I’ll have to test it in a more noisy environment to really see how it performs when other noises are competing to reach the microphone.
In the car - my first real problem. As soon as I get in the car & start driving, the aids start giving feedback. I can only think the feedback manager is turned off or down in the Car setting in Autosense as I haven’t had this anywhere else. I have to change to the Noise program to get rid to the feedback. Hopefully this is an easy fix.
Single Bluetooth connection - a real limitation…can I live with it? I’ve decided to use my work phone as my primary device, so personal mobile now forwards to my work phone. How I miss picking up my ipad & its connected automatically, or using my home computer (using the Streamer & Brio 3s). I won’t be able to use the MDA200 & Bluetooth dongle at work without re-setting the Bluetooth, but then I have to re-set for my work phone.
The app - it works well, and connects reasonably fast (not instant) but it’s super basic…volume/program, and mix between streaming sound & environment sound. All black & white too.
General use - I’m only on my first fit, so have some work to do, but I’m very encouraged by my experience so far. I think I need to get back to Phonak Adaptive first, then test out loads of different situations to really assess them. The rustling of foil, paper, clothing, paper etc is just a little overbearing at the moment, but at the same time I can tell there is a fullness & richness to the sound that I don’t have with the Brios 3s. I’m optimistic I’m going to like these, but I really do miss the pocket remote control to change volumes & programs - I’m so hoping Phonak release one for the KS9s. Having just 3 manual programs is a limitation, as is 1 Bluetooth connection, but for the price, well truth be told, I can’t afford the Marvels, but I feel like I’m getting most of the Marvel experience.
Forgive me for the rambling post - I hope this is interesting and/or useful to someone…Cheers, Bob
Excellent review, I have to admit I prefer to hear the ding, because then it only requires a single short push of either. When leaving the room and dropping the stream it is simple when returning into range and get a ding, a quick push, and I’m back. Then the rest of operation is the same as you experience, to stop streaming a long push, and cycle through to re-connect.
If the TV program was first, then that is what you would have at start-up, then after a long push you could be in automatic, but to connect to the TV connector now you would still have to cycle through.
This setting works well if one only has the Automatic program, then one long push to connect, one long push to disconnect, and another long push to re-connect.
RDB
Wow! Great detailed and thoughtful post, Bob.
A lot of food for thought for the rest of us.
Thanks very much.
No sales tax on medical in Michigan either.
My thoughts exactly.
Curious - Can the KS9s be paired with your old streamer which in turn could be connected to multiple devices?
Thanks for your detailed report.
I picked up mine almost 4 weeks ago. I share part of your experience:
Yesterday, I attended the first day of a large committee meeting in a large room equipped with mics and speakers. I missed a large part of the meeting/discussions. Today, I decided to attend via WebEx and called in using my iPhone instead. Wow, what an improvement! I’ll attend the next meeting in person but will also call in and listen via my phone. Has anyone tried that? I wonder if I’ll get echoes.
If the prescription formula was changed the REM needs to be redone and the gains adjusted to match the three gain curves.
This is my 2nd post of my experiences the KS9. I’ve been wearing these for almost 2 weeks now, so this summarises thoughts over this period, compared to the day or so of the 1st fitting for which I posted previous thoughts.
These devices on the whole are very good. I can tell because my instant reaction when wearing a RIC or BTE is to take them out and resort to my Virto ITC devices - as a kind of clutch. I haven’t done this at all with these aids. Usually, there is a feeling of vulnerability in some situations where I would put the ITC devices back in, in the past. This is absolutely not the case with the KS9s.
The good:
Connectivity:
The one pair device limitation has been discussed on this thread, and with respect to the Marvel. At first I approached it with some dread, but after a while, realised that you just have to be disciplined. If you are going from one device to the other, you make sure you forget the device that you are trying to pair to - remove it, switch your aids on and off, and then repair - you are good to go. The transition usually takes just 30 seconds, and in a normal day, I will do this 3 or 4 times. Depending on if I am coming into work, and then using my PC - with bluetooth, or going home, and transitioning between the phone and laptop. As I say, if you are disciplined, the devices always connect and then you are good to go.
Background noise
This is a definite improvement. It’s not a eureka moment, but there have been some situations where I can definitely say these devices are superior in noise compared to the previous generation. At home, our microwave is fairly loud - these devices just eliminated the noise. I was able to stand in the kitchen, with a washing machine, dryer and fairly noisy boiler, and the devices quashed them all whilst I was talking to my wife.
Speech in noise
I was at the tennis club, which normally presents difficulties, as we all sit around the table afterwards and talk. The acoustics of the room presents a problem as well as the group dynamics. I could not hear all of the conversation, but it was a definite improvement. What was interesting was that speech was not like a babble, but felt pretty individual, belonging to the lips of each talker. My understanding was perhaps 50% to 60%, whereas before it was less than that in this situation.
The Bad:
The Acoustic Phone - duophone feature does not transmit stereophonically to both ears. I don’t know if this is a programming issue. I have enabled everything in Target and it just does not work.
I have been streaming 4 to 5 hours a day (bluetooth) and the batteries are lasting just 4 days, maybe 5.
The Ugly
The most inconvenient thing so far is the lack of a remote so it is not possible to transition between the TV Communicator and the normal Automatic program. So when somebody comes in and talks to me. I have to use the Easy Line Remote App on my phone to do this - but the problem is that the Easy Line Remote App requires a bluetooth connection and disconnects quickly - also if I have been paired to my laptop it no longer connects and doesn’t recognise the aids (I think this could be the main issue), so the Easy Line Remote App won’t reconnect until I take both aids out and reconnect. This is a pain pain pain in the jacksie, and inconvenient. I want some way of switching off the TV Connector very fast, and the Easy Line Remote App is not it !!.
Please please please Costco, bring out a remote control.
“Has anyone tried that? I wonder if I’ll get echoes.”
There is a mute button that can mute the hearing aid mic. It does not count as one of the three programs. Mute should eliminate the echo if you get it.
Can’t you do that with the buttons on the aids?
You have a good point. I think this may be possible now, because I have just got hold of Target and have put in a couple of manual programs other than the automatic. I am at work now, so cannot test it, but I reckon a couple of button presses to the 2nd program should suffice. I’ll try that tonight. Thanks.
I asked the audi to activate the ‘mute’ feature. He tried but to no avail. He couldn’t set up my TV Connector to start manually either; time ran out. I’ll insist he try again next week.
What I worry about is the interaction between the meeting room sound system and the my phone if I call from within the meeting room. When I tried this in a meeting (equipped with an older sound system) several years ago using my Brio R and ComPilot the meeting room speakers reacted with echoes and white noise.
I thought he had to redo REM too. I think the issue was time ran out. The management assigns < 30 mins per customer per follow up visit. He had to set up my TV Connector also.
Easy to fix though. Just make another appointment. Hard for them to duck out on doing something when you make an appointment specifically to do that one item. Also sets a bit of an expectation with them that you will not allow them to cut corners.
I do hope that they eventually workout the bluetooth issues. When I go to the gym, my phone is connected to my HA’s but I don’t workout with my phone. I stream podcasts from my watch during the workout, so I have to forget the phone, pair with my watch and workout. Then reverse the process an hour later. It is a real pain and my only real complaint with the KS9s.
I believe all of the concerns will be resolved as you settle in on a daily routine.
I leave my HA’s paired to my phone, once realizing that the TV connector works much easier on any other audio device, no more battery door opening , just push the link button when switching from one to the other. $100 ea. well spent. When you switch the HA’s you lose the Easy Line as well and believe it can create more confusion. When using the TV connector the phone then maintains superiority, and will silence any streaming from the TV connector and connect you. Bluetooth uses more power than the TV connector streaming. When using the TV connector and you want to quickly end it to talk to someone, a long push on the high side will put you back in the Auto program.
Your experience of only hearing the phone in one ear I believe is connected to the switching back and forth and your left and right are not in sync. This can happen from time to time and a re-start is what I have found brings them back in sync. Remove them, open the battery doors on both, close and continue. When ever this has happened to me, though never on the phone, but could tell it wasn’t right I had done something that allowed/caused it, haven’t totally resolved it. One time my battery signal went off and was streaming, so I changed the batteries on the fly, one, then the other, they were out of sync. weird, so did the re-start, back on the same page.
RDB
Thanks for the heads up rdboukes, that is very very useful. I have just tested the push button operation - long press, when the TV connector is on, and indeed, it does switch back to the automatic program - fantastic news!
Regarding the general advice about buying more TV connectors - I think I will take that. I had plans to buy one more for the bedroom TV, but I might eventually buy 2 more for my laptop and work PC to achieve the dominant effect you speak of. Thanks again.
I will also test the landline phone again.
Great, I don’t know if you said whether you had custom ear molds, or domes, but your loss is about as great as mine, and I have the molds. One of the values of the molds, besides plenty of volume is they really cut out surround sound, so when in mute they are like ear plugs. Also if you are streaming, or on BT, you can give a long low press and mute the surround sound, any touching of either high or low will clear the mute, so do the mute last. If you do not have it yet it can be turned on.
A down side I discovered is I have a hard time trying to hear my smart phone without BT, so imagine a land line could be a problem as well, I gave that up some time ago. What I realized is even though my old HA’s which had domes worked better for the phone because sound could go through the dome, and could hear well. The BT phone connection is terrific, and resolved the incident when you may want to hand the phone to someone else, as they wouldn’t be able to hear anything due to BT. An answer for that is to tap Speaker Phone on the phone screen, it switches out the BT, and you can really hear that as well, if/when you want to go back you tap the BT symbol on the same screen, so it is pretty seamless.
RDB
Thanks for this info. I wear moulds, so the mute function would be useful, but don’t have this programmed currently.
I just tried the landline again with the acoustic phone program - although it is very clear, it is not stereophonic, and I have switched the aids on and off many times. I will have to take this up with the fitter at the next follow up.