Sound quality Phonak TV connector vs Bluetooth

Using the Phonak TV connector is nice…The HA’s battery strength barely took a hit after watching a 2 hour movie. Usign bluetooth to stream music from my phone for the same duration probably drops HA battery strength 10-15%

I got my Phonak TV connector “free” when I bought my H70R, Phonak was running some type of special promotion.

Thank you to mention it again, I didn’t remember it. Someone already wrote it in this thread that the Marvels have a higher battery drain with normal Bluetooth than when using the TV-Connector.

I know this is an old post, however, I just received my TV Connector (TVC) in the mail from my VA Audi. I understand audiology NOT wanting others to access Phonak’s software to adjust one’s own HA’s. I just can’t figure out why why shouldn’t be able to access the TVC settings ourselves. It’s not like you can screw up your HA setting by changing the TVC settings. Maybe it’s to assure continued audi visits?

Anyway, it took me a long time to figure out something supper simple, how to get sound to my HA’s, with my Apple TV box. It turns out, I just simply had to select Apple TV aka HDMI, in the. Audio Output settings, to get sounds to my HA’s, duh.

I have HomePods and for some dumb reason, I have to turn OFF the Apple TV Audio Output, in order to adjust the HomePod volume with the SIRI remote. You can’t have two sources chosen at the same time and adjust the HomePod volume.

When I select Apple TV aka HDMI in the Audio Output, my HA’s receive sound and the HomePods have sound, but I cannot adjust the HomePod’s volume. I think I could ask SIRI to raise/lower the HomePod volume but I prefer using the remote.

I have to say, I do love being able to keep my HA’s in now, to be the only one to hear sound from the TV. Before I was taking out my HA’s and wearing my AirPods, not very convent. You can connect your HA’s directly to the Apple TV, however, switching Audio Output sources is kind of a pain…

Now, if I can just get rid of the constant rushing/white noise and crackling bacon/bubble wrap/falling rain sounds I hear through my HA’s when nothing is playing on the TV at all…

You mean that’s what’s been making me yearn for a plate of bacon and eggs every time I turn off the TV?
:rofl:

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“…select Apple TV aka HDMI, in the. Audio Output settings…”

In the Audio Output settings of what device?

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The Audio Output settings of my Apple TV 4K streaming box.

Thanks. Unfortunately my Apple TV box is an earlier generation version.

FYI: I just received my KabelDirekt (3 feet) Mini TOSLINK Optical Digital Audio Cable - Pro Series for my new Phonak TV Connector. And, the sound quality is so much better than the OEM TOSLINK provided by Phonak. $8.00

Maybe that’s what’s wrong with the TV Connector attached to my laptop! Could you supply a link? Thanks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GZQWLF0/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_pFxyEb17JPS55

Thank you very much!

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I am a great example of cognitive dissonance. On one hand I really don’t believe that cable makes a difference. On the other, I ordered one just in case it does.

Ditto! :rofl:
I second that emotion!

I find it very hard to believe a cable would make any difference whatsoever. The information is digital. Either it works or not.

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@jamezam, sorry for the coming rant, but as an engineer and a scientist, I can tell you with 100% certainty that you’re wrong about the cable.

@NateS, don’t waste your money.

Those stupid, gold-colored cables do NOTHING over any other optical cable. If the sound is coming through, all the digital information is getting through. There is no such thing as “better” with a digital cable. If it’s broken, you’ll get choppy sound and you’ll know it. Aside from that, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that can give you a “better” sound.

You’re just being ripped off. Any difference you hear is purely imagination, so you can convince yourself that you weren’t just cheated. Which you were.

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I’m new to HA’s and just got the TV Connect which I use with a Sony Bravia XBR 940E-75. When the TV is turned off the USB power supply does as well but I was continually getting the musical tone sent at random intervals to the HA’s and attempts to turn off the TV Connect was unsuccessful. Since I could not understand how the TV connect could send the tone with out power I plugged in a small LED lamp into the USB outlet and was surprised to see it illuminate in spite of the TV power shutdown. After around 10 minutes the lamp shutdown so I can only conclude that the TV’s internal capacitance was slowly draining and eventually became low enough that the lamp was extinguished. This condition may or may not be applicable to other TV manufacturers but it did lead me to purchase a USB power cord with an inline on/off switch to eliminate the irritating musical tone.

JBtek Raspberry Pi Micro USB Cable with ON/Off Switch at Amazon.

The hearing aids random jumping in and out of auto can be caused by other paired Bluetooth devices trying to connect to your aids.
I typically have a phone and TV connector paired to my aids. Sometimes I want to listen to a YouTube on the iPad so I pair it to the aids. Afterwords the issue described happens. I turn iPad Bluetooth off and the problem stops.

This is with Phonak Audeo M aids and Samsung phone.

Well then I must have had a defective TOSLINK cable from Phonak. Their supplied cables are just fiber optics dipped in plastic. It’s not worth dealing w/VA or Phonak to get a different cable. And, the $8 I spent on a different TOSLINK cable didn’t break my bank.

The optical fiber in a standard (inexpensive) TOSLINK cable is plastic and is a bit fragile (easily broken if coiled too tightly or bent too sharply). See:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TOSLINK

This reminds me of the Denon Denon AKDL1 Dedicated Link Cable. This cable is an ethernet cable. Sadly, the reviews are gone. They were the most entertaining I’ve ever seen on Amazon.

Here are some references:

Some early reviews of Denon’s $500 Ethernet cable

$2,500 Denon ethernet cable gets mixed reviews on Amazon…