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ComPilot II vs ComPilot Air II - What are your experiences?

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Would like to know what results users of either ComPilot II or ComPilot Air II Phonak streamers have been experiencing? Feedback from individual users of either unit as well as those familiar with both models would be greatly appreciated.

As a reminder, the larger ComPilot II has a detachable antenna lanyard that you use to wear the unit around your neck. The ComPilot Air II is a smaller clip-on version with an internal antenna that you clip directly unto your clothing. The “II” designates the newer models that must be used with the latest Venture series .

As for my personal experience… I’ve been using the ComPilot Air II with Audeo V90 HAs for watching TV for the past few weeks but am not completely satisfied with it’s operation. To keep the unit from intermittently cutting out I must wear it no more than 7" away (specs state to wear within 12") from either hearing aid and must clip it to my clothing in such a manner that it does not swing, rotate, twist, or flip in any way as a result of movement on my part. If it moves, it almost always cuts out momentarily. Needless to say this is greatly limiting! Only when clipped directly under my chin and I stay still does it work flawlessly.

This has me wondering whether I should keep it or give it back to try the ComPilot II with the larger antenna in my search for greater stability instead. Thanks for your insights.

35 people in this conversation31 min readJump to latest

I am very interested in this as well. I will be getting my Audeo V90’s on the 22nd. I don’t think the audi ordered a ComPilot but one way or another I will be getting one. The EasyCall alternative seems to be a non starter as it seems to be limited to use with a cellphone only.

I had a ComPilot for my Nadia S 9 CRTs. I didn’t mind it hanging around my neck. My only problem was the antenna lanyard was not sturdy enough. I( broke a couple and sometimes it would come out of its socket. I jury rigged an additional paracord safety lanyard. While the worked well I also used the audio in jack to connect an Aerielle i2i wireless receiver as FM is more robust than BT for music. I never has any reception/connection issues with my old ComPilot, although sometimes the other party on a call complained about my muffled voice or the mic picking up clothing wrestling sounds when I wore it beneath my shirt.

Is the clip-on ComPilot II arrangement secure? How do you get it to stay under your chin? Clip it to a T shirt? Could you clip it to the back of your neck so it’s unobtrusive and even closer to the ’s for a better signal? I think you could then control it with a smartphone if you then could not reach the buttons, correct?

I think I am going to try the ComPilot II first, but I do not know if the VA stocks those and could hand me one on the 22nd, or if they have to order it or if they won’t approve it and I have to buy it myself.

It has a mic, right? So I guess it needs to be near to your mouth for phone use.

I have a ComPilot and I only stream phone calls. If I listen to music I use an audio cable. I have tried to stream phone calls in data centers and I can’t due to the background noise. Even with the mics turned off it’s too noisy to stream calls in a data center. I’ve also found it’s too noisy and there is too much background noise to cable or stream music on airplanes. If I fly I carry a small set of headphones and it’s also what I uses in data centers if I need to make a call.

I haven’t had any problems with the antenna and it’s much better than the Siemens Tek since it doesn’t swing and spin on a cord like the Tek does.

I’m not familiar with the ComPilot Air, but it looks a lot like the Mini Tek I had and it looks like the ComPilot Air won’t work with my Phonaks since they aren’t the latest Venture platform. It’s a shame I’d switch to the ComPilot Air.

In reply to @TambourineMan

TambourineMan, both ComPilot models have built in microphones. This allows them to be used with bluetooth enabled phones and completely bypass the phone mike. When using the ComPilot to answer/initiate a call, the hearing aids act as speakers and the Compilot connects its internal microphone via bluetooth to serve as the phone mike. This way, the phone can stay in your pocket and does not have to be touched when answering a call.

I’ve had to wear the ComPilot Air II clipped on my shirt collar, as tight under my chin as possible, but it still sometimes cuts out even when worn this close if it moves just a bit. I think Phonak still needs to work out a few bugs regarding the internal antenna or tweak the power level on the transmitter so it stays connected. When connected it works very well but there are enough service interruptions to make it annoying to use at times. I am not sure if I am going to keep it or ask to try the larger ComPilot II you wear around your neck to see if there is any improvement.

I’ll probably decide within the week.

I have Phonak ( big ones) with the ComPilot II (as per your description ) with the lanyard around the neck. It works great for calls on my iPhone and I experience no interruption unless its from the reception. The sound works well with audio from internet video clips also. The Air sounds like way too much hassle. I’ll try it with the TV and report back.
Forsythe

I have the ComPilot II with lanyard. It will last approx 12 hours per charge. My audi said the comPilot II Air lasts about half that per charge. So for me even if my ’s would support it I wouldn’t want the short battery life per charge.

Edited

edatlanta, wishful thinking that a ComPilot Air II will last 6 hours per charge. I followed Phonak’s instructions to fully charge and fully discharge the battery for first handful of charging cycles to properly condition the battery. I am now on about the tenth cycle and at no time has the charge lasted any more than 3 to 3.5 hours of use after the green light indicating a full charge has been illuminated. This operating interval is in full conformance with the manufacturer’s indication of up to 4 hours streaming time for the ComPilot Air II. Hence, no complaint here!

FYI, for your ComPilot II model the streaming time is given as up to 24 hours on a full charge.

My only gripe with the ComPilot Air II is the instability of the connection between the hearing aids and the unit itself. When I wear it more than 8" away (specs state a max of 16") from the hearing aids, any slight changes in head position, minor orientation changes in unit, or combinations thereof, often result in momentary disconnections. For example, if worn heart level-mid chest, about 12" away from either hearing aid, all bets are off. A slight movement (turning head to talk to someone sitting to your right) or minor shift in position (sitting back in a chair from an upright position) will/may cause momentary disconnects of either one or both . More often than not, they reconnect again, only to repeat the cycle yet again at the next hint of movement. Probably will have to be sent back to Phonak for additional evaluation or adjustment.

Update: Just got call from audiologist to bring the ComPilot AIr II back for return to Phonak. If issue persists once returned she will exchange for larger ComPilot II. In the end, I have full confidence everything will be worked out to everyone’s satisfaction!

I don’t know what the printed specs are for the ComPilot II or the new “Air”. I just know what I reported. My ComPilot II with lanyard lasts 12 hours per charge and occasionally it will go 14, but nowhere near 24 hours. I can live with this. Since the “Air” as you reported real world is not even 6 hours, I really don’t want one even if I could.

This forum is a great place to get actual operating data from the folks that actually use them. As we are all different there will be different issues with the same product, but as we all read what others are seeing, we can start to get a feeling how the products should work for us or if our actual experience is in line with what should be.

I lost my and am awaiting new ones. When I had my original ComPilot I left it off most of the time and it went for days or even weeks. I always had it around my neck. I only turned it on for conference calls on for someone who I had a difficult time hearing. It paired up quickly. Very occasionally I used it for music. The only TV I watch is NFL so I didn’t need it to be a couch potato.

Just like to add that I have the new Audeo V90’s and I am completely satisfied. I also have the Compilot II and also the Compilot Air. I use mostly the air. I stream music and phone calls in the morning (3.5-4 hours). I throw it on the USB on my computer during lunch and it takes a full charge in about 30 minutes ready for the afternoon. When at my desk I clip it to my shirt pocket. At night I can clip to my pillow. Either way no lanyard.

Edited

dsignr, I would appreciate your answer to my question below as you are the first one to respond with experience using both models.

Have you found the stability of the /streamer connection established using the ComPilot II to be superior to the connection established with the ComPilot Air II?

My current experiences with the ComPilot Air II is one of multiple and repeated disconnects when clipped to my shirt pocket. Unit simply will not maintain a stable connection at that distance (approx. 10" to one ear and 14" to other). For example, on a three button polo shirt I need to clip it no lower than the middle button to maintain a semi-stable connection. Even then, slight shifts in ComPilot Air II orientation caused by arm or head movements tugging on the shirt may cause quick and repeated disconnects/reconnects to occur. Sometimes the connection reestablishes automatically; Other times, I must manually reorient the attached unit to reacquire a stable connection.

In your opinion, is there any benefit in my switching to the ComPilot II with it’s larger external lanyard antenna over the smaller ComPilot Air II with internal antenna to resolve the connection stability issues I am presently experiencing with the AIR II?

I’m a graphic designer on a work station most of the day so pocket placement (inside) is usually sufficient. There may be an occasional miss but not often and always an automatic reconnect. If I am more active then yes I move the Air closer about 2 buttons down the inside front of my shirt. For more heavy duty use or all day in the car or on the phone I may grab the compilot II. It’s just a personal thing that I prefer not to have an antenna around my neck. If I’m going to be away from my desk I just unclip the Air and leave it behind.

I just picked up my Audeo V90’s on Monday and was looking at the Compilot II. I can not ever see myself wearing something that bulky around my neck all day. I’ll be trying the Compilot II Air on Friday. Hopefully that will work better. It’s good to see that The Air charges so quickly. That eases my mind a bit.

Preliminary Observations: Swapped out my ComPilot Air II for a ComPilot II and tried it out yesterday for first time.

My initial observations are the ComPilot II was able to maintain a much more robust connection to the hearing aids than the ComPilot Air II. In fact, I really do not remember having any of the connectivity breaks that were continuously present when using the Air II model. Don’t know if this can be entirely attributed to the “lanyard” style antenna or is in combination with the “necklace” style design of the ComPilot II that restricts the unit from changing orientation when worn.

Minor reception interference (slight background crackling) was noted whenever the ComPilot II was connected via bluetooth to iPhone and Phonak remote control app. The interference diminished as the phone separation was increased but only fully went away when the bluetooth connection was turned off on the iPhone. Not sure if this issue also existed with the ComPilot Air II unit as I no longer have that version available to test. Perhaps others can confirm… I may have simply overlooked it while concentrating on the other issues.

The sound quality on both units was excellent whenever fully connected!

Nevertheless, given my intended use of streaming TV more than 95% of the time I feel the more robust connection and extended battery life offered by the ComPilot II make it a better individual choice.

I got my Compilot Air II’s yesterday and found that it has to be REALLY close to my ’s to work properly. A dress shirt pocket seems to be the maximum range before sound starts breaking up. Now I’m trying to decide if I really need a streamer at all. The Compilot II is just too big for my taste and the Air seems really limited as far as placement. Time will tell.

In reply to @pell1203

@pell1203 said:

… My only gripe with the ComPilot Air II is the instability of the connection between the hearing aids and the unit itself. When I wear it more than 8" away (specs state a max of 16") from the hearing aids, any slight changes in head position, minor orientation changes in unit, or combinations thereof, often result in momentary disconnections. …

FWIW: I just did an initial streaming test with the ComPilot Air II. I clipped it to the front middle of the neck hem of an old, worn t-shirt; due to its weight, the streamer flopped over, folding the t-shirt neck hem down – not a problem. I went jogging while listening to an audiobook on an iPhone 6. Checking in a mirror while jogging in place before I left the house, I saw that The ComPilot Air II bounced up and down with each stride, but the audio delivery of the program material was not affected. During my jog there was no continuity or other problem with the audio.

Of course this was about as close as it’s possible to get to the .

brec,

Lucky you!! I would hold on to that one tightly because it appears to be the exception instead of the norm. Besides the several posters on this forum, I personally know another user that tried it and had similar poor results as I did. He eventually decided to return it as well.

After my switch to the ComPilot II, I can say I have been more than satisfied with it’s performance. The connection to the TVLink II and the is rock solid and a full battery charge lasts over 15 hours (about 5 times longer than the ComPilot Air II). Even though I liked the compactness of the ComPilot Air II, in the end the Air II did not perform to my expectations.

Glad to hear yours is working well… enjoy it!

When I use my Air II close enough to my ’s to make a connection I have had no issues at all (up until now). It also works fine with the TV streamer which I may or may not use. Still deciding on that one.

In reply to @pell1203

I’ve had the Audeo v90’s and the compilot air II for about two weeks now. At first the tv and phone streaming worked fine without any interruptions or cutting out. I am now getting constant disconnect/reconnect with both my phone and tv link regardless of how close I keep the streamer to my ’s. Disappointing because my streamer serves as my volume control for my HA’s and would rather not go to the larger compilot II

I tried the Compilot wireless and ended up returning it. It had to be too close to the hearing aids to make it worthwhile as far as I was concerned. With the automatic program on the V90’s I don’t see the need to change any settings so I’m fine with that.

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