So this forum has been an immense help and I am seeking more guidance with those that have the ReSound ONE hearing aid. I have noticed that the wireless/bluetooth signal from my aid is extremely weak and if I move over 2 meters away from my phone it typically cuts out or becomes impossible to understand anything as it goes all robotic like.
My Audiologist and I tested it with her phone to see if it was just my phone being crappy but even so, it was extremely erratic and inconsistent.
I’ve gone through soft resetting my iphone settings, removed all devices linked to my phone, reinstalled resound app, turned off the optimize feature (did nothing), forgot hearing aid via the accessibility and that hasn’t improved.
Wondering if anyone else with the ReSound One having this issue at all or potentially my device has a fault?
Yeah, that’s my quote above, and I’m sorry, though interested, to hear you reporting the same thing.
The working hypothesis is that because these aids use some form of Bluetooth LE, to save battery, the signal strength is much less than with conventional Bluetooth, and likely accounts for what you, I, and others are reporting. In my case, one of the reasons I am trying the Jabra is to be able to listen to podcasts while out walking. I find immediately that if I put the phone in the right pocket of my cargo shorts (loose and open pocket) it will lose connection to the left aid. And vice versa.
And as the quote reports, the other major issue is the apparent loss of sync between left and right, even with my phone (Galaxy S21 Ultra) 1 foot in front of my face. The result is the loss of proper imaging, so that instead of hearing the voice centrally, I hear it out of left and right separately.
The final problem, which may have to do with the type of Bluetooth in use, and possibly because of something unique to the ASHA standard and codec, is the extremely poor bass performance when listening to music. I realize the physical limitations of any device this tiny being able to produce even semi-adequate bass, but from what others have said, the KS9 and KS10 may perform better in this regard.
So: @sparklingdekx, what are your observations regarding the left/right sync issue I find, and what are your thoughts on the bass adequacy with music?
Oh, and I should add, the distance issue is much worse outdoors than indoors, presumably because of the lack of surfaces to reflect the signal.
Hey mate. I only have the one aid (left ear) and have a completely deaf right ear.
I pretty much have the exact issue as you are describing. I’ll go for a walk or at the gym on the ground next to my water bottle and listen to something and drops out or goes all robotic tone. Recently I was at work, phone on my desk and I was doing a telephone call and the signal dropped out completely and had to pick up my phone and place it onto my ear.
As for the bass comment, I would say compared to when I was using a Signia Pure X range (before changing to ReSound due to mechanical defects) the bass is much weaker and audio quality in general is pretty ‘basic’.
To think that it would be ‘wise’ to have such a short tethered link wirelessly when other competitors are far more superior is a huge concern Kinda wish I went for the Oticon OPN (disp. battery guy here)
Can’t speak for the ReSound One but in general, the range of Bluetooth Classic is more limited than for Bluetooth LE. The typical range for Bluetooth Classic in audio devices is about 10 meters (~30 feet), BT LE v4.2 can have a range up to 50 meters, BT LE v5 can have a range up to 200 m, depending on the transmission rate of the device (higher data rates, lower range). Bluetooth 5 versus Bluetooth 4.2, what’s the difference? (semiconductorstore.com)
If you go to the Bluetooth SIG site, which you would think would nicely and clearly wrap things up, it’s a little bit hard to get a clear comparison, but the BT Range Estimator is fun to play with. I believe the classic BT versions are over on the left of the web form(3 leftmost), the BT 5.x versions over to the extreme right. As you can see, nothing beats LE 125K in range, no matter what the environment you pick. It’s better than BT Classic by at least a factor of 2 in range according to the range estimator.
From personal experience, I can say my ReSound Multi Mic is good with connecting up with my ReSound Quattros at 80 to 100 feet direct line of sight with clear voice transmission. My ReSound TV Streamer 2 can make it through several sheetrock walls in my house so I can take a bathroom break during a football game and hear whether it’s still commercial time or back to the game yet. That’s a proprietary ~BT LE version and no Classic BT devices I’ve owned have had that range of transmission.
So I’d say the range of BT LE v4.2 is decidedly better than BT Classic based on my personal experience with audio devices, computers, and smartphones.
So if ReSound Ones (or Jabras) have a crappy range for some reason, it’s probably the device hardware (or Android OS implementation), not the BT specs. Problems with HA’s vs. the latest version of a smartphone OS are not uncommonly described on the forum.
Also, someone can clarify the following. It’s my understanding that BT LE means OVERALL an LE device uses less energy. It does not necessarily mean the signal per se is weaker. Less time is spent transmitting signal but the signal itself could be stronger, a shorter burst of highly compressed signal data sent with a stronger pulse to achieve greater range. That’s the tradeoff between data rate and range. Higher data rate, shorter range, less signal strength needed. In other words LE does not mean WEAK SIGNAL.
Here’s a good summary of BT versions over the course of time in the 21st century as they apply to headphones. It generally shows BT LE as being superior to BT Classic with BT 5.x firmly in the driver’s seat in terms of capability. The weak point of BT Classic going forward is that BT is a pairing so a set of paired devices is only as good as its weakest link. Phonak can improve the capabilities of its own version of Classic BT all it wants but it can’t improve the transmission/reception capabilities of the legacy devices to be paired with. So one will never be able to achieve the range of transmission with classic BT that one will be able to achieve between two paired BT LE Audio devices, etc. The enhanced audio quality and range of BT LE Audio is what’s going to make it the version to use between two paired devices in the future, not to mention its multichannel capabilities.
The class of the BT device that you’re connecting with also makes an important difference (quote from above article):
Bluetooth class
Bluetooth classes indicate the power output and wireless range of a Bluetooth device. A higher power output means a longer range. Class 1 and 2 Bluetooth devices typically include laptops and computers. On the other hand, other smaller mobile devices fall under Class 3.
Class 1: 100 mW (20 dBm), 100 metres (300 ft)
Class 2: 2.5 mW (4 dBm), 10 metres (33 ft)
Class 3: 1 mW (0 dBm), 1 metre (3 ft)
Understanding what class your Bluetooth device falls under is essential for getting the most out of its range capacity. So, if you want to make full use of that 300-foot range capacity when listening to music, both your phone and headphones need to be Class 1 devices. If your phone is Class 1 and your headphones are Class 2, the connection will simply revert to the lower class range.
Edit_Update: It would seem, though, from looking at the Bluetooth.com esimator (2nd link above) that at least one thing that is changing is the receiver sensitivity. If increasing - values mean greater receiver sensitivity, to achieve LE 125K ranges, you need a more sensitive receiver, too, at the very least.
But see corrections to this post in my post following.
Some excellent information there, @jim_lewis - thanks! I was thinking in the context of the LE as used and experienced with the Jabra’s, which as you clearly demonstrated, doesn’t apply to the BT world in general. So I should have been more careful in my thinking and wording!
This clarifies a few things, and demonstrates that the limited range I and others are experiencing are not inherent to the capabilities of BT Classic vs BT LE, but rather in the specific implementation in the phones and devices being discussed, along with the Class of the device, which your post and quotes make crystal clear.
My brand-new S21 Ultra specs for BT include “5.2, A2DP, LE” so it seems fully up-to-date in that regard, but this doesn’t say anything about the ASHA specs or implementation. And it could also be that the implementation on the Resound/Jabra side of things is a limiting factor as well.
But the bottom line is that the real-world performance of streaming with my S21 Ultra and Jabra Enhance is not acceptable in terms of connection distance range, left and right sync, and I suspect that whatever is causing these problems may also be associated with very poor bass reproduction in music.
It isn’t yet clear if this is due to my having an underperforming pair of hearing aids, a compatibility issue with my particular phone, or poor implementation and functioning of the streaming hardware and firmware in the Jabra. But one way or another, if at least some of these problems can’t be improved, I’ll need to look elsewhere.
A number of things in my previous post are probably in error and I’ll try to correct them as time goes by if this post doesn’t cover all possible misstatements…
Here’s a better table comparing Bluetooth Classic vs. Bluetooth LE v4.2. Probably for maximum power output (Class 1 devices). It says in the associated article that the RF output of BT Classic and BT LE is the same and that the basic difference in energy consumption is the BT Classic is always on whereas BT LE is sleeping all the time except for bursts of activity (table from early 2020 so BT LE can now achieve 2 Mbps in BT v5.x). (click image to enlarge for easier reading)
The reception sensitivity increases for BT LE 125K apparently, at least in part, because of the improved data compression and error correction decrease the clarity of the signal per se needed to correctly interpret the data (the PHYS tab on estimator link that I previously provided, Understanding Bluetooth Range | Bluetooth® Technology Website):
The physical layer (PHY) of a wireless technology defines the modulation scheme and other techniques it uses to send data over a specific radio frequency (RF) band. This includes the number of channels available, how effectively those channels are utilized, the use of error correction, the guards in place to counter interference, and much more. If you compare RF communication to verbal communication, you can think of the PHY as defining the speed and clarity of your speech. Both impact the range at which you can be heard.
Bluetooth® technology provides multiple PHY options, each with different characteristics that determine effective range and data rates.
Under RECEPTOR SENSITIVITY on same page, it essentially says the improved PHYS layer of LE 125K (coded) is a good part of what gives it greater receptor sensitivity (at a lower data rate, it can understand a weaker signal at a longer distance with the required clarity to successfully decode).
Bluetooth® technology specifies that devices must be able to achieve a minimum receiver sensitivity of -70 dBm to -82 dBm, depending on the PHY used. However, Bluetooth implementations typically achieve much higher receiver sensitivity levels. For example, average implementations of the Bluetooth LE 125K (Coded) PHY are achieving a receiver sensitivity of -103 dBm.
It’s probably erroneous of me to throw in the performance of the ReSound Multi Mic and the TV Streamer 2 in my post above. These devices use ReSound’s proprietary 2.4 GHz protocol and thus don’t necessarily have to live within the confines of BT LE and could be achieving their range by consuming more power than standard BT LE protocols, particularly the TV Streamer, which is AC-powered! So probably My Bad on that comparison.
I wonder if there is any significance to where the chart shows Classic BT as being “Voice capable” while BT LE is not. It seems that this likely doesn’t mean what it would suggest, since these aids are using it for voice in phone calls.
This also reminds me to try streaming outdoors after turning WiFi off, just to make sure that there is no interference from its 2.4GHz (although it is receiving, not transmitting, so likely irrelevant, but easy enough to test).
So last night I was going bat crazy with the audio quality and did some further troubleshooting. This time (one of the more obvious things I should have tried) was an Android OS phone, so I linked up my HA to my partners S10+ and what do you know… The sound quality via streaming was immaculate and the bluetooth signal was slightly better.
So I got out my trusty iPhone 7 Plus to see if maybe my 11 Pro Max is a dud and the audio quality and signal went back to… garbage. I even went as far as hard resetting my old phone to see if maybe an inbuilt setting was clashing with the streaming quality, but to no success.
For a HA to be ‘Made for iPhone’ I am a bit flabbergasted but also hoping that with these findings, I could inform Apple or ReSound on the above?
Very interesting, and unexpected. I have an S21, which is a generation or two newer than the S10+, but basically the same underlying hardware and software, I would guess. And both the signal and sound quality is quite poor.
I doubt that Apple would be particularly interested in your report, but would hope that ReSound would be more motivated to figure this out and fix it if possible.
I consulted with ReSound directly to get some sort of insight and/or give them feedback on my situation and given some good information. I will copy and paste some of the information and hope that this helps future endeavors for those that have similar issues.
There is some really great information in there regarding the capabilities of BT LE, and the comparison between the two.
Resound have always used a form of BT LE and are indeed rated for a long distance connection.
However, I have had reports of individuals having these issues of very short range connections.
I have even had someone have the hearing aids cut the connection after placing the phone inside their breast pocket.
All of the testing that I personally complete within our head office of course comes back working perfectly with the hearing aids being connected with perfect streaming for at least 30 metres line of sight and continues to work for up to 50 metres (with a couple of walls inbetween). I do understand that this is not so much of a real world application as many users face day to day.
Looking at your experience so far, it definitely appears subpar and not to the standard that Resound holds itself to.
You have done a lot of work in trying to resolve this issue and some valuable insight into this case as you have tried multiple phones with the same outcome. This leaves one constant. The Resound ONE hearing aid itself.
I have sent an email to my hearing clinic and hopefully can progress further. fingers crossed
This conversation is really interesting to me. I previously used Resound Lynx with iPhone and had GREAT reception.
I have upgraded my iphone from 6 plus to 11 AND been trying demo aids of various brands and seem to be having a lot more issues with the bluetooth.
And my brother recently bought Signia AX aids and is trying to use them with Samsun Note 10 and finds bluetooth totally unstable. He reboots the phone, gets everything connected and shortly loses the bluetooth and is back to using speaker to hear phone calls.
. . . have the bluetooth specs or chips changed???
I have had my Jabra’s for about 6 weeks. I use an iPhone 6S. Have had zero problems with the connectivity or range of bluetooth. I stream audio books and in the house i can leave the phone on an endtable in the living room and go to the kitchen with no problem. I go regulary from 10-40 feet (often through walls) without issue. Outside the phone is in a pants pocket and I can do yard work, check the mail and just walk, and notice no difference.
I do have an odd issue with phone calls. I have no problems with calls except from my son. For some reason it cuts out when talking to him. It must somehow be on his end as it makes no sence streaming a call should make no difference where the call is from. I have never had even one drop out from any other calls, only his.
For those with an unstable bluetooth connection something to consider is other BT devices connected to your phone. The strap on my Amazfit Bip watch broke recently and I’m finding the BT connection between my Linx Quattros and Galaxy S10E is considerably more stable with the watch no longer connected.
So I have been given the Phonak demo model and I can tell you right now it is definitely not my phone. I have a great bluetooth signal AND no cutting out etc.
I am hoping that the ReSound hardware was at fault, otherwise if I get the device back and the signal is still very low, I will consider it to be iOS or the firmware/HA really isn’t designed ‘for iPhone’
Yeah, I had switched/removed all devices which did nothing - though might’ve helped for the Phonak loan HA I’ve been given? Can’t say for certain though.
Don’t think its iPhone/Mobile Phone related since I now have a Phonak Audeo which is working perfectly with approx 15-20 meter bluetooth signal compared to the not so stellar 1-2m range (excluding walls) on the ReSound.
I also tested the Resound on my iPhone 7 Plus AND my mothers iPhone 12 Pro Max. All the same signal in the end for the Resound.
Phonak uses Classic Bluetooth which is an entirely different situation than aids using low energy options.
MFI is a low energy option.
Not sure what they call the low energy option on Android, but that is what my brother is dealing with that is NOT working so that he can hear calls via his hearing aids.
Kinda wish I went for the Oticon OPN (disp. battery guy here)
