LE Audio and the Future of Hearing

Scholarly Articles, News, and Other Resources
#764

I haven’t kept up with all this thread but have seen a primer from Android, on android 13, which includes the paragraph
“Spatial audio lets you enjoy immersive sound. On head-tracking-enabled headphones, spatial audio shifts the source of the sound based on how you turn your head, making you feel like you’re in the middle of a sports game, movie or concert right from the comfort of your Android phone or tablet. Plus, Android 13 adopts Bluetooth low energy (LE) audio, which improves audio quality and allows you to broadcast media to multiple people at once.”

Sorry if this has already been notified but it at least means that those with BT 5.2 on Android 13 can receive LE Audio.

#765

Great catch. Thanks for sharing this link.

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#766

I see these items in my list of Bluetooth connections in my iPhone: LE_R-Phonak hearing aid (Not Connected), and LE_L-Phonak hearing aid (Not Connected).
These are in addition to the R-Phonak hearing aid (Connected). As I recall, I had to exercise the former to connect to the Phonak app. I’m wondering if the “LE” designation signifies that Phonak has installed Bluetooth LE in my hearing aids already. I noted from the video that Sonova is one of the Bluetooth SIG adherents. Are there any wizards out there?

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#767

OOPS! I did a search and found this on the Phonak site. (SO, yes, LE is Low Energy):

https://product-support.phonak.com/s/article/What-hearing-aid-should-be-selected-from-the-list-on-the-mobile-phone?language=en_US

Phonak hearing aids use multiple versions of Bluetooth® for mobile devices (Bluetooth Classic for standard phone use e.g., phone calls and streaming music and Bluetooth LE or “Low Energy” for the app). Some phones recognize each version of Bluetooth as a separate device. In that case, three devices may be displayed when pairing two Phonak hearing aids (one connected via Bluetooth Classic, and two using Bluetooth LE to connect to myPhonak).

Important notes:
Only one hearing aid is connected to the phone via Bluetooth Classic. This is normal.
The names R-Phonak / L-Phonak may be different depending on the settings made by the hearing care professional.

Android™ phones:
The two Bluetooth devices LE_R- Phonak and LE_L- Phonak are for the myPhonak app. They connect automatically when the user starts using the app. Never delete these as this would disable communication between the app and the hearing aids.

iPhone®:
The Bluetooth devices LE_R-Phonak and LE_L-Phonak displayed as “Not Connected” are connected to the myPhonak app. They will automatically connect when the app is opened.

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#768

LE is a low power transport mechanism for the phone / hearing aid.

LE audio is the audio over LE.

Bluetooth classic is also a transport mechanism and supports audio but at higher power consumption which is not suitable for hearing aid unless you are phonak with multi years of wireliess engineering team expertise. Phonak have the resources to develop a custom radio chip that does this in a hearing aid and supports 4 distinct wireless transport mechanism

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#769

Yes it is confusing. But Low Energy Bluetooth (LE) we have had for ages. But Low Energy Audio Bluetooth (LE Audio) is new and not really used anywhere yet.

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#770

This seems to answer the question of whether Resound Omnia will get LE Audio. The answer seems to be NO.

Sutherland: Is Bluetooth LE audio part of OMNIA?

Christensen: We do have Bluetooth LE in OMNIA, but it is not the hearing aid standard that you’re probably referring to. The Bluetooth that is part of the new industry standard with connection to Auracast will come in future products. In OMNIA, we do have a new antenna that makes the connections to external devices like a phone very robust. There is no limit to what you can connect to if you use our multi-mic because it has a line in, so you can plug external sources in and stream everything wirelessly to the ears, including hands-free for iPhone. It has all the wireless technology that we’ve had for a long time so that all of the mini mics and TV streamers and everything can be used with this line.

This quote is pulled from this link of an interview with the Chief Audiology Officer at GN Hearing.

So, hopefully the next round of hearing aids will support LE Audio. 2024 maybe??

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#771

Did Resound ever promise LE Audio for Omnia? I know Demant did for Oticon More, but they never did that for Oticon Real, if I remember it correctly?

#772

@ssa might be helpful here.
I seem to remember the Omnia and Cochlear Nucleus 8 would both have everything physically needed for LE Audio. Just needed an update.

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#773

I don’t think it is an answer… He is deflecting on LE audio itself. Auracast need next gen firmware / software to run on.,You need to interact with something(i.e. an app) to switch on auracast broadcast what to do when the button is pressed, and other similar use case.

To get LE audio working, it is another matter, just adding it to firmware will do since hardware support LE audio

#774

It may have the necessary hardware but it doesn’t sound like they have any intention of supporting LE Audio in the Omnia. Future products, yes.

#775

I have to disagree, I read it differently.

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#776

Also this is from an mind of an audiologist. Not the engineer, LE Audio already existed in some form or another in MFI/ ASHA protocol. The reason he deflected on the question this isn’t related to hearing aid or audiology and settled on the next answer. Most of them meant Auracast,

@AbramBaileyAuD can probably confirm what i was saying here

#777

TBH - that whole LE section comes off as sales speak - which I get as it’s a hot topic and he doesn’t have the answer we want. Still, Got LE? Yes, but no. Not no, but better, someday. Don’t though, use our interface hardware because, no.

I understand it’s hard for HA makers to be so onboard and positive with cellphone Bluetooth LE, particularly regarding the chaotic Androidverse. It makes good businesses sense to get the certification and then stand back, or avoid it.

I don’t see it as much as deflection as stating where they’re coming from, not over-promising, keeping expectations in check. The HA industry seems to be all fired up for Auracast, though it’s still vaporware, possible because it’s the same paradigm as telecoil.

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#778

Complete agreement here Certification is key here, it will insure that devices are interoperable with a set and defined test suite and protocol power the new LE Audio

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#779

That is exactly right. OMNIA has completed the Bluetooth Qualification Process for Core Specification v. 5.3, which means Bluetooth LE hardware and some profiles but not necessarily implies fulfilling LE Audio requirements including those of Auracast. I’ve had this exchange of words with Nikolai Bisgaard who I have met at a conference held at The Danish Association of the Hard of Hearing:
Me: “Bluetooth Launch Studio states that ReSound OMNIA has “completed the Bluetooth Qualification Process for Core Specification 5.3”. Does that mean full Auracast / BTLE Audio compliance?”
Nikolai Bisgaard: “No, it probably doesn’t. But this means that the extended function package that can work with Auracast can be implemented on the chip platform that is used.
It will probably not be possible to update an Omnia product, but one of the future product generations based on this platform will have Auracast”.

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#780

You are confusing that auracast is Bluetooth le audio… it is an extension of the Bluetooth le audio. it can work without it . You don’t need auracast. If I’m right, there will be a firmware update to enable incomplete implementation of full stack which is without auracast.

#781

Did you tell him that we want it NOW? :unamused: Thanks for sharing. I’d thought that if I’m forced to buy new hearing aids soon I might go for Omnia because of the chance of a LE Audio upgrade. You’ve disabused me of that notion.

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#782

I completely agree with you, I’m not saying anything about buying it but to give my thought on this and you should wait until the first firmware update is out then decide then…it makes me wonder why they didn’t release any new fw update yet.

#783

Just remember that the lead time to develop a new chip is two or three years and both the software and firmware has to be written and fully tested before release. I am not surprised that this generation of already released aids is not implementing LE Audio & Auracast (although the exception could be Starkey Ai as it is a brand new chip).

I am a total amateur and can VERY EASILY be wrong but the BT version available on a chip seems to be a combination of both hardware and firmware as different phone manufacturers specify different BT versions on the same processor. (example Mediatek Helio G99 manufacture spec says BT 5.2 Samsung A24 phone using said processor states BT 5.3.

Is I offered earlier in the thread, Le audio seems to be a software update usable on the BT5.2 hardware.
Regards

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