Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

A bit of a dilemma with my wife's new Philips 9050

18 replies1.2k viewsLast reply

Link to this topic
Reply

I’ve been wearing Costco’s Sonite R hearing aid since September and have been pleased with its performance. While not being a “streaming” person per se, having hands free in the car with Google Maps whispering directions has been wonderful! Other than that, listening on my computer without disturbing others is icing on the cake.

My wife had a hearing test and her left ear indicates a significant loss especially in the lower frequency range. This is something she’s been aware of for years.

So, she went to my Costco fitter who favored the Philips. Because I like the Sonite, we tried it first. When she tested the Philips she absolutely loved what she heard. There was no doubt in her mind, we will purchasing the Philips 9050.

We both have Android 12 phones but the fitter could not get hands free to work and hours later, neither could I. We have 3 Windows 11 computers, one of them is just a year old. No luck with any of them. The newest computer is Bluetooth 5.2, the Android phones are Bluetooth 5.0. The Sennheiser Sonite R works perfectly with all of them.

I was warned about this ahead of time, but my wife wanted the best sounding hearing aid and connectivity was a long second. And then, there was new firmware coming…

I find it a little perplexing that Philips has such limited compatibility. Their answer was to purchase a costly external microphone. I’m not sure if that’s a practical workaround. It sounds a little strange.

Is there any chance a better solution is forthcoming or do we have accept the limitations?

8 people in this conversation8 min readJump to latest

Phonak/Sennheiser devices use Bluetooth classic , they can connect to almost anything.

The rest of the hearing aids (except the Signia BCT) use Bluetooth low energy . They connect well with Apple devices , many Androids but very few Windows computer . If you want the Phillips to connect directly to your computer , your PC must have Bluetooth . Otherwise you will need an accessory.

Connectivity to Android devices is not universal either. The link below will show you if your Android devices are fully compatible with the Phillips aids.

Compatibility guide53

What are the usage needs for the Windows PCs? You could use a USB dongle such as the FlooGoo FMA120 or Avantree C82 LEA to connect via . Both dongles have been discussed on the forum.

Edited

Your phones are over 4 years old and will not do hands free. If you want that feature with an Android phone you need to get either a good used Pixel 8 or Pixel 9, a Samsung equivalent or a new Pixel 10 or Samsung equivalent. Do not buy the Pixel 8a or Pixel 9a.

There are a couple other brands to are new enough, but the Pixel or Samsung phones are what most of us are using in the Android world.

The good news is that your wife’s hearing aids can connect to an broadcast, while your hearing aids can not connect to an Auracast broadcast.

Auracast | Bluetooth® Technology Website5

INTRODUCING Auracast™ broadcast audio is a new Bluetooth® capability that will deliver life-changing audio experiences. It will let you share your audio, unmute your world, and hear your best…

Auracast transmitter tests
TOSLink input on the 3.5mm jack too!
Upgrades for church sound system? Auracast? Anything else?
I heard mention that there are plans to upgrade the sound system in my church this year The current system has a very weak FM transmitter and they have loaner FM receivers with headphones. I bought my own receiver with neckloop to use with my T-Coil aids… but the FM coverage inside the church is weak and I get lots of static unless I’m very close to the rackroom door where the transmitter and antenna is… I was thinking that maybe I should put a bug in the ear of the sound guy to consider Aura…
Resound VIVIA 9 and Auracast
I agree. I am a docent at a museum in Colorado Springs. I’ve convinced them to implement Auracast and to start advertising the fact that they are using it just to get the word out to the community of other museums in the area/state and to visitors to start asking for it. We also plan to work through selected audiologists like the VA to let them know and to provide passes to the museum to people who purchase Auracast compatible hearing aids.

if the oticon easy LE adapter doesn’t work. the audikast 4() should work, for both of you if they can do .

or single stream you got C82 LEA. floogoo fm120/1 is a good stick too.

they all use LE audio AC3 / auracast.

What’s the microphone supposed to do? You know, if your wife loves the Philips, I say get the Philips. It’s rare for someone to accept a hearing aids so readily.

You’re seeing a difference between an established technology and an emerging one. Bluetooth Classic (yours) has been around for decades. So everything works with it. Bluetooth (the Philips) is just starting to get a bit of traction so only some of the newer devices work with it. As your wife upgrades computer and phone in the future to compatible gear she will get better sound on phone calls,and low latency on zoom calls. She will find the connection to be very stable with pretty much no dropouts. As public buildings start getting technology in the future she will have access to assistive hearing technology that you won’t. And if she wants to use a TV transmitter for clear sound direct to her aids it will cost her a fraction of what it would cost you.

Swings and roundabouts.

Edited
@user490 said:

What are the usage needs for the Windows PCs? You could use a USB dongle such as the FlooGoo FMA120 or Avantree C82 LEA to connect via LE Audio. Both dongles have been discussed on the forum.

This has been quite an education! Yes, d_Wooluf, I’m very pleased my wife enjoys the benefits of the Philips hearing aids. She’s even running the volume up a notch lately.

I’ve also learned from user490 that not all Bluetooth 5.3+ devices are compatible. Thank you for your USB dongle recommendations.

The Philips HearLink AudioClip () sounded at first to be simple solution where it connects to the hearing aids using LE Audio and with the phone, computer, etc. via Bluetooth Classic. She could keep it in her purse or on her desk and be connected. I’m not sure the microphone feature is of any value but it can be turned off. The deal breaker is that it only has a range of 2 meters and it wasn’t stated how long the batteries last.

It’s ironic that the phones we both use are especially good for people with impaired hearing. The sound transducer is behind the display is called “crystal sound” and it really is crystal clear. I enjoy working and maintaining these phones as a hobby: https://waynedavis.com2

Thank you for all of your prompt replies and suggestions!

In reply to @MidairView

@MidairView said:

It’s ironic that the phones we both use are especially good for people with impaired hearing. The sound transducer is behind the display is called “crystal sound” and it really is crystal clear

Those LG phones were known for their audio quality , and they use a high end DAC/Amp for audiophile sound ouput. Too bad they went extinct.

Of course using a phone running android 12 is pretty dicey, security wise, unless you’re using graphene, or a custom rom.

I did a quick search, and found the Oticon Easy LE Adapter on the Philips accessories page:

Link to page.10 I have one for my Oticon Intents, and it works great with older androids, and windows PCs. If costco doesn’t sell it, you can get one on amazon.

In reply to @flashb1024

I was looking at the Easy LE Adapter. Apparently, there is audio available on the USB connector and the adapter is a transceiver to convert this audio to both ways.

There is a caution on Oticon’s website that states if the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack, there may not be audio on the USB C connector. And yes, the LG G8 has a headphone jack.

I’m also concerned that if the phone were to be used and not connected to the ’s, then the phones’ microphone would be physically blocked by the adapter.

Amazon is out of stock right now or I might try one anyway.

Meanwhile, our newest computer has a RZ608 Bluetooth/WiFi 6E Adapter which comes very close to being LE audio compatible using Windows 11. In Device Manager, it even lists Microsoft Bluetooth LE Enumerator. It paired with the Philips 9050 but no audio. Removing the 9050 from the device list was almost impossible. It had to be removed from the registry!

@MidairView said:

There is a caution on Oticon’s website that states if the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack, there may not be audio on the USB C connector. And yes, the LG G8 has a headphone jack.

Yikes, good point. Well you can check out the Flogoo, and Avantree dongles to see if they’re compatible.

I used to use the Oticon ConnectClip before I got my Pixel 9, and Oticon Intents, but the Philips one uses the same hardware, and the battery life is at least a full 14-16 hour day.

I used to call it the swiss army knife because of all the functionality it has, and the sound output is good.

For a new windoze computer to work with LEA it needs to have the newest 12th generation Intel processor.

Thank you flashb1024. I wasn’t aware of the 12th generation Intel processor requirement. We have one other “Minisforum” machine with a AMD Ryzen 9. It uses a separate Mediatek RZ608 Bluetooth adapter. I believe there is also a newer version that may support LEA?

The ConnectClip still intrigues me. A stand alone wireless Bluetooth classic to adapter. Was the range acceptable? I’m sure we will see someone else making these in the near future.

My wife is so pleased with the Philips that she asked the Costco fitter to allow me to try one. I will be given a trial unit on December 6 for a week. Amazing customer service!

The ConnectClip will do one useful thing and that’s give your wife handsfree calling until she upgrades her phone to one that supports . The cost of the ConnectClip would be a significant proportion of the cost of that phone. The CC requires you to make and maintain two connections and if your wife wants the handsfree calls she’ll have to wear a black plastic box around her neck.

Native LE Audio support on a laptop means you can adjust the gain on the hearing aids’ mics and select the program on the aids from the laptop. A dongle will give you all of the rest of the functionality that you might need.

I have the same H.A. from Costco and they blue tooth and phone connection work just fine.Android has setting that may need to be turned on. Here are some suggestion your fitter may not be aware of. BTW the current version of the hearlink app is 1.2.

Unpair both the Philips 9050 from Bluetooth and remove the Hearlink app; reboot the phone fully.​

Pair the hearing aids directly through the phone’s Bluetooth settings (not just through the Hearlink app), then reinstall the app if needed for other features.

Check your Bluetooth connection settings: find the device, tap the gear icon, and ensure “Phone Calls” is enabled for your aids.

If available, switch from to or HFP Bluetooth profiles in phone settings or developer options, as LE Audio is not always supported for hands-free calls with Android 12.

Restart both aids and phone, and keep devices close during pairing.

In reply to @big.little

This is great information but unfortunately, it looks like the LG G8 is is not compatible.

The G8 does connect to the Sennheiser Sonite R where after clicking on the “gear” in Paired Bluetooth Devices, it has two switches. One for Call Audio and the other for Media Audio.

The 9050 will pair and connect, but when clicking on the “gear” is only permits Editing the device name. No switches for Audio.:slightly_frowning_face:

Yesterday, we plugged a FMA120 into the laptop and streamed audio to the 9050. Sounded great!

Hands free on the phone would be nice, (especially since we have it now), but not necessary.

Thanks for your suggestions!

My bad for not asking which phone you are using. Yes that is the root cause of your issue.

Glad you got to the bottom of the problem. We can spend a lot of time doing that sort of investigating but in the end the answer is most always quite simple good luck on future use of the 9050

Related discussions