Oticon ConnectClip sound quality problems

#1

Based on comments I received here about using the Oticon ConnectClip for hands-free driving, I ordered one. I don’t think it’s doing what it’s supposed to, and I hope you can give me advice.

It’s paired with an iPhone 8 running iOS 12.1.4, on which I have the Hey Siri function activated. I have been told that my voice sounds fine on phone calls.

However, I only hear phone calls through my left ear. I think it’s supposed to be both? And worse, the volume is very low.

I have tried maxing the volume on the phone itself. I’ve tried the CC volume control buttons. They don’t make it louder than the middle setting (which chimes when I reach it), although I can lower the volume. I’ve also played with the vol control on my hearing aids to no effect. The only thing I accomplish in all this is turning up the vol (through the phone vol button) so much that I hear a whooshing sound in the right ear.

If I tell Siri to do anything other than a phone call, I get the usual expected stereo effect – music, podcasts play in both ears (although very loud, from my efforts to compensate for the low volume phone calls).

Based on the marketing literature and your earlier comments, I don’t think this is right.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

#2

I have the iphone 7+ and I use the connectclip with my OPN1 ITE hearing aids and I get my calls in both aids, now I do not use Siri so I can not help you there.
I can say if I have my Iphone and Ipad, both with the bluetooth on, I will get issues with one aid only being connected to my aids or my connectclip. So I keep my ipad bluetooth disabled until I need to use it. Also my aids are updated to the latest firmware, and my iphone and ipad are at the lastest IOS13.3.1.

#3

I listen to a lot of audio books and podcasts with my ConnectClip. I find the connection will cut out to one ear or the other when my HA battery starts to get weak. (just before I get the first low battery tone). I have also noticed it cutting out on one side if the ConnectClip is on one the other side of my body. I also use my ConnectClip when I am doing something noisy like mowing the lawn. Even with ear muffs on I could not turn the volume up loud enough to hear until I found out there was a mute function that muted the external mikes on the HA.
Hope this helps.

#4

Thanks to you both. CVKemp-- you inspired me to update my iOS. Also repaired the CC and the phone, and now things seem to be OK. There have been a couple glitchy things – odd voice sound briefly on a podcast, inability of Siri to place a call. Don’t know if that’s related, but they seem to have resolved. So I have hope.

The vol controls on the CC still don’t seem to have much effect, but if the phone is set to a reasonable vol, then I’m OK.

I’ve also noticed that the Oticon ON app shows the HAs as disconnected. It asked to turn on Bluetooth when I first fired it up, and on a hunch I did not allow that. Should that be able to work? Interestingly, if I do the fast three-presses-of-the-home-key shortcut, the phone will tell me what the battery level and program settings are. But Oticon ON can’t.