I’m new to this forum and came here looking for some answers for the new Smart Connect Bluetooth necklace I bought from Costco along with my Rexton 42 hearing aids. I got everything set up using the Smart Connect ap for my iphone and the sound is coming through my hearing aids okay. The only problem is that I can only hear only the high pitches and no mid range or base when using the bluetooth device for listening to music from my iphone. This is only when happens with the bluetooth smart connect iphone Ap and listening to music. When I use my fingers to completely cover my hear canal, then I can hear base and mids similar to common ear buds used to play music on. I am currently using the 8mm open dome which fits me well and I can use this to hear normally okay with my hearing aids. I have high frequency loss in both ears. When I use the Smart Connect and listen to music or a phone conversation, the sound is very tinny and only high pitches can be heard coming out of my speakers. It sounds like have ear buds about 1/4" away from your ears and only high pitches can be heard. I also tried inserting the 8mm double and it sounds the same. I know it has something to do with the type of domes needed to seal my ears because the base is there when I cover my ear canal with my fingers. I was wondering if I need to get custom ear molds to seal off the sound better. I can hear music fine with string base from a normal ear bud attached to my iphone or ipod. Do any of you out there have the same problem or have any answers? I checked the Rexton website and they don’t have a customer service area to answer any product questions or phone number to talk to someone. If I can get this Smart Connect necklace to receive sounds similar to a normal speaker, I would be fine with that.
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MGECC12 people in this conversation15 min readJump to latest↓
Try the 10mm or 10mm double domes. They might do a better job of sealing your ear canal and preventing the low and mid frequencies from leaking out. Your Costco fitter can also add some programs to your hearing aids which are specific to the Smart Connect. These programs can be adjusted to increase the bass response when you’re streaming audio or phone calls.
because the base is there when I cover my ear canal with my fingers.
OMG!!!
Well mine does the same thing. I’ve been told these crappy domes are why I have no bass but that pretty well proves it, doesnt it? You just convinced me to get custom molds for my Trax 42s!
Thanks for the info. I had my Costco fitter install several programs and also had her increase the bass and mids too. Didn’t help too much with music playing on the bluetooth Smart Connect when used with my iPhone music. I know that bass is there but wonder I’d there is another setting she can adjust for music. When I use the Smart Connect to talk on, it seems like the bass works okay but not great as my brothers voice is a low pitch. This is also with the open domes. I’ll call her tomorrow and see if she can talk to the Rexron rep or their customer severe for guidance and info. The Costco fitter was also new at setting this up as it seems like it was her first time. Even the first time for her setting up my Trax 42 as it is a new model that just came in.
How much does custom ear molds cost and does Costco hearing center have that option? Is the ear molds noticeable when wearing them or hidden like the domes?
I called my brother while using the Smart Connect and had him hold his phone near a speaker that played music with a lot of bass and the results were the same. Only high frequency sounds and zero bass and zero mids. Sounds like when you hold your ear buds about an inch away from your ear without inserting them. Zero bass and zero mids. Once you stick those ear buds in, then the base,
mids and full stereo music can be heard. I still have hope for this Smart Connect. I wish Rexton made a better sealing soft moldable dome that just molds to your ears when inserted.
As to molds…$39 per side…Costco will do Rexton or Westone molds. Audi ordered mine through Rexton. It took two tries…but they got it perfect on the second attempt. Which is better than I can say for “another company” which took at least 3 tries to get mold right.
Hi Evil Scientist, Are the ear molds noticeable when worn or is it hidden in the ear canal like the domes? Are you using the ear molds with the Smart Connect or just the hearing aids? If using with the Smart Connect, is the bass and mids clearly heard and similar to regular ear buds when plugged into an ipod for music? Thank you for your assistance.
I checked the programs that the Costco tech installed on my hearing aids and viewed in the Smart Connect Ap. They are 4 of them. Auto, Noise/Party, Music and (i) Focus 360. I wonder if there is a separate program just for the Smart Connect Bluetooth or when using the Smart Connect that will change the sounds from hearing aid sounds to more bass ear buds sounds? Just wondering what other’s have.
Hi Rasmus Braun,
I don’t have any bluetooth programs in my hearing aids. That could be the problem. Seems like the Costco tech was new at setting up the Smart Connect. Hope that will increase the bass and mids for bluetooth phone calls and music listening. Thanks for your input.
Hi Rasmus Braun,
I don’t have any bluetooth programs in my hearing aids. That could be the problem. Seems like the Costco tech was new at setting up the Smart Connect. Hope that will increase the bass and mids for bluetooth phone calls and music listening. Thanks for your input.
Like you, I was trying to gain bass and fullness to calls and music, but I found that the special Bluetooth programs were not the answer. I am using the semi-open (tulip) domes or the double domes, and evidently there are just too many bass frequencies escaping- I could only hear the receiver’s bass tones if I totally occluded my ears with ear muffs or by using my fingers to push against my ear canals to close them off.
Earlier this week I tried a 'streaming ‘audio’ program- I was already trying a Bluetooth phone program. My reason for doing so was that I found the Bluetooth streaming of my TV transmitter and of the phone calls to be tinny sounding, and the way to make special adjustments for that problem involved creating those two special programs.
I was a little concerned to do so, because myself and others had noted some weird behaviors— such as the Bluetooth phone program hanging open after a call and not automatically switching back to the Auto program when the call ended ( I had to manually unlock it by pressing the center button of the Stream Connect once. Another forum member (I believe it was GregHahn) said the weird problems were worse with a streaming audio program-- evidently the programming was set up for the Rexton mini-blue, and did not play well with the Stream Connect. I mentioned this to my , and she called her Rexton contact. The special programs were the only way to modify the parameters of those Bluetooth programs for my personal desires.
So, I did it anyway and on Wednesday I had the HIS add the Streaming Audio program. I immediately found that the odd behaviors increased to the point that the very next day I imposed upon the HIS to squeak me into the schedule just long enough to delete both programs. The Streaming Audio program would activate with every notification sound my phone made-- interrupting the Automatic program momentarily as it switched back and forth between programs. It was very annoying. What was much worse was when I was using the TV transmitter at home ( I should clarify that the TV transmitter itself was turned on so it was broadcasting the signal, but I was actually using the Auto program at the time and not the TV transmitter-receiving-setting on the Smart Connect). The streaming audio program locked open with every notification sound, and would not release unless I pressed the center button on the Stream Connect twice, which switched from the streaming audio ‘transmitter’ to the TV transmitter, and then I had to press the center button again to re-choose my Automatic program.
Because the sound profiles were different for each of these programs, it was extremely annoying. If I received a text, an email, a weather alert, unlocked my screen, locked the screen, etc. I had to go through the whole button pressing thing again! ( I have an Android LG G3 phone, so you may have a difference in how things work between your phone / / stream connect).
I would recommend that you don’t go down that path, or at least make sure you can get in to your HIS quickly to delete it if you should have similar problems.
What I found made a bigger difference in sound was the HIS greatly expanding the range of the ‘sound balance’ (bass and treble) settings. Before she adjusted it, I could barely tell any difference as I moved the slider in the phone app from bass to treble. Now I have a large range, and I can adjust the treble to the point of being hissy, or to adjusting the bass high enough that I almost lose any treble. I am finding it beneficial to be able to fine tune this wide range to make speech more clear in some environments, or to make music listening more tolerable.
I also had her increase the loudness range of all my programs. I had an 8 steps range (button clicks), and now I have a 16 step range and the volume will blast me out or be very soft. Again, I find I like having the option available to fine tune for the situation I’m in.
What I have also found, is that I am just going to have to adjust my expectations of what my HAs can do for me. They work great for aiding speech comprehension, hearing birds again, etc., but I don’t believe there is ever going to be a way for me to get rich, full-sounding music like I would have with set of audio headphones or even cheap ear buds that occlude the ears more than my hearing aid domes are capable of doing.
I called my brother while using the Smart Connect and had him hold his phone near a speaker that played music with a lot of bass and the results were the same. Only high frequency sounds and zero bass and zero mids. Sounds like when you hold your ear buds about an inch away from your ear without inserting them. Zero bass and zero mids. .
That wasn’t a valid test. Telephone lines don’t pass sound below 300 hz.
Like you, I was trying to gain bass and fullness to calls and music, but I found that the special Bluetooth programs were not the answer. I am using the semi-open (tulip) domes or the double domes, and evidently there are just too many bass frequencies escaping- I could only hear the receiver’s bass tones if I totally occluded my ears with ear muffs or by using my fingers to push against my ear canals to close them off.
Earlier this week I tried a 'streaming ‘audio’ program- I was already trying a Bluetooth phone program. My reason for doing so was that I found the Bluetooth streaming of my TV transmitter and of the phone calls to be tinny sounding, and the way to make special adjustments for that problem involved creating those two special programs.
I was a little concerned to do so, because myself and others had noted some weird behaviors— such as the Bluetooth phone program hanging open after a call and not automatically switching back to the Auto program when the call ended ( I had to manually unlock it by pressing the center button of the Stream Connect once. Another forum member (I believe it was GregHahn) said the weird problems were worse with a streaming audio program-- evidently the programming was set up for the Rexton mini-blue, and did not play well with the Stream Connect. I mentioned this to my HIS, and she called her Rexton contact. The special programs were the only way to modify the parameters of those Bluetooth programs for my personal desires.
So, I did it anyway and on Wednesday I had the HIS add the Streaming Audio program. I immediately found that the odd behaviors increased to the point that the very next day I imposed upon the HIS to squeak me into the schedule just long enough to delete both programs. The Streaming Audio program would activate with every notification sound my phone made-- interrupting the Automatic program momentarily as it switched back and forth between programs. It was very annoying. What was much worse was when I was using the TV transmitter at home. The streaming audio program locked open with every notification sound, and would not release unless I pressed the center button on the Stream Connect twice, which switched from the streaming audio ‘transmitter’ to the TV transmitter, and then I had to press the center button again to re-choose my Automatic program.
Because the sound profiles were different for each of these programs, it was extremely annoying. If I received a text, an email, a weather alert, unlocked my screen, locked the screen, etc. I had to go through the whole button pressing thing again! ( I have an Android LG G3 phone, so you may have a difference in how things work between your phone / HAs/ stream connect).
I would recommend that you don’t go down that path, or at least make sure you can get in to your HIS quickly to delete it if you should have similar problems.
What I found made a bigger difference in sound was the HIS greatly expanding the range of the ‘sound balance’ (bass and treble) settings. Before she adjusted it, I could barely tell any difference as I moved the slider in the phone app from bass to treble. Now I have a large range, and I can adjust the treble to the point of being hissy, or to adjusting the bass high enough that I almost lose any treble. I am finding it beneficial to be able to fine tune this wide range to make speech more clear in some environments, or to make music listening more tolerable.
I also had her increase the loudness range of all my programs. I had an 8 steps range (button clicks), and now I have a 16 step range and the volume will blast me out or be very soft. Again, I find I like having the option available to fine tune for the situation I’m in.
What I have also found, is that I am just going to have to adjust my expectations of what my HAs can do for me. They work great for aiding speech comprehension, hearing birds again, etc., but I don’t believe there is ever going to be a way for me to get rich, full-sounding music like I would have with set of audio headphones or even cheap ear buds that occlude the ears more than my hearing aid domes are capable of doing.
Corey
Thanks Corey for such a long and detailed write up. I have not called my fitter yet. I think I’m gonna ask her to increase my bass treble range and also the volume from 8-16 steps too. I am also going to get the custom ear molds made and I think this should be the best that can be done. I really want the Smart Connect to work for music and also listening to youtube videos. It is useless right now for those simple task. Taking calls is semi okay but still tinny and soft sounding. My adventure continues and I’m gald you mentioned not to add the Bluetooth phone and streaming music programs on my . Does anyone know what vent size is good for the custom ear molds that would allow good bass and also prevent moisture from building up in my ears. Great to learn and share tips from everyone. Thank you very much.
just thought I’d mention that I probably have a wider volume range on mine than is really necessary. This week was my first adjustment, and I had found that I was frequently using my on the loudest setting. My reset my ‘normal’ setting to this louder level, and I asked her to increase the loudest level substantially ( I believe we went up 8 db) so I could experiment with volumes until I see her again in three weeks. I believe she also boosted the levels in the primary speech frequencies. After experimenting for a couple days I can safely say that I don’t need that much maximum volume ( it is almost painful), and at my next adjustment I will likely have her set my ‘normal’ setting down a notch or two, and also lower the maximum level down a notch or two since I’m not using it. I like that these HAs have volume buttons on them so that it is quick and easy to play with the levels.
I probably have a wider range of adjustment than I actually need. I will see what levels I am regularly using before I go in for my next adjustment, then the HIS can re-adjust things slightly. I only went with such large increases / ranges because it’s hard to get appointments quickly at my Costco and I figured I would rather experiment with a larger range than absolutely necessary in the time until my next appointment. I wanted the louder volume levels in particular because I am occasionally exposed to very noisy situations (firefighting) and wanted to experiment with higher volumes in these situations.
You will likely never need the wide ranges I currently have available, but the HA program can definitely accommodate much larger ranges of adjustment than the ‘normal’ settings that Costco will initially send you home with.
I would definitely recommend getting a much larger bass / treble range initially-- I am playing with that regularly as I listen to music in the car, clarify speech in various situations, etc.
I called my Costco tech and scheduled my next appointment for next Friday as she in on vacation now. The hearing aids works well without the bluetooth with the open domes for normal use. I think once I get those custom molds made with increasing of bass - treble range and a bump in volume, I should be fine. She probably have to readjust all my settings again as the ear is better sealed with the custom molds. I can’t wait to listen to music streaming from my iphone using my Smart Connect.
Hi there - I’m now in my 3rd week of trial with the Trax 42, and just found this thread. I’ve been considering adding a Smart Connect device. I have moderate to severe loss above 2K, and use vented domes to allow in the lower frequencies normally. I’m perfectly happy with the vented domes, but was thinking that while they’re appropriate for my situation, it may cause the “tinny sound” problem with the Smart Connect. I was hoping that Maukaman might be able to share what the final results were with custom molds. Thanks for your consideration.
Hi there - I’m now in my 3rd week of trial with the Trax 42, and just found this thread. I’ve been considering adding a Smart Connect device. I have moderate to severe loss above 2K, and use vented domes to allow in the lower frequencies normally. I’m perfectly happy with the vented domes, but was thinking that while they’re appropriate for my situation, it may cause the “tinny sound” problem with the Smart Connect. I was hoping that Maukaman might be able to share what the final results were with custom molds. Thanks for your consideration.
Carbon: I have the Trax42 and Smart Connect with custom molds. I started with the semi-open (tulip domes) before getting my molds. The bass response on music with the smart connect was good with the more closed system, but the occlusion was horrible for me. My molds are very open, much more so than the tulips domes. I note that the bass is thinner, but still okay, particularly in a quiet room. In a noisier space, obviously, the ambient noise can get in the way with a more open fit.
Of course, the nice thing about most music players these days is that they have Equalizers. So a tweak here and a tweak there and you’ll have all the bass you need.
Hi Evil - thanks for your helpful comments! I’m still on the fence about getting the Smart Connect. Conventional wisdom gathered from reading lots of threads seems to be that , even as good as the Trax 42 are, can’t compete with the musical quality of decent headphones. I’m sure the occlusion from closed earpieces would bother me too. I’d been thinking my primary use for the SC would be to transmit computer audio (like webinars), or when using a “softphone”. I’m leaning away from that idea though, and will probably just opt for some light-weight over-the-ear headphones.
Still rocking, but that’s probably why I’m here (hear?).
Hi Evil - thanks for your helpful comments! I’m still on the fence about getting the Smart Connect. Conventional wisdom gathered from reading lots of threads seems to be that HAs, even as good as the Trax 42 are, can’t compete with the musical quality of decent headphones. I’m sure the occlusion from closed earpieces would bother me too. I’d been thinking my primary use for the SC would be to transmit computer audio (like webinars), or when using a “softphone”. I’m leaning away from that idea though, and will probably just opt for some light-weight over-the-ear headphones.
I noticed in my current trial that over-the-ear headphones work just fine with my , even the cheapo phones I have attached to my computer. Music in general through my HAs has me enjoying a much broader sound spectrum, especially more transparent highs.
WA/Olympic Peninsula