If you are talking about what happens with the hearing aid mics while you are streaming, it is adjustable to your preference. The mics can stay on 100%, or any reduction you want. Your pro can set that up. You probably don’t really want 100% though. I don’t think anything can be done about the Bluetooth startup tone on the Phone Clip+.
The idea about just going with call audio until you are ready to stream is a good one but I think most of us have long since stopped all notifications.
I know what he’s talking about. The aids have to switch to the bluetooth program, “beep-beep-beep-beep,” then play your notification, “ding,” then switch back to the original program, “beep-beep.”
When you’re conversing face to face with someone, and you get 5 notifications in a row, this can be horrendous.
The few seconds of total sound interruption when this happens is what is most annoying. Whether normal HA use, on a call, streaming music or podcast to HA…
Are you saying that notifications cause the cascade of pings in the aids even when you’re already streaming audio? I didn’t expect that.
Phone call should have priority. If the phone call is cutting out in favor of some other sound, that might be a defect. If you are streaming from tv or phone and you get a call, it mutes the stream and you hear the call. When the call ends the streaming resumes. Or that’s the way it should work. Also, you should not hear any notifications while on a call. I will verify that on mine.
Bluetooth Compliance - Bluetooth specification 2.1
I installed the Smart Fit software, loaded my , and poked around in the settings. There might be something that can be tuned in the fitting software it appears. I found a setting to turn down the beep volume of all notifications that I will have him try at my first adjustment appointment in another week. No way to test however, I know the Costco software is different, the explained a few things about it:
no Internet connection, all fitting and HA software installed via disk
When you’re streaming a phone call or audio, and a notification comes up, I guess it’s sent separately over Bluetooth, rather than in the current stream. But I don’t understand why this has to trigger the hearing aid program changes and accompanying beeps and delays. The Phone Clip+ could just send it to the aids, perhaps preceded by a short attention tone signaling a notification.
Meanwhile, the ReSound aids are able to switch to and from the streaming program without any program change beeps; that’s how they work when connected to iPhone. The question is why ReSound chose not to do it that way with the Phone Clip+.
The phone clip+ doesn’t send any other tones once it has connected (an active connection). It just sends sounds from the source.
It does have a pretty short attention span, so if you were doing something that generated a beep every 10 seconds it would chime when it connects, by then the beep is over, it doesn’t hear anything else, and ends the active connection. This takes 2-4 seconds. Then, the next tone from the source is produced, and the phone clip+ goes through the process again. This is what is so annoying.
If you are on a call you don’t keep getting the active connection start chime for every other sound produced. You just get the sound from the source. If it is producing the active connection start chime while already connected, that is not it’s normal behavior. That would be a defect in the phone clip or the phone.
I found a setting to turn down the beep volume of all HA notifications
I found the beep notifications on my Forte 8s to be way too loud, and had the audiologist use this setting to turn them down. Better, but they’re still too loud. Will go back for further adjustment.
Bryan9, thanks for confirming my experience. I’ve been poking around in the Smart Fit program and found that setting. I have some others to discuss with my as well. I have a few other niggles, besides the notification interruptions above. Some apps seem to connect to and hence the Phone Clip+ does ii’s beep sequences when I do certain things, the Google keyboard is one, when it pops up it triggers the PC+ beep sequence then exists in seconds. I have a banking app, a food tracking app that do the same. I cannot seem to find any setting that will solve this.
The other issue I’m finding is with streaming music, I get digital artifacts, like warble, pretty often. I’ve messed with equalizers in Play Music and in the PC+, no change. In searching, I found that when the PC+ comes up, it uses whatever program you had set, so switching from All Around to Music program solves the worst of this, but it is still there. Playing music, then stopping to hear, i.e. going inside for coffee refill, then starting music again is too fiddly, and I end up in Music program too often, with no noise filtering and feedback suppression, so the sounds can get overwhelming.
I think I am being pushed to get an iPhone. Since I use a smartwatch too, then I need one from Apple as well as the phone. Erk! Though it might solve some of my issues, maybe I will get one later this week,
I also had a demanding experience outdoors yesterday, but not enough time right now to explain it. Just found out what the were like in gale force winds, 34–47 knots (39–54 miles/hour)! More later.
None too gently! I’ve got my Forte 8s hooked up to my iPhone 6, and haven’t experienced the artifacts or beep sequences you described. I think the existing hearing aid-Android links are a collection of hacks, necessary in the absence of an open protocol and liable to performance quirks. That’s going to change soon, of course, but I suspect you’ll be a lot happier connecting your Forte8s to an iPhone.
I have a two week adjustment this coming Friday, and I’ll likely pick up an iPhone 8+ to try and see, I’m tall, big hands, not the best eyesight, so big phone with big screens are my choice. I had an iPod years ago and just did not like the Apple design, but I want function, and the Android phone with the Phone Clip+ dongle is driving me stark raving crazy. I had no idea it would be this much of a P.I.T.A.
Yesterday was a trail runners conference leading up to a 50k trail race today. I volunteer with a group that designs, builds, and maintains dirt trails in various parks owned by City, County, State and Federal governments. We setup a booth at the expo they had during the day. This was held at a County Park that has a golf course, so it was set up on a fairway near the clubhouse. This is a very open area, few trees, none near us, with gale force winds howling around as we talk to people about what we do.
Very high wind noise on the mics of the Forte 8s, even using the Outdoor program with extra wind noise reduction. I was still able to talk to people and hear them ok, of course we all paused conversation with the strong gusts, holding hats, paperwork, bags against the wind. I was surprised and pleased how well the worked in this tough situation. The display tents and banners were flapping like crazy, the display tents that are just a frame with a canopy were squeaking constantly with the wind. I was able to talk with people, no problems understanding.
The digital warble artifacts that I have become more aware of now, not just streaming from the phone, but also from the TV that has some decent speakers with a subwoofer, not cheap tinny sound. And even from sounds of dishes, silverware, pots and pans, just on the fringe of the sound, but more noticeable day by day. Overall I am very happy with how they work outside that, but that is why there is an adjustment appointment scheduled for two weeks after I got the HAs.
There is an outdoor concert tomorrow at the downtown mission plaza tomorrow, my first live music event! I’ll see how this handles music and a crowd.
Thanks for the great info. Days that I don’t go to the gym, I usually go on long 4 or 5 mile walks while listening to podcasts. Sometimes it’s quite windy so I am quite curious to learn about how any brand handles 25 to 35 mph wind gusts. The clarity of streaming will also be important to me, too, because besides any wind noise, all sorts of other background noises, e.g., planes, copters in the air, dogs barking, shoes padding on street, jacket rustling as arms swing back and forth, keys jingling on belt loop, all make it harder for me without HA correction yet to understand what’s being said in a podcast. So I’m hoping the right HA (with the right type of phone ) will have great warble-free streaming and help cancel out some of the background noise as well. As it is, I’m cranking up the volume of what I’m listening to a bit too much (get the Android sound level/hearing loss warning and back off a volume level or so). So hopefully, the right HA’s will actually help spare whatever hearing I’m risking with my current podcast listening/strolling habits. (BTW, I find wearing AKG earbuds gives clearer speech sounds than Sony or Bose headphones, wind and all - although earbuds are supposed to let in more background noise than headphones?! - By running the Android Hearing Test app, the AKG’s seem to have more output in the higher range frequencies where my uncorrected hearing acuity is lacking than the Bose and Sony headphones do so maybe that explains my curious improved clarity result with earbuds vs headphones)
Besides the wind and walking noises, the other major type of noise I want to find out how to deal with is power tools. I have a few tools for which I now wear both ear plugs PLUS gun muffs over my ears and I’ll go out in 90 to 100 deg F weather. So I’m interested in what one does with HA’s in extremely noisy environments and how the HA’s will take being enclosed in a 100% humidity environment with ear muffs over them. If there is a great thread here on noise protection while wearing HA’s, maybe somebody could point me in the right direction. TIA! And if you are a power tool user, TJ, I’d love to hear how you deal with your ReSound Forte’s and wearing ear protection.
P.S. It occurs to me, too, perhaps in certain power tool situations with the ear occlusion required, there is no point in wearing HA’s and just taking them out for the duration of tool use might be the best solution.
UPDATE I found these two “oldie but goodie” threads for starters on HA’s and power tool noise. Will have to check out some more threads.
I guess this will sound somewhat oxymoronic but I use power tools and equipment a lot–really noisy stuff. Most weekends I have a pair of ear protectors around my neck from dawn to dusk–they are in and out of my ears constantly. Since my recruitment really makes any loud sounds uncomfortable I use my plugs more than a “normal” person would. Around our little hobby farm I’m constantly using mowers, my tractor, and woodworking machinery.
This week I will get my first set of HAs (Futures from Costc…
Jim, I am no longer a power tool user, though I may use them again with the volunteer group. In the spring we do brushing with power hedgers, and some work with a chainsaw, often use a powered wheelbarrow (known as a Georgia buggy too). It has been four years since I have done any of that, and it was always with ear muffs, usually the ones attached to a hard hat that Husqvarna makes. My health issues the last four years have kept me off the trails, but I hope that changes.
I also walk distance often, I average 5 miles a day easily. I no longer have a vehicle, and walk to coffee, shopping, errands, etc., then ride the bus home when necessary. It is often breezy here in the afternoons at least, and sometimes quite windy, like the event I mentioned. So far the have been very good, I occasionally am aware of the wind hitting the mics, but nothing annoying and it is brief, less than a second. During Saturdays strong winds,I would hear the aids momentarily mute when I turned my back to the strong wind.
Prior to the HAs, I always used ear buds of some kind, Jaybirds, then I got the Nuheara IQBuds Boost model that uses the older NAL/NL2 fitting formula. They have an app that does the tone beeps to tune the earbuds for ones hearing. They also process normal sound or you can stream music and mute the mics, or mix music and world sound. They have some noise reduction and directionality features via the app as well. If my hearing loss was mild to moderate, they would work fine for me at $500 USD.
Now I’m trying to work out a system to stream music or podcasts from my phone when walking. The lack of bass is the biggest obstacle, and attempts to boost it give me digital sound warbling. I’m considering full headphones that are noise cancelling as well, hoping I can wear them over the aids, and remove when I need to hear better or converse, shop, order more coffee. I need to work our some of the niggles that I have as an Android user first, then on to better music.
ReSound just updated their Android app today, got me excited with the mentioned improvements:
WHAT’S NEW
• Support for rechargeable hearing aids
• Instant notifications and audio from any app without interruption and without program changes in the hearing aid
• Improved Individual volume control of surroundings, audio streaming and Tinnitus Manager
• Improved interface for Tinnitus Manager
• Minor bug fixes and improvements
Updated
September 3, 2018
Alas, that second bullet “without interruption” is not true, I still get the 2-4 second interruptions and numerous tones and beeps. Ah well, it looks like an iPhone is in my future. I am on Google Project Fi with an eSIM in my Pixel 2 XL, so I need to change service first before I try an iPhone, since Project Fi will not work with Apple phones. Still trying to sort out all the options.
I have an appointment this Friday for my first adjustment, I have that question on my long list of bullet points to discuss. This guy is so good, I trust he checked them before delivery, but will verify. I was able to check the Phone Clip+ for updates with the Smart Fit software, but no way to do it with aids, even if I had the hardware, since the Forte 8 for Costco is locked.
It seems that this is just the Android bluetooth situation to need the Phone Clip+ dongle that does phone to PC+ then the 2.4Ghz link PC+ to aids. The Apple MFI feature can make me overlook a lot of what I do not like about Apple. Also I have investigated that the majority of apps I use have iPhone versions, even the Google apps, so I will Googleize my iPhone if it comes to that.
Alas, thar second bullet “without interruption” is not true, I still get the 2-4 second interruptions and numerous tones and beeps.
This feature is only available with ReSound LiNX Quattro. There’s no longer any audio delay when streaming begins because the hearing aid does not change to a special streaming program. So you won’t miss the first words of a phone call or the first directions from a navigation app.
Thank you, suspected that might be it. It was not clear from the update or the entire listing in the Google Play Store. I just have to be patient and see if and where I can get those from a clinic I can work with, or hope against hope, Costco.
