Drawback of having bluetooth classic stereo audio

Hearing Aids
#61

Hi. It is maybe too late to write about this topic, but i would like to discuss. It seems to me this question was decided when new powerful processors appeared, i mean snapdragon 845 and higher. With this charecteristics of hardware it has became possible to use Qualcomm TrueWireless TM Stereo Plus. Here it conveniences are counted (quote):

  • Help to reduce power consumption by up to an additional 10 percent, typically helping to deliver an extra hour of listening time before recharge is needed.
  • More evenly balanced power distribution between both earbuds resulting in longer playback time.
  • The elimination of cross-head Bluetooth transmission providing improved robustness of the signal to each ear.
  • Help to reduce latency because there is no primary/secondary role between buds, both are connected directly to the phone and then synchronized.
  • A simpler pairing experience when connecting the earbuds to the mobile device (because the earbuds are designed to connect as a stereo pair).
    If you have some thoughts about it, please, write.
#62

truewireless-diagram
truewireless-diagram.png1024Ɨ575 130 KB

#63

I have been using ReSound Preza (Costco version of Resound Quattro) for more than 3 months. Resound told me that the only difference between the models are tinnitus control and remote adjustment. I chose ReSound due to its early support of ASHA, I am using an android phone (Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus). I donā€™t know whether itā€™s Samsungā€™s implementation issue or ASHA using BLE, but the sound quality and reliability is quite disappointing. Oftentimes, audio streaming stops working in one hearing aid for no reason while still working in the other, disconnect and reconnect usually fixes it, but itā€™s quite annoying. Also, itā€™s quite sensitive to signal noise, streaming stutters or stops completely when I get too close to a running Microwave oven, which does not happen with my regular blutooth headset. I had to tolerate this for 3 months due to COVID 19 closure of all Costco hearing centers. Finally, I got to try Kirkland Signature 9.0 (Costco version of Phonak Marvel) today. The sound quality of audio streaming is SO much better with KS 9.0, I am not sure if it is close to regular Bluetooth headset, but itā€™s definitely much better than ReSound with ASHA. As an engineer, I always prefer the latest technology, but in this case, I have to admit that the latest is a step back in terms of streaming sound quality, unfortunately. I havenā€™t used KS 9.0 long enough to get an idea about its battery life (KS 9.0 uses regular 312 battery ), but I am willing to sacrifice on that due to the big gap in steaming sound quality. I hope my experience will help others to make informed decisions between ASHA and Bluetooth classic.

#64

I also tried my ReSound Preza with my Kidā€™s iphone, the streaming sound quality is similar to what I get with my Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, Kirkland Signature 9.0 (Phonak) is much better than both in streaming sound quality. So, the steaming sound quality difference is most probably due to BLE vs Bluetooth classic, not ASHA or Samsung implementation. I havenā€™t tried other ASHA hearing aids, so there is a remote possibility that ReSound messed up in both MFI and Android ASHA, but that seems unlikely.

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