iPhone bluetooth integration - my reaction to demo

Hearing Aids
#1

After 8 years with my Oticon Agil Pros, I previewed a pair of Oticon Opns for the past couple of weeks, with iPhone support. The gist of this post is that I feel hugely disconnected by having to give the demo aids back to the audiologist. For years, I’ve felt unable to converse on the telephone - and, unsurprisingly, I also felt closed off from distant friends and family. To be sure, I purchased an Oticon streamer, but the device saw little use: When I needed it, it wasn’t fully charged or I couldn’t find one of the necessary cords. I could have been better organized, but wasn’t, I admit, and left the phone calls to my wife.

What a difference the iPhone integration made. My iPhone rang in my aids, and I happily chatted on the phone – for the first time in years – to any and all callers, including my kids and old friends. Unlike the Oticon streamer, my iPhone is almost always nearby and charged. In addition, I had a blast watching Amazon Prime videos on my phone… and heard every word.

After giving the demo aids back to the audiologist, I felt as if a big steel door had slammed shut on my life. I wasn’t able to fork over $7000 for the Oticon Opn 1s, but I purchased a pair of Costco Resound Fortes after learning that Resound tops the charts in iPhone connectivity.

I realize that Android users are still in the connectivity wilderness – I hope that changes soon.

#2

You don’t need $7,000 HAs. You need premium bluetooth earbuds and an HA app for your iphone (or Android). I’ve got an app with my android which give me a hearing test, then equalizes the frequencies to what I need. Also works with streaming music. It can even function as a hearing aid, though there is a noticeable time delay.

#3

I appreciate your suggestion, but Bluetooth earbuds and app for my iPhone would put me back in the same box I was in with the Oticon streamer – where are the earbuds? With all due respect and apologies to Android users, it seems to me that the iPhone offers a superior platform for HA connectivity. Google, are you listening?

#4

I have an Android phone and have my hearing aids connected to the cell phone, office phone, laptops, tablet, TV, and generic Bluetooth transmitter.

All the manufacturers offer a Bluetooth device for connection to all sorts of devices beyond the iphone. It’s far from a wilderness.

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#5

I didn’t mean to come across anti-Android - my post was about the relief at finally being connected via the telephone after so many years in the wilderness. I’m delighted to hear that Android users are able to experience this too and I apologize if I came across as dissing the Android platform.

#6

Well…member25…Don uses an intermediate device to connect to all the things he connects to. He’s happy with it and that’s great.
I personally don’t wish to need an intermediate device and I don’t do Apple. So I and several others here have to wait for standards to be adopted on both sides to be able to do what we want.

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#7

No problem. I’m not really pro-android as much as I am pro-bluetooth device. It seems to be the answer and I’m surprised everyone else doesn’t share that view.

Anyone can hear anything that produces sound (well, from virtually any modern device) straight into their hearing aids, through the Bluetooth device.

For example, a few months ago I put a TV on the screened in porch, on a pull down bracket. The TV doesn’t have Bluetooth. I bought an Avantree Bluetooth transmitter and paired it with my device. It took less than 5 minutes to plug in and pair, and I was hearing the sound from the TV.

My device, the Rexton Smart Mic, is an inch wide, two inches long, and 3/4 inch thick. I wear it on a lanyard, under my shirt. There is no downside to this for me.

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#8

I’d be interested in knowing the name of this app.

#9

I felt a similar level of disappointment when the Resound LiNX² aids did not work out for me. I particularly liked being able to listen to a video soundtrack or podcast without disturbing others and via the HAs. I also do not wish to wear a streamer.

#10

Nothing works as good as MFI (made for iPhone) HAs. If you had not tried it it’s hard to describe what a life changer it is.
I had the Costco KS6 and last year the Forte 13, both Resound. Near perfect comprehension on all iOS devices streaming for one with severe hearing.

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#11

The MFi hearing aids are a game changer for those who talk on the phone and want to listen to music, videos and apps online. When I upgraded from my 4 year old Phonak Audeo Q90s to the Resound Linx3D I can honestly say there wasn’t a huge improvement in sound quality. What swayed me to spend the money was the MFi integration along with the huge functionality that the Resound Smart 3D iPhone app provided.

I recently sent my 3Ds in for service and wore the old Q90s for a week. Sound was great but losing the connection to my iPhone made me nuts…almost panicky at times. It’s that good.

My suggestion would be to explore cheaper MFi options with your audiologist. Each hearing aid company offers a low, mid and high end option. Financing might also be something to consider.

Jordan

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#12

I saved almost half the cost of Starkey’s top aids with blue tooth when my audi suggested Microtech Propel hearing aids. My point is, the Microtech Propel aids are functionally exactly the same as the Starky aids I wanted, they are made and sold by Starkey. The only difference my research found was that the Microtech aids had a programming lock and could only be programmed by my audi.

I’m not sure why Starkey sells this lower priced ‘mirror’ brand. But it saved me a bunch of money. I wonder if Oticon does something similar.

BTW, I understand how you feel. My aids require are a little older and require an intermediary device to stream the phone, TV, radio, etc. and I’ve NEVER heard/understood speech, heard sounds so perfectly as when streaming. I wonder if that is what people without hearing challenges experience.

#13

D Dogg, let me see if I understand what you are saying. All I need is a good pair of Bluetooth earbuds and an app for my phone? Can you recommend a pair of earbuds and the app for Android, please? Then I pair my cell phone to the earbuds and through the app I can take calls and listen to anything I want from my cell phone through the earbuds? So I don’t even need ha’s? But, then how do I hear sounds not coming from my cellphone? What am I missing?

#14

I have been using CS10 from sound world solutions. This is a PSAP with a customizer app for my android phone. It serves as a basic hearing aid and also serves to connect to my phone and to listen to audio and video programs. I got it for one ear.

#15

A couple years ago I tried using one of these “wear around the neck” devices to try and work with my phone. It was a big hassle. I gave up after a couple days.
A couple months ago, I decided it was about time to retire my six-year-old Phonaks. I had worn an over the ear BT headset all day long to work with my phone even years before I ever got HA. It worked with my HA perfectly.
Phonak came out with a series of HA (Direct B) that work with android phones. When they came in, the incoming sound was perfect, but the outgoing was almost unintelligible to the person on the other end. I did take them home-but then called the audiologist to say I bring them back in a couple days. She said she found out there was an upgrade to the software she could download into the HA. Neither of us was optimistic but we had nothing to lose. It turned out that software upgrade made a big difference! The incoming sound into my HA is almost perfect. People on the other end save the sound is definitely very good if not rated excellent.
I have my phone set to answer automatically on the third ring. I don’t have to touch anything to answer. These Phonaks, which are at the low end of this particular line, cost $2300 a pair at my HMO. My old Phonaks had cost $2500.
I have read there is a major upgrade to BT coming out this year that is phones. Supposed to make it easier to for HA the work more easily and better with phones. As you can buy many brands of android phones for the fraction of the price of an Apple phone, this feature should get more popular.

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#16

I have no idea if you need hearing aids or not, but here’s a solution for some situations.

These are my sound isolating earbuds:

With a noise reduction rating of 26 db, I can shoot while wearing these. IPX 3 water resistance rating means I can wear them while sweating, working outside, light rain, etc. Couldn’t do that with my $7,500 Starkeys.

These are comfortable - I can wear them all day (unlike any of my HAs).

I put the Petralex app on my Android phone and it give me a hearing test and sets up an equilizer specific to each of my ears’ needs. Phone calls and streaming are all covered.

Petralex has a button to turn on the microphone and let me use it as an HA. Now there is about a half second delay, so a person’s mouth doesn’t match what I hear in real time. But, you might be able to live with it. The other cool thing I can do is place my cell phone on a presenter’s platform and hear him or her perfectly (within the range of bluetooth).

$7,000 or $70? This might be worth a try.

#17

Petralex is the app I use.

#18

Thanks. I actually have it installed. It’s been a long time since I tried it. Might be time to have another look.

#19

I was pretty excited about being able to stream music to my Oticon OPNs from my Android phone using the ConnectClip. It connected just fine, but the sound was terrible. Volusiano pointed out that because I use open domes, the music fidelity would be poor. If I switched to the bass domes, it would greatly improve. This makes sense of course, but it didn’t occur to me at the time that the domes could make so much difference.

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#20

It takes time to get used to hearing the higher pitch sounds. Streaming sounded tinny to me at first, now I can’t wait to relax at night and listen to SiriusXM radio. It sounds so good now.