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Are You Happy with Call Quality in Noisy Places ? (Starkey, Phonak, Resound, Oticon, Philips etc.)

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We’ve heard from hearing aid users that phone calls can be frustrating in noisy environments.
People on the other end say they can’t hear them clearly.

If you’re using -based hearing aids, has that improved your experience?

We’d love to hear from you.
What brand and model of hearing aids and mobile phone do you use?
How’s your call quality in loud places, from yourself and other side?

Drop a comment or message us — your feedback helps!

12 people in this conversation5 min readJump to latest

Oticon 1s via IPhone 13 mini going into hearing aids via most of the time. My wife constantly complains if I call her from one of the farm markets I visit on weekends to the point I’ve started changing the audio source to the phone. From her telling, noise and conversation near wherever I call from at the market overpowers the sound of my voice.

No complaints of consequence when I call from inside my Prius which has built-in BT and a microphone that circumvents the hearing aid, and little complaint if I am using phone-to-hearing aid BT from inside my old techless Jag, though I try only to make those calls while parked.

Philips 9050. The noisiest it gets for me would be a shopping mall. My car’s a diesel so not quiet either. No complaints in either environment when using the aid’s microphone. The one person I tested it on preferred that to the phone’s microphone. Pixel 8 Pro.

I have iPhone 14, with the latest iOS, and Oticon Reals. Nobody I’ve ever talked to in over two years have had a problem hearing me. However, when the noise is too loud, I have to mute my mics via the app to hear them.

Thanks. This confirms what we’ve heard from some of our customers too: that with traditional Bluetooth hearing aids, it’s often hard for the other person to hear you clearly during calls in noisy places (like markets, restaurants).

The good news is, can solve this issue, like Philips 9050, but the challenge right now is that many phones still don’t fully support LE Audio mic input, especially iPhones.

We’re currently testing a USB-C LE Audio adapter that lets any USB-C phone (regardless of brand) use LE Audio for calls—even if the phone doesn’t support it natively. So far, early feedback has been very positive.

If you’ve had trouble with call clarity in noisy environments and your hearing aids support LE Audio, we’d love to hear from you. We’re looking for a few testers for each model and would be happy to send units out for free trials. Let us know if you’re interested.

‘We’ is Avantree. Does doing an informal survey (3 responses that address the question) on a forum count as data harvesting?

Hi @nsjmgm – thanks for raising that. Just to clarify: I’m Phoebe, CEO of Avantree (you can find our brand here: avantree.com4).

We’re not collecting personal data or running any marketing campaign here. I’m actually an (single-sided deaf) user myself, and we’ve been building tools for people like us.

We’ve heard from users who struggle with call clarity in noisy places, and since many hearing aids don’t fully support LE Audio call input yet, we’re simply looking for a few real-world testers — no forms, no strings attached. Don’t worry. :slight_smile:

I very much appreciate that people like @Ranson or @PhoebeY are active here and are listening to the community.

Yes, they also want to make people aware of their products, but I think that’s fair because they actually put company resources into making their products work well for hearing aid users.

Thanks so much, @wtolkien — that really means a lot. :pray:

and are still so new that we’re all learning as we go — manufacturers and users alike. That’s why hearing your real-world feedback is so valuable. It helps us build products that actually solve day-to-day challenges.

We truly appreciate being part of the conversation here.

Phonak Audéo Paradise over Android- I hear people perfectly well under all circumstances, but some at the other end complain about the sound, asking me to stop using a speaker phone.

What in the spec will fix this issue? There is better mic control but that does not improve the hearing aid hardware.

https://www.bluetooth.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LE_Spec_Diagram_Update.svg1

LE Audio Specifications | Bluetooth® Technology Website4

LE Audio introduces an entirely new architecture for supporting audio applications using Bluetooth® technology and sets the stage for the next 20 years of innovation in wireless audio.

I’m happy to report that no matter WHERE I am, if I’m streaming phone calls from my Samsung Flip-7 to my Phonak Lumity Life 312 aids, there are NO ISSUES with background noise (for me!) whatsoever.

I’ve been on calls with heavily-accented Customer/Tech Support, soft-spoken friends/family, race-track, rapid-fire receptionists at hotels, doc’s offce - wherever. NO problem at all for me to hear and understand what they’re saying.

Now look at my audigram and go figure! :grinning:

I had KS9s and now have Lumitys, so Phonak technology for phone calls. It’s great for me, but background noise can affect those on the other end since they hear whatever the aids’ mics pick up. That’s not a problem for me as, for instance, if I have a fan on when someone calls, I turn it off. It’s not a big deal for my retired self. Others might feel differently depending on where they need to talk on the phone.

Edited

In reply to @1Bluejay

The question was about how well others on the call are able to hear you speaking in background noise via the hearing aid mics as opposed to phone mic.

Phonak may handle this challenge a bit differently as it uses classic Bluetooth as opposed to //LEA?

From what’s been reported most people can hear via the aids despite background noise depending upon how closed the domes or molds are (more closed helps).

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