Phonak Marvel Bluetooth

Hearing Aids
#61

I’ve had an interesting change in my M70R bluetooth… I had an older LG android phone that finally had to be replaced. Mostly due to screen image retention issues.

I just bought a new LG phone last weekend and all my intermittent issues regarding streaming music from my phone while outdoors are gone. I’ve been on my daily walk for the past 5 days and have not had a single issue with intermittancy.

As best I can tell, the old phone was Bluetooth 4.2 capable… The new one supports Bluetooth 5.0 which is capable of sending more data and has a stronger signal strength.

YAY!

Dave

#62

I’m not sure how often or for what purpose you need to connect the Marvels with your laptop computer?? In any case, if you don’t want to spend the time to unpair/repair each time, another option is the Phonak TV Connector (new model made specifically for the Marvels), I bought one for $279 from my audiologist and it works perfectly. I can use it for my TV when I want to watch something loud that annoys my wife (mute the TV) and then when I want to use it with my laptop I simply connect it to the laptop with two short cables and again it works perfectly. No unpairing/repairing necessary. The TV Connector automatically (after the first simple initial pairing) recognizes the Marvels and it also shows up in the App. There is another thread that shows photos and other information.

#63

Glad to hear it (no pun intended).

#64

and then when I want to use it with my laptop I simply connect it to the laptop with two short cablesBlockquote

Sorry, but if I buy very expensive hearing aids for which the manufacturer advertises, that they have great bluetooth capabilities, i do not want to use any additional (also expensive) hardware from the same manufacturer that I need to plug-out and plug-in.

bye,
Ralf

3 Likes
#65

Well, then, you’re SOL.

#66

My M70s connect to bluetooth, but the sound quality on the other end of the line is horrible with all sorts of interference. I can be in a noiseless environment with only the sound of my voice and the listener will hear crackling and popping. This happens with most but not all calls. I have a Moto G6. I should test it against my son’s iphone Xr and report the comparison.

#67

The sound quality for streaming will be better than for using the HAs as a headset. This is because the A2DP profile uses “CD quality, 44.1 kbps” stereo audio (2 channel), whereas the HFP profile uses “telephone quality, 10 kbps” mono audio (1 channel). This is a limitation of bluetooth (classic), not the HA.

1 Like
#68

If I’m not mistaken Bluetooth Classic incorporates both
for music streaming and telephony.

#69

Yes, it does, using profiles. The quality / bitrate of the audio depends on the profile.

#70

5 yr Oticon Alta Pro w streamer user, with high frequency loss looking to replace aids.
I have trialed Signia NX7 312, Starkey Livio AI and currently Phonak Marvel Rechargable waiting on OPN S to come in. So far I have been very pleased with the hearing performance of the Marvel units. Autosense 3.0 is probably 98% perfect, with a few oddites but speech recognition has been great in many different environments. I would buy these in a second, except for the MFA Bluetooth. As an iphone user and trialed MFI aids I find Phonak’s MFA (made for any phone) Bluetooth a major step back for iPhone users. I will probably have an iphone until they or I are no more and Phonak should have had 2 versions of Marvel, MFA and MFI. Anytime someone tries to make a dual purpose product there are compromises. Example dual purpose motorcycle is not very good on the street or dirt. just adequate on both. Same with Marvel since they use BT Classic to connect to the phone, Marvels act like a BT headset as in all rings, text tones and notifications come into your aids. Phonak advises to turn off the notification in your phone. Then when you are not connected you get nothing. BT connects to the Right Ear so the battery life on that one is always about 15% less than the Left. They then use BT Low Energy between the app and the left and right aids showing 3 aids in your BT list, 2 rights and a left only showing the 1 right connected. Since most cars with Apple Car play use a corded connection this conflicts with the BT classic primary connection fighting for control. I find myself turning off BT on my phone unless I want to use Streaming music or Hands free phone. I understand Phonak wanted to win over Android users looking for a direct connection but I fear you have driven away the iPhone users with the limitations including connection to one BT device only. If I want to connect to my iPad or laptop each time I have to delete the other devices BT connection and reconnect to the new one. This is a very serious downside and anyone who has used MFI devices will recognize immediately. Hearing Aid companies seem notoriously bad with apps as well as understanding how the real world uses these products. I hope the OPNs work out because I would keep these Marvels in a minute if not for the Classic Bluetooth limitations, it seems like a cobbled together compromise to grab Android market share.

2 Likes
#71

I wonder what is the bandwidth of the proprietary 2.4 GHz streaming protocol called AirStream, that Phonak uses in new TV Connector.

#72

I didn’t realize that Phonak uses MFA as “made for all”. Some people (myself included) have been using it as “made for android”. There’s no official “made for android” acronym, but goes to show you how acronyms can cause confusion.

You are hitting on the differences between bluetooth classic and bluetooth le. When I first got the Marvels, I had problems on my laptop with notifications interrupting the use as a headset. When there was a notification for an email or anything, the notification would disconnect the streaming (in both directions). This is a bluetooth classic limitation, not a Marvel limitation. I got around it by changing the settings that allow applications to have exclusive connections. As far as I understand, Bluetooth classic audio streaming by definition is to a single device, so if there are two devices (left and right), one must stream to the other for stereo. It’s really a shame that there is not a bluetooth le standard for hearing aids.

2 Likes
#73

No idea, maybe 44.1 kbps, since that’s used for “CD quality” audio streaming in A2DP?

#74

Aug 20, 2017 - Phonak has introduced its long-awaited Made For All ( MFA ) hearing aid,
There is a BT LE standard for Apple it is MFi. Not without its faults
The rest is still the Wild Wild West. Phonak chose BT Classic thus they own it and its limitations in Marvel.
They are also using BT LE as secondary for the app and left to right.
In order to turn off the BT LE in the aids (Airplane Mode) you need to remove the aids from your ears so you can see the LEDS. Turn off each one, turn them back on holding lower switch on each until you see the orange / yellow LED indicating the BT is off and reinsert them in your ears. Signia MFi aids app for example have a control Airplane Mode On/ Off. Which would you prefer to do?

#75

In trial with M70r. I’m not wowed so far, but it’s early so giving it more time. Still having trouble in noise. Also! Bluetooth reception is horrible. Lots of crackling beyond anything remotely reasonable. Would return them for this alone if not resolved. I have a MotoG6 but also paired the aids to a Google pixel. Same problem. Do these aids work better with iPhone. Bluetooth is secondary over speech recognition, but it should work. I do like the convenience as I seem to miss a lot of calls otherwise due to my hearing loss. Thoughts and thanks in advance.

Don (other one)

#76

Phonak Audeo Marvel M90-R
Google Pixel 3 XL

I’m brand new to HA’s and I was fitted with my Marvels on Dec 26, 2018, so I have a little over 3 months of owning my Marvels. My Bluetooth music source is a Google Play Music subscription. I’m a classically trained pianist and spend several hours every day listening to classical music. I’m not hearing any crackling whatsoever. In fact I’m hearing a fullness and accuracy that is far beyond my expectation. What I’m hearing from my Marvels actually rivals my best audiophile headphones. Of course I’m delighted to be hearing things that I haven’t heard for many years because my Marvels are correcting my severe ski slope hearing.

Judging from what you’re saying and my own experience with the Marvels, I would say that there is something very different going on with what we each are each experiencing. I love my Marvels and there is absolutely no way I could give them up.

#77

Thank you for your reply, Trader. I don’t have any issue with music. It’s only with phone calls that I have problems.

#78

That makes me wonder if the problem could be with your phone service provider. Are the Marvels the only HA giving you the problem?

#79

There are two different bluetooth devices, one for streaming audio (A2DP) and one for the headset (HFP). They have different properties. Streaming audio is 2 channel CD quality stereo. The headset is one channel telephone quality mono output and one channel input. There is a big difference in audio quality. I find the headset device to be somewhat staticky. Maybe that’s what you’re noticing.

#80

Thanks, Darylm. I’ve made a mess of this inquiry In terms of the explanation. While what I hear is somewhat staticky what is heard by the person on the other side of the line is intolerably crunchy. These callers are complaining about all the noise and that they can barely understand me. It sounds like a bad short wave radio connection. I know that firsthand because I have recordings of the calls from their end.

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