If you are getting a good enough signal from your TV Connector to your aids, fine – but the signal is getting attenuated somewhat by the TV.
Price! and perhaps availability.
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oetgyg, I compliment you on the orderliness and neatness of your behind the TV installation. Mine doesn’t come close to that as I no longer have the agility and dexterity I’d need. Your installation is certainly policed up beautifully. Thanks for sharing.
Some of those HDMI outlets placed “up and under” can be a real challenge; but they help minimize the depth of the TV package. Clif
Yes. Was on a waiting list at Santa Rosa, CA Costco and picked mine up a few weeks ago. 5 stars for the TV Connector and Costco.
So for the noob in the crowd (me) went would someone need this device if the hearing aids are otherwise working properly?
I think that’s a very important distinction. Speakers alter natural sound though. Especially depending on size and quality. I can still hear mostly alright without it. It’s really nice to use instead of headphones when the spouse isn’t watching with me. A lot more convenient.
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We have 3 from Costco, all have volume buttons.
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Kevin,
The hearing aids usually help but the hearing aid microphones pickup all sounds reaching them and that includes things like room reverberation, noise from equipment like the air handlers for HVAC, the refrigerator or washing machine/drier, the barking dog and so on. With the TV streamer, most aids can be set to receive the stream and mute (or turn down ) the hearing aid microphones so you hear (mostly) the streamed sound without all the extra noise. There is also less processing (no conversion from electric to acoustic at the speaker and then conversion back to electronic in the hearing aid). For me, soft and accented voices are better with the streamed version even though the hearing aids themselves do help. I do not have experience with the Phonak/Costco devices but I think most hearing aid vendors offer a similar device for their aids - Oticon does and I have their version for my OPN S 1 aids. One feature my wife likes is the TV/sound system can be muted totally and I can hear the audio via streaming if she isn’t interested in the program.
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Thanks, makes a lot of sense. I had not considered all of the external noise sources (probably because I haven’t experienced heating aids yet).
The first time I used a TV streamer I was watching a baseball game. I thought it was so cool that I could actually hear coaches in the dugout talking to each other. That’s something I never hear when listening through the TV speakers/ soundbar.
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I am after something like you mention, the Roger Select, which will let me watch with my family. I rarely watch TV alone.
Do you think I could also use it at the movies?
Can anyone confirm that these other streaming devices like ‘V2’, ‘Connect 2’, ‘TV connect’, etc only send to hearing aids or headphones? And do you need a special one for headphones or can you use the same one as for your hearing aids? This may have been mentioned in the comments but the technical jargon is beyond me. I googled ‘optical splitter’ but it’s still all Geek to me (typo intended).
I need to find out before I go back to audiologist. I find that any time I go to an audiologist I need to have a set of specific questions, otherwise no information or very limited information given.
They only send it to your HAs. You will need another way to get the sound to headphones.
I haven’t done a movie in theater since getting my HAs. I have a Roger On, similar to the select you mention. I can imagine it working in the theater if I had a place to rest it. It doesn’t do so well for music for me when it is pics up acoustically. When it comes on via the cable, either the USB-C cable or the dock, music is great. It didn’t do so well picking up worship music in church. (Preacher’s voice, however, or someone praying, is ace.)
Best wishes!
WH
l have an optical splitter connected to the tv. One connects to my tv connector and the other to my sound system.
There is no loss of audio when using optical splitter.
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Thanks WhiteHat,
Good to know.
All these tips are going to add up to the best choices.
Very happy I found this website.
Thank you, Terost, that’s great.
I think I’ll get one - time to tech up! Looks like I’ll need a sound bar or something as well as the optical splitter.
I’m due for new hearing aids in the next year. I’ll check out Costco for ones with T-loop, also invest in a Roger pen or Select which I need anyway.
Roger Pen has been discontinued as that technology came out in 2013.
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Hi Zebras,
Thank you.
I’m in Australia. I was at the new audiologist 2 months ago and it was given to me as a trial, so they’re still selling it here. No mention of it being discontinued. I’ll definitely not get that now because Phonak probably won’t be supporting it for long. I’ve just checked out the website and the new version seems to be the Roger On, as White Hat was saying.
That still won’t suit. I was initially after something that would help in a work situation. A factory, a warehouse, a hospital, a commercial kitchen for instance where there is a lot of background noise, a lot of multiple conversations, where the primary speaker changes constantly and I have no control over that, where you are spoken to from distances. There is absolutely no way I could get people to pass a microphone around in these settings. I haven’t seen anything that might help. I can retrain but I really don’t know in which direction to head.
I’d consider maybe the Roger On or Select for BBQs, restaurants and the family dinner table, as well as the TV, but don’t know if it’s worth it. It’s very expensive here. I’ll talk to the audiologist again. Not sure if I should go independent this time (there are not many independent audiologists, even in Sydney).
I’ve had Resound behind the ear for bilateral sensorineural loss. This set is due for upgrade in next 6 months - they’re around 5 y.o. I’ve got the Resound 3D app on my phone. It helps marginally in restaurants.
Make sure your TV has an optical out connector if you go this route. Since you are looking to get new aids, please wait to buy accessories until you have your new aids first.
I see you have three Costco’s in Sidney. Might be worth checking into.
Your needs for hearing in noisy environments is the same challenge so many of us deal with. Most any modern aids should be an improvement from your current older Resound aids but it all depends on your hearing loss. Do you have an audiogram you can share? Word recognition scores are also helpful.
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