Phonak is known for its classical Bluetooth with 2 devices simultaneously connected to the hearing aids. Will that change with the expected firmware update to Bluetooth and on the Infinio Spheres? If not, are the other manufacters expected to offer multipe connections via this new Bluetooth?
LE Audio has what they call Multi-stream Audio so yes you’ll still be able to do this.
I don’t think multiple streams = multiple connections. They all do multiple streams (speaker/mic) but I don’t think any of the current crop of hearing aids hold multiple connections. The Philips definitely don’t.
Don’t undersell it. Since an can be broadcasted in a form that your hearing aid pickup, such as theaters, lectures, sport bar TVs, churches and so on, I would say that it is essential to hearing for a lot of folks.
Multi-stream only means that the new LE audio standard supports streaming to two earbuds or simultaneously. With bluetooth classic, the earbud or HA manufacturer had to do their own implementation to ensure both buds or HAs stay in sync.
I don’t have Phonak HAs, so I don’t know how they handle multiple devices simultaneously. Usually the problem is how you switch from one connected device to another. Does the Phonak app allow you to select which one? Do you have to turn the unwanted Bluetooth device off?
That’s where I found most useful. Right now Resound/Jabra is the only manufacturer that provides proper support from within their app. And it’s very easy to have the HAs connected to the phone and to an Auracast stream at the same time. The app allows seamless switching between the two audio sources.
If you listen to Auracast and a phone call comes in, the HAs will automatically switch to the phone call.