New here and looking for feedback re: Roger Pen, Roger mic, ReSound Micro Mic, etc

Hearing Aids
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#1

I’ve been reading some posts and realize I’m fairly uneducated regarding audiological terms, and way off in tech terms compared to your discussions, so bear with me.

I’m looking for a BT mic that I can use either with my KS4 HAs or purchase new KS7 HAs, or I’m open to purchasing any other brand that best utilizes something that will work for me. When I purchased my KS4 HAs four years ago I used, as a trial, the Mini Blu and Speech Connect. They didn’t work for me for a couple of reasons. One is that I had issues getting them to pair consistently. Another is that the mic needed to be very close to the speaker. My aud thought it would be perfect, but my work situation is such that I have speakers coming in and out of the room, and cannot simply attach a mic to them. I need a mic that can sit on my desk and pick up voices of several people who are mainly within 10-15 feet of me.

I am trying to educate myself on Phonak’s Roger pen and/or Roger table mic, as well as ReSound’s micro mic or multi mic. I read here in comments that the Naida V90 has a built-in receiver for these BT items. That would be nice. Does the Cala have the same option? However, I’m most interested in what people have used that have worked the best. My environment isn’t noisy, but I can and do travel at times and so it’s not entirely consistent.

My hearing issues with work have recently become worse due to the addition of a softer speaking person as the main speaker. I assumed I was the only person having difficulty, but I realize others are asking him to repeat fairly often, or leaning around others for a better hearing position. My main location has a sound system, but it’s fairly normal for it to be turned off due to feedback, or speakers turning the mic away from them, or simply walking around the room That’s why I am again looking into a BT mic. for my desk.

I need to obtain a copy of my most recent audiogram, but it hasn’t changed that much over the years. The one I have from 2011, if I’m doing this right, is:
25 30 45 65 50 55 60 35
35 35 50 65 55 55 55 ? (can’t tell what the last one is)

Any and all thoughts, opinions, experiences are welcome.

#2

I have no experience with any, but I’ve read from Dan Schwartz (hearing aid engineer) that the multimic is awesome and almost as good as the Roger Pen. He uses it in numerous situations like in the car, restaurants, meetings, etc.

#3

The Pen is a bit dated. It uses FM and requires an attachment to the aids to channel that to the aids. One alternative might be the Resound Cala8’s at Costco which has a BT mic that can be purchased with the aids that works directly with the aids. Never used either so I can’t say which would be better but, as pricey as the Pen and attachments are, I’d look for alternatives that might serve better.

#4

The Cala 8 with an iPhone also supports using the iPhone as a mic. Just put the phone in live mic mode and put it near the speaker. I’ve only tried it briefly with my KS6 aids and again then I was trialing the Cala 8.

Phonak also offers a mini or micro mic that works with the ComPilot II. I have one but have never used it. It was a free accessory with my Brio aids.

#5

As has been said, Phonak is charging lots of money for old rope with the Roger solution - the 2017 pricing for the bits is heinous when you consider what it actually does.

The Resound accessories aren’t cheap, but the MicroMic is very good at what it does.

I would also suggest that with your level of hearing loss, if you can’t hear soft voices, your hearing aids aren’t properly fitted. It’s a Mild-Moderate loss and should be very easy to fit.

#6

Thanks. What does “BT” stand for in a mic? You don’t mean a behind-the-ear mic, right? Does it go by another name so that I can research it? As I understand the Cala8 gets a good review, and I suppose I would have to buy them and not be able to use their mic with my current set?

#7

I thought the same, so went for adjustment last December but didn’t see much improvement. I wish I lived closer to the store. I’m over 2 hours away, which makes that difficult.

#8

BT in this context is Bluetooth.

#9

Duh, I knew that. Can you tell I just drove about 13 hours returning from vacation? I haven’t returned to the real world yet. lol

#10

I can’t use my iPhone as a speaker for work purposes, because I can’t put it near the speaker. I need to use something that sits on my desk, which is in the range of 10-15, and at times more, feet from the people speaking.

#11

Then you’re misunderstanding the whole concept of these remote mics, or the live mic iPhone feature. The idea is that the mic is by or even clipped to the speaker, and the sound is sent to your aids. If you can’t put it near the speaker, any of these devices are of no use.

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#12

And that, Jay, is what I needed to know. I can possibly put the pen near 1 or 2 of the speakers, or a small mic. Otherwise, it needs to sit near me.

#13

Your best bet is to have one of the programs set to forward bias and as strong as it can be set that way. This will concentrate speech in the direction you are looking.

#14

Awesome! I will do that. I definitely need some tweaking…or a new/different set. Thanks!

#15

Must be a large office… Microphones aren’t made to be used away from the speaker. Ever notice professional speakers, singers, etc… They all hold the mic in their face. Are they sitting in free range chairs or at a conf table of some sort.

#16

I thought that beside the lanyard around the neck and table conference mode, the Roger Pen also has an interview mode where you can hold and point it toward the speaker to help reduce surrounding noise and help reduce the acoustically perceived distance by up to 75%. That is what I got from this link here: Best Hearing in Noise, Guaranteed. | Ossicle Kelowna Hearing Aids and Tinnitus Treatment

I don’t own a Roger Pen so I can’t vouch for any of that. I’m only relaying what I read through that link above. Whether you believe what they say there or not is up to you to decide.

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#17

I don’t work in an office. Just trying to find something that may help. I came here because I didn’t understand what BT mics may help, or if they would. My aud sent me home with one four years ago she felt it would help, but I couldn’t get a constant connection at that time.

#18

IMNSHO, unless you can hang the mic on each individual or have them pass one around you’re pretty much screwed.

#19

Surely someone on this forum has used a Roger Pen and can answer if it works by pointing it at someone. My guess is Doc is right.

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#20

I have tried several directional mics and can offer the following options. In a table setting, for example, they work pretty well if you are pointing it at the speaker front 2 to 6 feet if background noise is minimal. In noisy environments, I’m not sure anything can be much better. It also depends on the speech discrimination score as to how well a microphone can work. For me the Roger Pen produces a good signal for my own loss. I just didn’t get a benefit over my FM Microphone to warrant the cost of the Roger Pen.