Another update…
I finally got my new Phonak TV Connector V2 connected to my TV and went through the process of pairing my Phonak Lumity L90-RT hearing aids the unit. I had my doubts it would be as easy as pairing Omnia to the Resound Unite TV Streamer 2 but the whole thing was done in 60 seconds. I basically just turned on the unit and stood within a few feet of the TV. I got the little chime noise in both ears and I was ready to go. Streaming is really a no brainer compared to Omnia. You don’t have to launch the myPhonak App and switch to the streaming program. Nor do you have to push a button on the hearing aids. I simply turned on the TV, launched a show on Netflix and within 1-2 seconds the audio starting playing through my Lumity hearing aids. When the show was over and I turned off the TV and the hearing aids just disconnected. I really didn’t have to do anything and the sound/video was perfectly synced even though I was just using the analog connection. I was also able to launch the myPhonak app during streaming and make changes to the volume, sound, etc. All worked well with no glitches. Sound was amazing. As I have stated earlier, the frequency range of Lumity is better than Omnia (my amateur sound tests show 30 Hz - 8,000 Hz) and the audio was full of rich bass and sounded almost as good as ear buds. This is definitely better than Omnia.
There are a couple of things you have to do with Lumity to avoid issues. The TV audio output MUST be set to PCM (if you are using the optical output). The Phonak TV Connector V2 doesn’t like Dolby DTS so keeping your TV in DTS or Auto mode will cause you issues. The other thing I do to avoid bluetooth issues is that I make sure I never have more than 2 bluetooth devices turned on in the house at the same time. You can have 8 paired with Lumity but no more than 2 can be active at the same time. When I am finished streaming with my laptop, I turn off bluetooth. When I am finished playing a video game with bluetooth, I turned off bluetooth on that device. The only device where bluetooth is always left on is my iPhone. I have had ZERO bluetooth issues following this process of only keeping two bluetooth devices on at any given time. I have noticed a bunch of people complaining about bluetooth with Paradise and Lumity on this forum. I think many of them are leaving all of their bluetooth devices on and the hearing aids are grabbing a connection elsewhere and the user is left thinking there are bluetooth issues.
Given the smaller size of the Phonak TV Connector V2 and the brainless way it just connects to the TV, I would have to say I was pleasantly surprised by TV streaming with Lumity. The Phonak solution might not have the same massive 30 foot range as the Resound Unite TV Streamer 2 but this may be a blessing in disguise. The shorter range of Lumity might just keep me from constantly heading into the kitchen for junk food while watching a show
I’m liking Lumity so far…
Jordan