Streaming & Bluetooth & Clip Mics oh my!

#1

Greetings - just a little humor to start this thread. As I am new to the HA world and am going to wind up with a Bluetooth connectable device I started to think about a few things…

If the HA’s are connected to the phone via Bluetooth and use an app on the phone, can they also be connected to a clip on mic and even a TV streamer at the same time? Or do you disconnect from the bluetooth (i.e. MFi Hearing Devices on an iphone) / app on the phone and select another device (i.e. streamer or clip mic).

For example let’s say I use a tinnitus app and stream relief noise to the HA’s from the phone and also have a clip mic for certain environments that I might benefit from using it. Can that all work together at once? I had asked and read elsewhere that a clip mic and the mic’s in the hearing aids can work together at once (in a blended fashion) if it were programmed that way. Let’s throw the use of the TV streamer in there too just for good measure…not that anyone would do all that at once…

Taking the question to a level up - If this can work all (or even partially) in conjunction with each other, which manufacturers have this down pat and which do not.

Just curious…As always thanks for the input.

#2

I ran a test with my Oticon ConnectClip with Opn1s. The ConnectClip contains a mic. When you switch to the CC mic program the HA mics and CC mic are mixed according to the adjustments provided in Genie2. If you are connected to your phone’s bluetooth via the ConnectClip, switching to the CC mic program will cause the phone audio to come from the phone’s speaker, it is not heard in the aids. The phone and CC remain connected however, and when you exit the CC mic program you can again hear the phone audio in the aids.

The CC mic is used to pick up your voice when on an outgoing call.

ConnecClip%20Adjustments
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ConnectClip info here.

I think the ConnectClip can only be connected to one legacy bluetooth device at once. I do not know whether the aids can be connected to the CC and TV streamer at the same time, and if so, whether they would both be heard in the aids.

#3

I have no direct experience, but I think Resound has been doing this the longest and according to surveys that Abram has done, Resound comes out highest on “connectivity.” I think they’re all getting better at it, but I don’t think anybody is “glitch free.”

#4

The way the OPN works with my TV Adapter is like this. Normally I’m connected to my iPhone via the MFI Hearing Devices by default. If I want to use the TV Adapter, I leave the OPN connected to the iPhone via MFI just as usual, but I manually switch from the default program 1 to the TV Adapter program (either via the OPN onboard button or via the iPhone Preset selection menu). As long as I’m not receiving audio streaming from the iPhone, the TV Adapter streaming audio will come through to my OPN.

Now let’s say that while I listen to the TV Adapter streaming audio, I have a phone call coming through, or I start playing an iTune song, or play a Youtube video, the streaming audio of the iPhone will take over the streaming audio from the TV Adapter.

If I end the phone call or hit pause on the iTunes song play, after a few seconds, the TV Adapter streaming audio will automatically resume on my OPN. For the YouTube app, pausing the YouTube video is not enough to release the MFI streaming audio connection with the iPhone. I must hit the iPhone Home button before my TV Adapter streaming audio resumes. I think this is simply because YouTube as an app does not choose to release the MFI streaming audio until you get out of the app by hitting the Home button. The iTunes app is smart enough to release the hold on the MFI streaming audio as soon as you hit the Pause button on the song play, however.

So in short, there is no need to disconnect the MFI connection to the iPhone in order to use the TV Adapter. As long as there is no streaming audio from the iPhone, the TV Adapter streaming audio will take over. But the earlier has priority over the later.

#5

I don’t know, but I think… ~insert sales blurb~

#6

I can give some insight into the behavior of Oticon Opn1 and Signia PureNx.

Audio Priority:
The remote mic will blend audio from remote mic with HA mic audio. The TV streamer also blends TV audio with HA mic audio, and the relationship in levels is adjustable. Source audio has a priority scheme:

  1. Telephone call audio (MFi) audio will override whatever you are streaming (if you take the call).
  2. Audio from smartphone via web browser or app overrides & interrupts TV streamer audio. This can be annoying because you do not necessarily need to be getting audio for that to occur (ie: Waze, Scrabble app hi-jack the audio even if they are not streaming audio themselves).
  3. Remote mic audio overrides TV streamer or smartphone audio (other than phone call audio).

As far as mic levels, Signia and Oticon handle this differently:

HA Mic Muting:
Oticon provides an easy means to mute the HA mic audio so you can stream only audio coming from the streaming source, Signia does not provide that. (someone from Signia suggested Apple made them remove the mute mic option, I kind of don’t believe that.)

HA Mic vs. Telephone audio levels:
There is a configurable relationship between HA mic audio and telephone audio volume. There is a decibel relationship value set at fitting. You can adjust call volume at call-time by smartphone volume adjustment. True for both Oticon and Signia.

HA Mic vs. TV Streaming audio levels:
There is a configurable relationship between HA mic audio and TV streaming volume. This is adjustable via app by both Oticon and Signia. It is also adjustable via MFi native interface on iOS; triple-click home button accessibility shortcut makes this the quickest way to balance HA mic audio and TV streaming audio. This adjustment is important to me: sometimes I am streaming to exclude sounds around me, sometimes I am streaming to enhance sounds around me.

Remote mic audio:
Sorry, my Oticon Opn1 experience here only involves using iPhone as remote mic, not the ConnectLine. I did use Connect Line with Oticon Alta Pros (not MFi HAs) but that won’t relate to your Opn1 question.
Signia: Signia StreamLine Mic does not provide real-time adjustment of mic level relative to HA mic volume. I find this problematic. Use case: put mic on podium before a series of speakers, take seat, speakers vary dramatically in volume, I cannot adjust without approaching podium. I can turn off mic (from phone), but only once. I need to turn on mic from the StreamLine itself.

Some unsolicited opinions:

  • In practical terms, I have found limited no use for using smartphone as remote mic.
  • Signia StreamLine as remote mic is not helpful to me.
  • StreamLine as mic for phone calls is helpful, but has downsides: I do not have to hold phone to my mouth to talk, but you lose some native MFi integration, you are essentially moving from MFi to BT 2.0, the incoming audio quality is not as good. But, I am on conference calls all the time, I use this device. If only my iWatch mic was an option… come on Apple.

TV Streamer road warrior:
I have 3 Oticon TV streamers and 3 Signia Streamers. I prefer the TV streamer over smartphone streaming when I am not on the move.

Cheers. Happy Hearing.

#7

Agreed, your summary reflects my experience.

Regarding audio prioritization: this seems like an opportunity area for the community.
I do not think that opening a smartphone app is the same as giving it permission to alter my hearing experience. For example: I have relationship of streaming audio to HA mic audio set to lower my HA mics 12dB when I am streaming. If I am listening to something in real time, and looking at my phone, an app should not be able to reduce my HA volume in order to play audio, I should get to decide or prohibit that.
This is particularly bad with apps that grab control of audio even if they are not using it. Example: I have a decibel meter, it needs my smartphone mic, that’s all. But it takes control of mic AND speaker (or alternate audio output destination) and effectively stops me from hearing the very sound that I am trying to measure. But this should not be a debate with the app developer, it should be a debate with the smartphone platform that allows that kind of behavior without giving the user adequate controls.

Cheers.

#8

Great summary!

I just want to add to the above that the decibel relationship value set at fitting becomes the default at the time a phone call is made/answered. BUT, while you’re on the phone, you can also do manual adjustment of the mic volume on the fly either via the OPN button or the mic volume slider on the iPhone.

#9

Thanks for your opinion. I have no interest in promoting Resound. What I said reflects my fairly extensive reading on the forum. I’ve seen several comments by reputable people touting Resound’s MultiMic. Take a look at the surveys of the audiologists yourself. Although they generally favor Oticon, on connectivity, Resound was still ahead, and from the all of bluetooth issues reported here, I don’t think anybody has this completely sorted out in a user friendly way.

1 Like
#10

Yes MrAerodynamic I thought your response was a little unnecessarily snarky. MDB even has KS7’s. Of course doesn’t need me defending him but I was certainly put off by your comment. He has been entirely helpful here. He is not selling anything. Just being helpful. And he even finds a tactful response to your snark.

#11

With Signia/Rexton/Kirkland, when streaming from TV or phone, if you hold the volume down button on the Smart Mic (Rexton/Kirkland version) it mutes the hearing aid mics and leaves the streaming intact. Great when taking a call in a loud environment.