Phonak Audéo video call issue - Help!

[Tee]

Kia ora, first time poster here from Aotearoa New Zealand. I’ve had a good poke around the forum and can’t find an answer to this, and my audiologist is also stumped.
I’ve been trialling Phonak Audéo L50s for the last 6 weeks and I’m about ready to give up on them as the audio quality on video calls such as FaceTime and Teams is appalling and unusable. Everyone sounds slurred / drunk and muffled, and apparently I sound the same to the listener. Audi has pored over the settings to see what to adjust, but to no avail. Looking at the MyPhonak app these programs seem to use the classic Bluetooth rather than the Autosense streaming, but audio phone calls don’t sound that bad at all. Does anyone have any ideas what we might be missing?
Apologies for the not great pic, I snapped it in his office this afternoon

[Neville]

Does it happen on other devices?

[kevels55]

Welcome to the forum @Tee… That’s a heavy loss, for the aids you are trialing! IMO, you will need a BTE for that loss, although I am no Audiologist! A Naida Lumity SP at the very least, but perhaps a Naida Lumity UP might be more effective? Please try the NAL NL2 fitting formula if you manage to trial the Naida Super Power or the Ultra Power… Good Luck, cheers Kev

[Tee]

It does, yes. I’ve tried it on another iPhone, iPad, laptop and android phone (my poor friends! lol) so have definitely ruled out it’s not the phone. I feel like it has to be a setting on the aids, just cannot figure out which one.

[Tee]

Thank you. And yes, I think I may be butting the edges of what the Audéo can do even with a power speaker. I moved up from Oticon Zircons which simply couldn’t give me the volume I needed, although I did like the way they sounded, and tried Oticon Xceeds but could never get them to sound right. New audiologist suggested these in that they would be better for understanding speech, and I think they are. But maybe I’m still asking too much of them.

[kevels55]

Yeah @Tee…I tend to agree, you are butting the edges… I have tried the Marvel RIC’s 90’s for 2 years, with 105db receivers & custom moulds, I kept on blowing receivers, they where wonderful aids to wear, extremely comfortable… But IMO, nothing sounds quite as good as a well fitted BTE, in comparison to a RIC, it is clearer, crisper and a much more fuller sounding aid, so I went back to BTE, first the Naida Paradise 90 UP BTE, for around 30 months, they are excellent, I then moved on to the Naida Lumity 90 UP BTE’s, a big step up in overall clarity, especially in conjunction with twin walled/double walled tubing, that will give you perhaps another 5db of gain, I use NAL NL2 fitting formula, I just find it gives me better results over other fitting formulas… Good luck in finding a better hearing solution… Cheers Kev

[michael1]

I don’t think that is the correct screen for adjustments, is it what your audi was using?

[firenzel]

Have the audi to increase Mid and High gains for streaming Media speech + Mic
Select “Media speech + mic” and adjust the gains

Then open Programm options and decrease / lower most of the options for the Streaming “Media speech and mic” programm

[Tee]

Thank you. I can certainly give that a shot.
At the moment both Autosense streaming programs are set up the same as my Automatic one, so you’d think they would sound the same, but perhaps there is compression going on somewhere.
Appreciate such a detailed response.

EDIT: Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the right program as this seems to kick in for things like Netflix and other media streaming. I can see on the MyPhonak app that it flicks to Bluetooth when watching media and streaming music, but not when on FaceTime / Teams.

[Tee]

That’s what he’s using, yes. I don’t think there is another screen?
He also found a button that says “base programme on… “ which will apparently “copy” the settings across the different programs.

[Raudrive]

How were the aids programmed?
Was REM performed?

The screen you show is for calm situations. If I am looking at the gains and targets correctly the aids are not programmed correctly.
Are the aides fitted with earmolds?

As mentioned your hearing loss needs SP or UP aids IMO.

[Tee]

My apologies that my image is not the best / clearest here. The Autosense programs are set up to mirror this set-up, my audiologist working on the assumption if theyre all set up the same we should be able to figire out which one is wrong. But the bluetooth for video calls seems to use Classic Bluetooth not LE-bluetooth, as the MyPhonak app doesn’t switch when I do calls.

I do have an Audéo UP speaker in a mould with canal lock.

[Neville]

If it sounds fine for calls, I’m not sure it’s a setting unless for some reason teams is using the music streaming program and those settings are wildly different.

Try getting your clinician to 1) toggle the type of Bluetooth, adaptive or static (may be able to do it in the app now) and 2) switch the Bluetooth master to the other ear. If that second one resolves it, then it’s a right hearing aid repair issue.

[Neville]

Also, get your clinician to listen to it when it happens.

[Tee]

Thank you. I did toggle the bluetooth in the app, doesn’t seem to make any discernable difference though.

I really hope it’s not a replair issue, just becuase that would be a real PITA, but also, maybe that would make things easier than this constant roundabout of trying to debug the issue.

I appreciate your help.

[LawyerFL]

I find with my Phonak P90 RT that it all works well on Zoom etc, except on my husband’s Apple laptop. It is fine on my Apple laptop but not his. On his laptop, which I often use for zoom meetings because located in the quiet study with large screens set up to work with it, others on the call cannot hear me very well. My voice is too soft and not clear! If I get off BT and just rely on captions, they can hear me fine. Haven’t been able to figure out the problem, and I plan to just get a separate good BT microphone set up with his computer. Just to say these BT issues can be difficult to figure out - glad you are getting some helpful tips here.

[Don]

It looks like you are way under target on gain? Is the light line the target and the heavier line your settings, for 50, 65, and 85?

Sound from the laptop or phone app would be Media Streaming program and sound from a phone call would be, of course, Phone Call program. Both have separate, unrelated gain settings.

[Don]

Oh, no compression! You must be set to Linear?

What happens if you have a standard programming setup, with full compression?

[Don]

Are you using the P receiver or UP? The P will go well over 50 db gain and still sound fine, but you really need the UP receiver for your Lumity to hit your targets. Im guessing your pro does not have Phonak experience?

[Tee]

Yes, good call. I wonder if I can persuade him to do a Facetime call with me in the clinic. Might be a bit weird though lol