Phonak Audeo IX T-Coil Crackling Noise

Hearing Aids
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#1

I have had Phonak Audeo IXs for several years but always have to get my soft-voiced girlfriend to repeat and/or raise her voice, even though I have a KeyPilot to raise the volume and switch programs, none of which seem to make any difference.

I had my audiologist include the T-Coil setting as one of the KeyPilot programs, so that I could use a neck loop, Music Links, etc. to get improved clarity with her, my cellphone, my Pocketalker (which works better than my Phonaks, etc.

But whenever I switch to T-Coils I get a crackling sound.

My audiologist suggested it might be due to the fact that the program on my KeyPilot picks up both the T-Coils and the normal Phonak microphone at the same time.

Could that be the cause?
If so, does anyone know how I can change that program to T-Coil ONLY?
Can I do it myself?

I’m getting awfully tired of going back to the audiologist even though he is a nice guy.

Any help and advice would be appreciated.

#2

There is a T-coil only program available instead of T-coil+Mic, but you may have that already. It’s possible the crackling sound you’re hearing is ambient electromagnetic noise that’s being picked up by the T-coil. Unfortunately you will have to go back to the audiologist to verify/change the setting.

#3

Thank you. I took your suggestion and got in to see the audiologist yesterday and he re-set my t-coil selection to t-coil only instead of t-coil+mike. There was an even louder noise coming through on that setting after he re-set it, but he said that the noise would go away when it paired with one of my devices. I couldn’t test that theory, because I hadn’t thought to bring one of them, like my neck loop, with me.

So I went home excited to try it. Unfortunately, there was not only no improvement, in fact the noise was much louder. I tried it with my neck loop, my Music Links, my Pocketalker. Unfortunately, it was awful.

While I was there, he showed me the PHONAK REMOTE MIC SET W/ REMOTE MIC AND COM PILOT COMBO and he called Phonak and they told him it WOULD work with my “core technology” Phonak Audeo IXs except for the remote. I was surprised to hear that.

But now I am worried that they would sound as awful as the devices I hooked up to it that I already have at home. I wonder why he didn’t demonstrate it to me when I was there. Couldn’t that ComPilot set he was showing me have been temporarily paired with my hearing aids while I was sitting at his desk?

All observations and further suggestions would be most appreciated.

PS -

  1. I have read the rev reviews here on the Forum about the ComPilot and noted that about 1/2 the reports were unsatisfactory, with complaints of distorted voice transmission at the other end of phone calls, but that a software update may or may not have improved them.

  2. After $6,000 on the Audeos plus $300 a year for maintenance, damage and loss insurance after the warranty ran out, plus countless trips to the Audiologist for adjustments the last few years, I am sitting here wondering why the $130 Pocketalker with added-on clip-on better quality mike and Panasonic earbuds that I bought a week ago is giving me better hearing and understanding of my beloved’s voice than the Phonaks ever did! How can this be? I have placed my faith in the hearing aid industry, but am frustrated that here I am walking around with a crude, cheap kludge that gives me better results, even though I hate the dangling long, silly-looking wires and would prefer to have my Phonaks back in my ears instead of earbuds.

#4

It sounds like your Audeos might need service or replacement. I know you mentioned the warranty is over, but it’s probably worth the repair fee to send them back to Phonak for an evaluation. If you have some sort of maintenance plan with your audi, he or she should absorb the cost.

#5

Hi NateS

No it will not sound awful because it transmits the signal to your aids in a totally different manner than the normal tcoil neckloops.
I can confirm ComPilot does work with your CORE aids. Just it has to be set to “Generic” by your HCP (which anyway is the default when the device is unpacked).

Hope this help.
And for the caller quality: just try it out I would advice and make your own decison :o

Cheers
Michael

#6

Nate,
I had similar problems hearing soft talkers and my audiologist raised the overall gain by 5 dB and lowered the compression kneepoint by 5 dB and the problem was solved.

#7

Michael,

Thank you very much for your responses and suggestions. I will consider going forward with the plan you suggest with my audiologist, after I try out an improvement I made to my kludged contraption:

My order for a tiny bluetooth transmitter and an LG 730+ arrived from Amazon, so that I was able to eliminate all the long dangly wires almost completely, plugging the tiny transmitter into the Pocketalker phone port and putting the tiny shoulder harness of the LG 730+ under my shirt and putting the earbuds into my ears with their very short wires from shoulders to ears; and then I paired them.

I am naturally astonished at how much better I hear with this relatively inexpensive kludge compared to the best I have ever been able to achieve with my Phonaks. Granted I hear most people with the hearing aids, but I am retired and I didn’t get the Phonaks to hear “most” people, I got them to hear my significant other because she has a very soft, beautiful voice, and I want her to be able to speak to me in her natural voice without requiring her to constantly raise her voice and/or repeat herself over and over. And I am noticing that I am having trouble now with my adult daughters’ voices too. So my audiologist raised my default volume a couple more decibels, but my Pocketalker kludge still works better. Of course, it is not a perfect solution - unlike my hearing aids, the Pocketalker amplifies my own voice significantly too. That is admittedly distracting. In that respect, my hearing aids do a better job, I admit.

More to follow.

Best wishes, Nate

#8

Well, after 5 years of being unhappy with T-coil reception on my Phonak Audeo IXs, I came up with an even simpler solution, after I couldn’t wait to turn off T-coil mode this morning at the breakfast table, trying to use it simply to have a pleasant conversation with my beloved. I put aside my neck loop and even my Powertalker, pulled my Phonaks out of my ears, and got out an old pair of little Sony Bluetooth clip-on “silver bullets” which I had purchased two years ago for remote video work, clipped the microphone bullet to her blouse, the receiver bullet to my shirt, plugged a simple pair of Panasonic earbuds into my bullet, and plugged in the earbuds and voila! nice-free communication with her as if I had my old hearing back from my youth!

Can the $500 ComPilot set from Phonak duplicate this excellent result?

Michael from Phonak, are you still here on the forum? I understood you to say that the ComPilots use an entirely different transmission system - if it isn’t T-coil and it isn’t bluetooth, what is it? And where can I find an independent resource to read up on it, other than the Phonak website?

Best wishes, Nate

#9

seb,

Thank you for this reply and suggestion, which I did not see until this very moment. (This forum has such great posters and valued information but it is so confusing just now to follow the discussion during their technical problems.)

I will definitely ask my audi to try this! I can’t walk around with earbuds and no HAs al the time, even though it is tempting.

Regards, Nate