Oticons Connect Clip First impressions

Assistive Listening Devices
#1

Connect clip to OPN2 First impressions… it is smaller than I thought it would be. The clip is metal and seams robust. Operation is easy. Three buttons on the side, large multi function (power and call pickup/hangup), two small buttons for volume control of your hearing aids. Range is good while connected in Mic mode I was able to achieve about 100 feet line of site. Streaming audio from my phone to a range of 40 feet. I hope the audio volume can be increased. With the volume of my phone up all the way it was tough to hear some music and calls.

I plan on doing some battery life experimentation to see how well it does. The lanyards it comes with are cheep and flimsy. It would have been better to have a lanyard connection point. What you get is to just clip the connect clip to the lanyard using the metal clip. It seams like a let down for this option. Overall so far I am happy to have this device. If you have a connect clip what are your first impressions?

#2

Alright been using my connect clip for a week now. Over all I am impressed.

The battery life lasts all day with moderate streaming. I have paired the clip to my work computer and so far it works great! A big plus at work I have an internet phone that connects to my pc. With my connect clip paired I can enjoy music no headphones required, then when my phone rings or I need to make a call the audio is streams right into my OPN2.

Call quality is decent (audio still a tad on the low side). I will be having my audiologist adjust that hopefully. Real battery tests are coming soon.

I plan on disassembling the connect clip and using my test equipment to analyze the performance. I do not recommend anyone doing this as it will certainly void your warranty, let alone possibly break it. I am an electrical engineer that designs small sensors and scientific equipment. I have the specialized equipment to do this properly. I will post photos and possibly video if your interested in seeing the tech that Oticon has put out in the connect clip let me know.

The one con I have noticed so far is the ability to connect to multiple Bluetooth devices at once (like cell phone and pc). This might be possible depending on the chip set they are using with a Bluetooth stack modification. More to come…

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#3

I look forward to hearing your findings. I have heard that this CC uses a “Cinevia” bluetooth chip (spelling?). Also, I am also curious on how the CC manages pairings with multiple devices: laptop, mobile phone, landline phone equipped with bluetooth. Do you have to pair with only one device at a time, or can you be paired with multiple devices and get notifications/sounds for all simultaneously?

#4

I have just started using the connect clip and found that after I also hooked up the tv adapter, I can no longer use the connect clip to cycle through different programs: instead when I hold down the multi function button the requisite 3 seconds, it goes to remote mic mode. This happens even when the tv adapter is off (and that the ‘problem started right after I hooked up the tv adapter Amy be a coincidence anyway). Any comment or suggestion?

#5

I would think that the ConnectClip should be compatible with the TV Adapter. If they interfere with each other, then it’s a design bug.

Are you still able to cycle through the different programs using the manual buttons on the OPNs?

One way you can try to do is to reset the TV Adapter (hold its reset button for a few seconds per the instruction?) to have the TV Adapter forget the pairing with the OPN to see if that frees up the ConnectClip to cycle through the different programs or not. If it does free up the ConnectClip, then have your audi check with Oticon support to see why they have the incompatibility issue you’re seeing.

I find it hard to believe that Oticon would have such a blatant design bug that would have been discovered through basic testing. Something else must be going on here.

#6

Thank you for your suggestions. I am able to cycle using the manual buttons on the OPNs and using the ON app.

Looking at the ConnectClip instruction manual, it will only cycle through the programs if it is not streaming. I tried turning my iphone off, but that didn’t seem to help. It’s just occurred to me that since the TV adapter never actually turns off, it may be finding my hearing aids even when I’m not in the room. I’m going to try unplugging the TV adapter to see if that makes a difference; if not, I’ll try the reset on the TV adapter as you suggest. Again, thank you for your response. I’ll post the results in case anyone else is having this problem.

#7

Yes, I guess that once you pair one or more pairs of OPNs on the TV Adapter, it probably keeps broadcasting to those paired OPNs and the OPN receives the TV Adapter broadcast whenever it goes into the TV Adapter mode. But it doesn’t really stop transmitting unless 2 things happen:

  1. There’s no longer audio (or weak enough audio below the detection threshold level) that will cause the TV Adapter to stop streaming and go into standby mode until the audio level is present (or high enough) again to wake the TV Adapter up from its standby mode.

  2. You actually turn off the power source of the TV Adapter.

Now when you use the ConnectClip, is there a special program that you have to be in specifically to receive the ConnectClip streaming audio? You know, similar to the TV Adapter program where you have to cycle to the TV Adapter mode?

So are you saying that you think you couldn’t cycle through the programs using the ConnectClip because it was possibly streaming and you didn’t know that it doesn’t allow cycling through programs while streaming, as the instruction manual say?

#8

When I use the ConnectClip, I’m not aware that I have to be in any special program - certainly I don’t have to cycle through anything the way you do to cycle to the TV adaptor mode.

And yes, I do think it was a possibility that the ConnectClip was streaming and that’s why I couldn’t cycle through the programs. But I still have to test that and I won’t be able to test till tomorrow as I’m currently charging the ConnectClip.

#9

An update on the cycling problem that I was having with the ConnectClip…once I ensured there was no streaming (i.e. no blue light on the CC), I was able to use it as a remote control device to cycle through the different programs.

#10

I’ve had my ConnectClip for a week now, paired to a set of OPN 1’s. Here are my thoughts as an Android user and using it paired to my laptop for VOIP calls

Pro:

  • Size and that you dont need to wear it around your neck
  • Sound quality is good for calls and streaming music.
  • Battery life seems OK but is an unknown as I’m keeping conscious it has a small battery.
  • Can be ~10 feet away from the streamer and still have a solid streaming connection. This is a big plus over needing to have a neckloop streamer on for when you’re listening to music or a podcast while cooking for example.

– no comments on remote mic as I haven’t used it yet.

Con:

  • Size - i’m afraid i’m going to lose it.
  • Bluetooth connectivity - one device at a time only. This is a huge drawback and downside to the ConnectClip. The last-generation Streamer Pro is able to connect multiple devices at once.
  • No direct audio input (minijack), again a feature lost from the Streamer Pro
  • Does not report battery level to phone - unlike Streamer Pro. Android phones on Oreo can display battery life, but ConnectClip does not report it to the device.
  • Oticon ON app is basically useless, unless you need to change programs or mute the aids via your phone.
  • while streaming music from my phone I’ve noticed it cutting out once in a while. I’m trying to figure out what the trigger is still.

Quibbles :

  • No way to send the bluetooth stop/start command like you can with Streamer Pro. The effect of this is that when streaming music, you cannot hit one button on the ConnectClip and have it stop streaming. You must stop the music on the device and then un-mute your aid mic’s. This is a safety issue to me as I stream music while commuting.
  • button presses to mute/change programs/remote-mic are not intuitive.
  • Hearing aids can change programs while streaming. I couldn’t do this with my SP-8/Streamer Pro and i’m not sure why you’d want this. you’re streaming or using your aids normally, not both at the same time. I keep trying to mute my mics and instead end up having to cycle through 4 programs and then mute.

I really hope Oticon is working on firmware updates for the ConnectClip to bring it to the same level of functionality as the Streamer Pro.

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#11

Thank you for a thorough review. I hope to corroborate your points once I get my CC Friday.

#12

You don’t need the ON app for this. I never bother. I just use the manual buttons on the OPNs to change program (one second click on right side to go up a program, one second click on left side to go down a program, and remember it cycles circularly so if you want to go from 4 back down to 1, just click UP (the right OPN button) and it’ll go back from 4 to 1 again. Of course if you have the TV Adapter mode then this mode is between 4 and 1.

I mute the OPNs but holding either the right or left OPN manual button for 3 seconds. Still much faster than whipping out the phone, turn on the ON app, connect to the OPNs, just to mute. One quick click on either OPN manual buttons will unmute.

There is no reason or incentive to use the ON app at all at this time for me for program or volume control.

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#13

There is use for this feature. For example, while you’re streaming, you may want to go from the default program 1 to let’s say program 2 which may be a Speech in Noise program as you transition to a noisier environment so you can understand external (non streaming) speech going around you better.

The setting in the program you are in while streaming has an effect on how the streaming content sounds. For example if you’re not streaming for a phone call but are streaming for music listening, you may prefer to change to the Oticon built-in Music program (if you already had your audi put in a program for this) so the streaming music content will not be processed in anyway by the OPN.

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#14

The un-mute your aids’ mics is easy if you manually mute it (hold one of the OPN buttons down for 3 seconds) while streaming. Then un-mute is just a quick click on either button. Don’t bother using the ON app to mute/unmute the OPNs, not while driving.

But being able to stop streaming from the ConnectClip would be nice so you don’t have to fumble through your source device.

#15

I was very interested in your comment about changing programs manually as I have been having some difficulty doing that. However, your comment about a one second click, did the trick for me. (I thought I had read in the manual that you needed to do a 3 second click, which was getting me nowhere!). However, I do find that I can go up and down using either of the right or the left hearing aids - not right for up and left for down as you have suggested. Am I just lucky or is that a programming issue?

I’ve been using the OPN 1’s with a Connect Click for a week now - my only outstanding ‘issue’ with them is that they are not very good with my landline, even if I use my telephone program. They are great with my cell phone, and I find the Connect Click great in the car for hands free, both calling out and receiving a call. I’m going to be trying out the remote mic at a meeting on Thursday morning.

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#16

If you look at the Operate Button page below for Genie 2, for the OPN with the single button on each aid, you cannot go up AND down using just a single button because it’s not a rocker switch (with an up and a down). So either this single button is designate to go up to the next program, or go down to the previous program. BUT, you can cycle through ALL programs with just one of the 2 buttons because it cycles CIRCULARLY.

For example, if you cycle using the left OPN button, it’ll go from P1 down to TV Box (if you have one paired with your OPN), or down to P4, then P3, then P2, then P1, then TV Box, then P4, P3, P2, P1, over and over.

The right OPN button cycles up, P1 to P2 to P3 to P4 to TV Box (if any) to P1 to P2, to P3 to P4 to P1, etc.

But if you’re in P3 and want to go down to P2, a single click on the left button does the trick. But to use the right button, you’ll need to do 4 clicks.

If your audi enables the Mute function for you, as seen in the pic below, a very long press on either left or right button will mute. A quick click will un mute.

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#17

There is a device coming out for landline phones as seen in the pic below that will interface between the landline phone and the ConnectClip. I have no idea when Oticon will come out with it. I also have no idea how they’re supposed to hook up to the phone.

How are you using your ConnectClip with your landline phone right now without this not yet released Oticon device?

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#18

My apologies, Volusiano. I did not mean to imply that I was using the CC with my landline. I’m not.

Incidentally, I want to thank you for the comments you made on a different topic - Bernafon. Because of the significant price difference, I am considering testing the Bernafon Zerenas. I understand they won’t give the same hearing experience as the OPN 1s, but I do wonder if the incremental benefit of the OPN 1s will justify the cost for my hearing loss. I find your information and the way you present it very helpful.

#19

Hello Volusiano. Notwithstanding your comment and screen shot above, the OPN 1 manual that I have says (on page 40 of 82)

“Press up or down between programs. Note that you can change continuously
between programs - both up and down in the program order. For example, if you
want to go from program 1 to 4, you can press the down button once instead of
pressing the up button 3 times.”

So it would appear that the volume button is a rocker button (to use your phrase) and I am able to go up or down using the same hearing aid, without necessarily cycling through.

#20

Typically, rockers are used on size 13 aids and a button is used on 312 size aids. It is a function of available space. That’s not written in stone but what is usually found.