Phonak Roger - What’s the difference?

Assistive Listening Devices
#21

I bought my Roger Easy Pen with RogerX(03) for 140€ on the Dutch alternative to eBay, marktplaats.nl
The insurance later paid about 1300€ for a Roger 1.1 and the Roger MyLink. (Couldn’t order just the MyLink, otherwise it wouldn’t be covered: weird society we live in.)

I really needed them with the Bernafon Chronos 9’s in groups, although the direction mode failed miserably in college-like situations.
Haven’t really needed them with the Phonak Bolero B90’s. There is a huge improvement for speech in groups in the now-not-anymore-top-segment: Phonak Belong, Oticon OPN, etc.

I don’t think that the Roger Pen is obsolete yet, though. Especially, in meetings around a conference table it’s a great(!) aid. For restaurants it’s not. For one person amplification it is really good, but a new clip-on-mic of 150€ will work there, too.

#22

@Markismus I’m in the situation where I’m moving towards having a bimodal CI in my R ear. This will be happening in the New Year. I will be keeping my Phonak Bolero in my L ear for a couple of years due to the system here in Aus. So I’m going to need to get a Roger Pen to stream sound to both ears. So I’ve been told. This is all new territory for me and I’m learning on the run. But this IT stuff is all above me. When I went to school I had a slate and chalk not a computer.

#23

Didn’t get it. Had to google. Bimodal only means that you have a HA and a CI, right? If it’s only about streaming, you would have to tell about the capabilities of the CI or at least the brand and model for me to be sure.

Summary: If you’re mainly interested in the streaming part: Use the ComPilot. It’s around 200€.

So hearing aids are connected to other devices via a protocol.

My Bolero B90’s stream data to each other so that I have clear sound in an ear even if that microphone didn’t pick that sound up too clearly: 1.) This is called binaural streaming.

My Phonak ComPilot streams data to my hearing aids with a 2.) proprietary Phonak protocol, it also connects to 3.) bluetooth devices such as my TV and mobile. This allows audio to be stream from e.g. your mobile phone via the Compilot to your hearing aids: This is called audio streaming.

Then a hearing aid can have a spool for receiving sound: 4.) telecoil. It’s been around the longest and it works great. However, I do notice that a lot of machinery outputs some electromagnetic field that you can pick up on. (So when I have the telecoil program on, I do find that some stores have a very aggressive anti-theft equipment set up. :slight_smile: )

A hearing aid can have 5.)direct audio input (DAI). Basically these are those 3-pin connectors that lets you jack up your hearing aids with a cable or a device with DAI output.

Finally there is a 6.) FM protocol to connect devices. You have a sender and a receiver, just like with radios.

Roger Pen
So the Roger Pen 1.1. has 1.) Bluetooth to connect to a phone or whatever. 2) It has a audiojack-to-microUSB adapter to input audio into the Pen 3.) It has really good microphones to receive sound (!). 4) It has a FM sender to connect to a device that receives sound-data from it.

You can receive data from the Roger Pen with a Roger Mylink: A loop around the neck with a device hanging from it. ( Quite like the ComPilot. )
You can receive data with a Roger X. A receiver with an euro-pin DAI output, that can be slotted in for example the ComPilot or for example an audio boot that goes on the bottom of your HA.
You can receive data with a Roger 10 to 16. Receiver boots that go directly at the bottom of your Phonak HA’s.

So the use of a Roger Pen is as a very intelligent microphone, that can also stream audio from and to your phone.
If you’re mainly interested in the streaming part: Use the ComPilot.

#24

He’s getting the Cochlear N7 so the ComPilot would only work with his Phonak HA and not the N7.

#25

@Zebras Thanks. Looking at the Cochlear page I see that they have direct connectivity to the iPhone and need a clip to to stream from Android. What I don’t see is a way that they can be connected to the Roger Pen.

TLDR: If (Since) the Roger Pen can’t connect to the CI directly (using FM), you can also choose another streaming device.

You can’t use the Roger Pen connected with Bluetooth to a receiver device. I have tried! I would have loved to connect the Roger Pen using Bluetooth to the Bernafon Soundgate 3. Doesn’t work. Only been able to connect it to my Android phone. The way I had to use the Roger Pen with non-telecoil HA’s is to connect the Roger Mylink to my Bernafon Soundgate with an analog cable (3.5mm jack to 2.5mm jack!!) that I had to solder myself(!!! The commerical cables died within weeks and were rather expensive: 35€ compared to 90€ct for the soldered ones.)

Now hopefully Deaf_piper’s audiologist is right and the firmware upgrades have introduced this feature. But I wouldn’t expect it, rather check it quite thoroughly!

From the Phonak Audeo B90’s and the Oticon OPN 1’s I saw that they coupled to the phone individually: Not as a pair. So what you would love is another HA next to the CI, that also directly connects to the phone.

Otherwise you would have to reprogram your phone to allow for two audio outputs: One to your CI and one to whatever streaming device you may use. It is doable in linux*, so it is doable in android, but quite a hassle. Wouldn’t know about iPhone: You probably can buy an app that does it for you for :).

EDIT: Judging from this blog the feature is not yet available on iPhone. Judging from this forum thread Android hasn’t got the feature, too. However, there are pieces of hardware that do it for you: Bluetooth audio splitters

*On Linux I would use Jack Audio Connection Kit. There was some development to port it to linux.

#26

To connect to the N7 you would need the Roger 20. To connect to the Phonak Bolero you would need the Roger 18.

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#27

Nice! Didn’t see that one. Those boots are costly, though, and hard to find used! I can’t remember whether the receiver boots for the Naida’s were around 800€ a pair or for each one. For the price of an Roger Pen plus receiver boot, I would opt for a new generation HA with direct connect to my mobile!

For now I have given up on wanting those boots, since the Bolero SP’s are very big already and adding boots would make them enormous. Actually just as enormous as those for the nucleus 7 on Phonak’s fitting guide.

EDIT:
I am somewhat in awe of the size of the Oticon Sound Processor. That’s a Roger X on its side: Those are 9mmx8mmx8mm, right? Or is that only the Roger X (03)? Is there a much smaller one? Otherwise both the Opus 2 and the Neuro 1 are enormous!

EDIT2:
700€ per Roger 20 receiver:
Length: 4.9 mm / 0.98 inch
Width: 9.3 mm / 0.366 inch
Height: 12.2 mm / 0.48 inch
Weight: 2.55 g / 0.09 oz

#28

I bought all my Roger System off eBay for just short of $300 including 2 x Roger 10s for my Phonak Brio P-UPs.

#29

Again Nice!

I hope those direct connecting hearing aids will drop in price and become available used, too. I only know about the Oticon OPN’s and Phonak Audeo Direct. Does the ReSound Lynx 3D also have a direct connection to the mobile? The Audeo Belongs are just pushed of the top tier position by the Marvels. No idea whether Oticon already has a new runner up.

This scenario does give that technology a thumbs up. For normal use I found the direct connect feature offering too little improvement. Instead of streamer, you still need a microphone clip to talk hands free. I really had hoped that they would use the microphone of the hearing aid to transmit the user’s voice. Guess the protocol doesn’t allow for 2-way communication, yet.

#30

I was at a Cochlear information session yesterday morning as I’m booked to have my op next year. I asked the Cochlear rep would a Roger (Pen)system work with a N7. I was told yes it does, they fit a gadget onto the N7 processor that allows the Roger system to stream through the compilot to my Phonak Bolero HA. I know just need to figure out which Roger “system” she was talking about.

#31

The Roger System won’t work with your ComPilot. As I said before,the ComPilot will only work with Phonak and AB hearing devices.

You’ll need the Roger 20 receiver and a Roger Pen to work with your N7.

#32

@Zebras I was told that a Roger X miniature universal receiver which screws onto the bottom of my HA is compatible with both the N7 and the Bolero. And technically should stream through my compilot… But I have no idea not being IT minded.

#33

@Zebras I’m confused as I’ll still have my Phonak Bolero in my L ear always as I’ll only ever have one CI. So is it possible I will have to have 2 receivers? Until I switch to Resound in 4 years time.

#34

There’s no way to connect a Roger X to the actual N7. If you put a Roger X into your ComPilot, it’ll only stream to your Phonak HA.

#35

Resurrecting an old thread to solve an issue. I can’t hear in small group settings where the people are spaced out and the speaker is in the middle. e.g. dog training class.

I’ve got Costco Phonak Brio 2’s and a Compilot II. If I’m reading it right if I get a Roger X and a Roger Pen 1.1, I should be good to hear?

#36

@HalfEar

Yes the Roger X will go in the bottom of the ComPilot.

The Pen 1.1 is good for pointing as well, or the trainer can wear it round there neck.

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#37

Thanks @Zebras
I just noticed a cheaper option on ebay, namely the Phonak™ Remote Microphone for Use with ComPilot II, and ComPilot Air II,
given I have both ComPilots would the remote mic be a suitable choice?

Which configuration would give the best sound?
Roger Pen 1.1 + Roger X + Compilot II (~ $250 CAD)
or Remote Mic with either ComPilot? (~ $65 CAD)

Do either require programming which can be an issue with Costco if they didn’t sell it.

#38

@HalfEar

You could use the Remote Mic but the Microphone is not as good as the Roger Pen. Using the Remote Mic for 1-1 would work. The Roger Pen can help hear in a group.

The Remote Mic doesn’t need programming as it’ll work without but if ya struggling to hear, there is a Remote Mic + Roger program to be added in your ComPilot programs that can work better

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