ReSound's multi mic performance in meetings?

Hearing Aids
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#1

I’ve been wearing hearing aids for 40 years (since I was 6), and I’ve ridden each wave of technology advancement along the way. My Siemens Pure 700s are 7+ years old and are barely hanging on. Because I’m in the prime of my career, I typically buy the top of the line digital aids when I buy. At this point I’m looking mainly at the Oticon OPN 1 and the ReSound Linx 3D, though I welcome any suggestions before I see my audi next week.

ReSound has one accessory that I’m particularly interested in—the multi mic. Ever since going to mini-BTE seven years ago, I’ve really struggled to hear people speaking during meetings in medium to large rooms, especially those people farther away. The external (enhanced) mic capability is very appealing to me. I’m mostly curious if the multi mic works sufficiently well in meetings when being held in the hand and subtly pointed at the speaker, or if it really needs to be located closer to the speaker or in the center of the table to be even minimally effective. Does anyone have experience using the ReSound multi mic? I appreciate any feedback (no pun intended).

#2

I have the Resound MultiMic and also use Phonak Roger with my Resound ENZO2 hearing aids. The MultiMic doesn’t work well pointing at people, but it does work well when laid on a table or neck-worn. In small meetings (8-12) people, I would set the MultiMic at one side of the table, and then sit on the other side. That worked fairly well, but if the meeting is much larger, it doesn’t help as much. For on one one use while neck-worn, the MultiMic works great and make a huge difference!

After seeing how much the MultiMic could help, it made me want to find something better for meetings. I found that Phonak Roger could network up to 10 mics! I now use 2-4 Phonak Roger Table Mics in meetings (depending on the size of the meeting), and they make a world of difference! When networked, the Table Mics don’t all transmit at once though. What ever one picks up speech first transmits until it no longer picks up speech, then it switches to the next mic that picks up speech. The switching is only a problem if multiple people start talking at once. If it wasn’t for the Table Mics, I probably would have had to switch jobs to one that required less meetings by now.

Here’s a video I made showing what the MultiMic can do…

#3

Thank you for this helpful video. I’ve got the Linx2 and use the MultiMic, mostly to get audio from my laptop, but have done some of what you indicate. However, when I go to my Smart app on the iPhone I only see one icon called “TV/MicroMic”. You have two icons in that bottom row, and when you choose it, you’ve got many more options than me. Can you clarify this? Thank you.

#4

I actually have 2 MultiMics and then have Phonak Roger receivers on my hearing aids too, so it shows 4 programs and two Mics.

#5

@lawgrace And how do the multi-mics perform?

#6

Chris - I too am mid/late career and moved from Siemens Pure 7’s to the OPN’s.
There is a notable improvement in sound and voice discrimination in meetings. I would suggest trialing a pair. I haven’t tested the 3D’s multi mike. If you go with the OPN’s I strongly recommend getting the rechargeable option (like the Pure 7’s are) as it’s really inconvenient when a battery dies during a meeting/conference…

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#7

I would agree that if you’re still working the last thing you want happen in the middle of a business meeting is the low battery warning from your hearing aids.

#8

When neck-worn for one to one conversations in noise, the MultiMic performs really well. In meetings, if there are 8-12 people I would try to sit at one end of the table and place the mic near the other, then I would get sound from the mic and my HAs. That worked pretty well too. For anything over a 12 person meeting, or in a room with multiple or U shaped tables, it doesn’t help nearly as much.

Now that I have the Roger Table Mics, I use the MultiMic when I just need to listen to one person like my wife in the car or while out walking around, and I use the Roger Table Mics for meetings at work. The MultiMic doesn’t drain the hearing aids batteries as fast as Roger does, and it has a little better range than Roger.

#9

I tested the OPN 1s for a week and the Linx 3Ds for just over a week and it was no contest for me. I went with the OPN 1s (picked them up yesterday) and couldn’t be happier. My audi threw in the charger and TV streamer, which was nice given I paid full price.

#10

Are the Roger multi mics an add on mic available only for Resound or for any ha. I have Opn ha.

#11

sorry no cross company compatibility. i already asked to my audi to use resound multi mic with signia ans is no. one company work with only ther device.

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#12

The Roger mics can be mated to most brands. It is either through and adaptor that extends from the battery compartment or using the one of the BT devices that has FM capability. Your provider should be able to show you what is available for your brand.

#13

It seems like there ought to be a way to do it, although it might be a kludge. First to clarify. Resound makes a MultiMic. Roger makes various microphones including a pen microphone and a table microphone. I’m talking about Roger. Ideas: 1) It may be possible to connect a universal Roger receiver to a Connect Clip. I’m doubtful, but I can’t verify if the Connect Clip has any connections besides a bluetooth dongle. 2) Roger makes a device that can be worn around the neck and claims to work with any t-coil hearing aid. So, I’m pretty sure one could make something work. Whether it would be worth it or useful is questionable. Just the Connect Clip gives one a decent remote microphone.

#14

If you are in live meetings, not online, and everybody who speaks is speaking to the whole group, your new hearing aids should handle that.

I recently got the Costco Kirkland 8.0 which are the top Signia model and I’m very happy with those. They have a listening environment called group discussion which picks up speech without regard to where it is coming from. Also, the bluetooth phone device, Smart Mic, is also a local mic like the multi-mic. I have tried it with my wife using it and putting it up close to the TV speaker, and it is very loud.

I think they all have settings now for soft speech, medium speech, and loud speech, that can be set separately, so soft speech can be turned up without turning up loud soeech.

#15

I, too, am trying out both OPN1s and Linx3Ds. First…the OPN1s sound better to me. Second, I understand speech better with the Linx3Ds. Third, the Linx3D accessories and the accompanying app are more flexible than Oticon’s app and accessories for the OPN series. The OPN stuff feels a bit better made than the Resound.

Roger is Phonak. Almost any modern hearing aid can be connected to the Roger fm system one way or another. Note Roger is FM. The signal should be better and clearer for a longer distance than the Resound multimic or the Oticon streamer which are not FM. I played with one of Phonak’s analog FM systems once. It was phenomenal. I can only imagine that the latest generation Rogers are incredible as they are digital. The Resound multimic has a socket on the bottom to accept a FM receiver. It can be used to connect the Roger system to the hearing aids. Or fm receivers can be bought that clip onto the battery door of many hearing aids. These are called FM boots. They will negate the need for an intermediary, but they will decrease hearing aid battery life… considerably.

As for rechargeable batteries…I don’t want them for the very reason you do. If rechargeable batteries die in that meeting, you are screwed. If my 13s die. I pull batteries out of my pocket and change them…only missed a couple minutes there. If you look at the cost of both and electricity to charge… My Audi gives me free batteries for 3 years. That leaves 2 years for me to buy approx 90 batteries a year. 180 batteries… a 24 pack costs roughly $10 at wal-Mart. So…$80 for two years. I have come out far ahead…plus I don’t worry about them dying…I simply change the batteries.

Streaming sound quality…Resound has a fuller sound

App flexibility…Resound has more.

Don’t want to touch anything…Oticon will likely suit you better provided it meets your hearing needs.

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