No, you do not. When you pair to a device, you can immediately connect to it, disconnect, connect again, etc.
Skype is unreliable, full stop. The audio drivers are flaky. I use the compilot ii - which is really solid and I have rarely been able to connect to it on a PC (on a phone it is ok).
I worked out ages ago that because of timings and set up issues I NEVER use bluetooth for important meetings or conference calls. I use headphones instead, as I have custom devices.
A final comment is to say that I would NEVER choose a hearing aid based on its bluetooth connection capability.
I guess I disagree with you. I rely on Bluetooth daily, and I know many who do the same. It’s not like it was 10 years ago. Maybe Skype has issues, but I’ve always found Bluetooth in general to be reliable. I use it literally every day with multiple devices/uses/platforms, HA’s and otherwise. I can’t remember the last time I had an issue. In regards to HA’s, It seems that’s the largely and overwhelmingly the same experience with Marvel wearers. It’s true for me (Quattro’s right now).
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When RogerDirect is activated, a Roger pen 1.1 would be perfect for you if you decide to go the Marvel route.
Edit: page 53 of manual: Phonak User Guide Roger Pen
darylm, how do you connect OPN1’s to a macbook? Does it require the connect clip? I am on trial now and if I keep them I assume that for watching TV and using the macbook pro and iphone I would need the connect clip and TV connector.
Looking at the evolution of the Phonak RIC, it seems the casing size is the limiting
factor here. For instance: they made the casing bigger for the Belong Direct. Currently, however, the Marvel 312 is as
small as the Belong 312. This means the size of radio to use as BT Direct is smaller too. Therefore, BT pairing is a
hardware issue not a patch fixing software
issue.
But, they say a Roger receiver is to be activated in the fall. Is this reciever taking
up the space?
As a comparison, Widex made their Beyond RIC wider to make room for their
MFI direct radio.
You could try a Bluetooth transmitter. Check aliebaba etc for cheap Bluetooth transmitters, or better ones (about 50$) with and without delay (aptx).
I guess we will have to agree to disagree. It’s my experience and others if you search on the internet that you cannot use a bluetooth headphone / headset without rebooting the PC. After you pair the device, there is a message on the Manage Bluetooth devices page, saying, "Setup incomplete. Restart your PC. It’s attached below.
Yes, you’ll need a ConnectClip to hear audio or make software phone calls from your Macbooks (assuming that your Macbook has Bluetooth support).
For your iPhone you don’t need the ConnectClip because you can connect directly via MFI. But if you are on phone calls a lot and want hands-free calls (leave your iPhone in your pocket and not have to hold it close to your mouth), then you can also use the ConnectClip with your iPhone and use the built-in mic on the ConnectClip.
If you have a smart TV that is Bluetooth enabled, you don’t need a TV Connector to use it with your TV. The ConnectClip will work just fine with your Bluetooth enabled smart TV as well. You only need the TV Connector if your TV is not Bluetooth enabled and you need to tap either the audio output or the Toslink/optical output from your TV.
Skype is a POS. No one will debate this. This is probably why Microsoft is replacing it with Teams. However, it’s an unavoidable daily part of my job. Some days I spend hours in skype meetings, mostly with Europe.
To a large degree, my decision to upgrade from a single hearing aid to a pair was to improve my ability to hear in skype calls. So for me, connectivity is just as important as hearing in general. The connection problems I had with the Marvels simply do not exist with the Opns. They are just as reliable as USB headphones, except I can actually now using both ears and my colleagues can also hear me. When you are speaking with people whose language is not english, this makes a big difference.
Phonak has gone out of its way to tout the bluetooth connectivity of the Marvels. Based on my experience, they missed the target. Instead of focusing on direct streaming, they should have focused on reliable flexible connectivity in real world situations, not just single device connectivity. Someone else pointed out that very few people who can afford to drop $7k on hearing aids have only one device.
Anyway, everyone is entitled to their opinion of what’s important and what’s not important. If Phonak did not want to receive criticism of the Marvel’s connectivity capability, they should not have made such a big deal of it.
For watching TV, there is a TV connector. I have one of these, but I haven’t tried it yet. (I normally watch TV on my computer.) As far as I know, made for iphone does not apply to mac books, in which case, you would use the connect clip, in the same way you use it on a PC.
The advantage of the tv connector is that you can easily switch to it and from it. There are no pairing or connectivity issues. You just select it using the app on your phone without.
Thanks for the info.
Yes and no. Unlike the Marvel, you can pair the ConnectClip with several devices (8 or 10, I forgot which), so pairing is not an issue using the ConnectClip. You’d only have to turn on/off Bluetooth between the active and inactive devices. It’s almost as easy to turn off Bluetooth on one device and turn on Bluetooth on another device to switch, compared to selecting the TV Adapter program. So it’s no big deal to me.
Here’s another disadvantage of using both the TV Adapter and the ConnectClip at the same time: I have both the TV Adapter which I use for my laptop, and the ConnectClip which I use for my Samsung Note 8. While I’m watching TV on my laptop, even if there’s only a notification sound on my Note 8 (doesn’t have to be an incoming call), the ConnectClip connection will override the TV Adaptor connection to sound the notification to my OPN. This temporarily disconnect my TV Adaptor sound for a good 5 seconds or more. Very annoying because I get notification alerts on my Note 8 for many things. So I usually have to turn off Bluetooth on my Note 8 anyway if I want to watch TV uninterrupted on my laptop.
My laptop actually has Bluetooth support as well. So I’m also able to use the ConnectClip with my laptop. I’m only using the TV Adapter with my laptop on a temporary basis until I move into a new house and set up my TV, at which time it’ll be dedicated to the TV. But again, even while I watch the TV, I’d need to turn off the Bluetooth on my Note 8 if I don’t want any notification interruption.
darylm,
If you have the Phonak TV Connector I have read on this forum you can also connect it directly to your laptop computer and assuming that is correct, you would then be able to use your Marvels as a “headset” through the TV Connector for your computer??? If this is correct, would that possibly solve your Skype issue? For me I just leave my Marvels connected to my iPhone 7Plus all the time and I have not had any problems in over two months usage plus I really like the “hands free” calling and the excellent stereo music streaming. Perhaps when the Roger connection is finally released that may also work for your laptop connection although that wouldn’t solve your current problems?? Sounds like you have a solution (OPN) that will work for you.
I just installed the tv connector. It works as I expected. Pretty straight-forward and no surprises. I connected the connect clip to my android phone and tried watching youtube on the android phone and iphone at the same time. This doesn’t interfere with the tv connector, because you have to specifically select it as the streaming device using the app.
With the connect clip and iphone, streaming only works with one device at time. It seems to switch to the most recent device. It would be an improvement if you could select which device you want to listen to from the app. I did not notice the notification issue you mentioned, but I can see how that would be a problem, because it does take a few seconds for the streaming to switch from one device to another.
I don’t use the tv connector with my laptop, because it’s output only. It has no input capability, so I can’t use it with skype (at least not without an external microphone). It’s also not particularly portable.
The phonak tv connector (and the Oticon tv connector) only supports output. It doesn’t have a channel for input, so it would not be usable with skype without an external microphone.
IMO, both Phonak and Oticon could improve this aspect of their products. The Phonak tv connector is nice and small. It would be better, however, if it had a channel for input and if it had rechargable batteries. The Oticon tv connector is too large to be portable, but if the connect clip had a 3.5 mm stereo output / input jack, it could be connected to a computer without bluetooth and it would also be good for use on an airplane.
Neither product is perfect. You have to pick the one that best meets your needs.
So I believe my laptop has a built in microphone. Assuming that is correct, wouldn’t I be able to use the Phonak TV Connector for Skyping? I would hear through the TV Connector to my aids and then the built in microphone would pick up my voice?? I apologize if these questions are naive but I am contemplating purchasing the TV Connector for my home use.
Your question is perfectly reasonable and it’s not naive. If your laptop has a built-in camera, it almost certainly also has a built-in microphone. If you use your laptop as your main display (i.e., it’s directly in front of you), then you can use the built-in microphone. If you use your laptop with a docking station and it’s not positioned directly in front of you, the microphone won’t work very well, because it won’t be close enough to you. (That’s my situation. My laptop is off to the side and I have docking stations with dual monitors, both at home and at the office, so the built-in microphone doesn’t work very well.)
I’ve also done something like that, Lefty (I’m also a lefty). I’ve used the built in Bluetooth and the headphone protocol.
I have Lenovo Thinkpads at work and the microphones on those are good. If my office is quiet people can’t tell I’m not on a handset.