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Oticon Alta2 Pro to Opn S1 – What to Expect?

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My 5-year old pair of Alta2 Pro Ti aids have failed and Oticon says they will not repair them because of their age. My audiologist is offering a significant discount on in-stock Opn S1 aids. I have an appointment in two weeks to buy a pair of these and get them fitted. I like some of the connectivity features of my current aids so well that I’m nervous the new aids don’t seem to support some of these features. I’m hoping someone can tell me what to expect with regards to the following points. My principle concern is connectivity, not the actual sound performance of the aids. I’m confident that will be OK. I use ear molds. I have mild to moderate, age (77) and noise related, high frequency hearing loss with tinnitus but my audiologist has never suggested programming the tinnitus feature in my current aids.

The in-stock aids that I plan on buying do not have rechargeable batteries. That is good because I did not want rechargeables.

  1. I currently connect to my iPhone and iPad via Bluetooth using an Oticon Streamer 1.3. I understand that the Opn S1 aids accept streams directly from Apple devices, so I am not expecting any issues here. Is that correct? I do wonder about battery life since the new aids will have to handle the Bluetooth power requirements that are now handled by my Streamer battery. Will battery life be much shorter with the OPN aids?

  2. I currently use the audio-in jack on the Streamer to connect my aids to the Fidelio system at our local movie theater. I also use that jack to connect to a small radio that I use at venues like race tracks and drive-in concerts, that broadcast a local FM signal to supplement their PA system. With Opn aids, how can I connect these kind of devices that only provide audio output via an analogue cord? I had planned to get aids with a and then buy a neck loop. I think that would have solved the problem, but the in-sock aids the audiologist is discounting are not T-Coil compatible. How can I connect to these corded devices to my new aids?

  3. A new TV box comes with the audiologist’s discount offer. I’m told this will easily replace my current TV box and will work the same but without the need for a streamer between the TV box and my aids. Is this correct?

  4. I do not understand if I need to purchase a ConnectClip. I don’t think a ConectClip is required to place and receive calls using an iPhone. Is that correct? I bought a clip with my Alta2 Pro aids but never found it of any use. But I’m always using my Streamer volume buttons to adjust the level of my current aids and to mute the aids’ microphones completely. It is extremely important to me that I be able to mute the microphones on my hearing aids while I am streaming audio from my iPhone, iPad or TV box. I’ve read in the ConnectClip online manual that a long press of the ConnectClip down volume button will mute the microphones. Does this mean that I have to buy a ConnectClip in order to get this functionality? Is there any other way to mute the microphones and adjust the volume? Can I mute the microphones using an iPhone App? I also wish Oticon had built the ConnectClip with an analogue audio-in jack like the Streamer has. It seems like it would have been such a simple thing to do.

  5. Is there any reason to consider having my audiologist program the tinnitus features? I understand it just plays masking sounds in the background and I’m not inclined to think that I’d like that. Just wondered what other tinnitus sufferers have done in this regard.

  6. Is there anything else I need to know or ask my audiologist about as I transition from Alta2 Pro to Opn S1?

Thanks.

I have OPN S 1 mini- aids with the 85 receivers and use domes with two small vents. That combo works well for me. I also have a ConnectClip and a TV Adapter 3. I can help answer a couple of your questions but I can’t with others.

  1. the OPN S versions stream directly from devices like your iPhone and iPad. They do not accept Bluetooth streaming directly from Apple (or other) computers or other bluetooth devices like a Cisco VOIP telephone like I have at my office. For that you need a ConnectClip (or EduMic). That device connects to the computer Bluetooth and the OPN MFi and relays streaming from the computer. Your battery life will probably be shorter with streaming - my 312 batteries normally last about 5 days. Battery life is also dependent on the power of the receivers to some extent.

  2. The ConnectClip does not have an audio input jack (at least the version I have does not). The EduMic does according to Oticon docs. I expect the EduMic is much more expensive but I don’t know that. You might be able to use a Bluetooth transmitter to plug into the line output of your radio. I have no idea about the Fidelio system as I’m not familiar with it.

  3. I would suggest getting the TV Adapter 3.0 if you get OPN S aids. It works well for me and others in the forum also use one. Some members have two… The Oticon Adapter streams directly to the aids. You can use the Oticon ON app to mute the OPN microphones when using the TV adapter to reduce room noise ( fans or whatever). The ConnectClip also has remote control features but I haven’t used that much.

  4. You do not need a ConnectClip for phone calls using an iPhone. You can use the Oticon ON app on your phone to mute the mics in the program(s) installed in the OPN S aids with out the ConnectClip - you can also control the volume. The version of the ConnectClip with an analog input is apparently the EduMic. It has a and a FM/DAI connection according to the docs but I have only read about it. You can find information and download pdf files from Oticon (maybe the professional side).

I hope someone else can provide more info, especially for questions 2 and 4 - 6. Good luck with your new adventure.

Edited

x1. I get about 4-5 days for my original OPN 1 (not the S) if I stream a few hours a day.

x2. The TV Adapter 3.0 has an audio in that you can plug audio in from your Fidelio system. It’s not that big so you can make it portable if you want, although you’d have to buy an external 5V battery of some sort to power it up for portability.

x4. Your don’t need a ConnectClip to stream with your iPhone or iPad. But if you want to stream from your laptop if it has Bluetooth then you’d need the ConnectClip for that (or an Android phone). Muting is easy, the best way for me is to just hold either of my OPN buttons for 3 seconds and it would mute. Make sure you get your audi to program this in. You can also just triple tap on your HOME button on the iPhone to open the Hearing Devices control window then slide the Mic volume all the way to the left if you want. And you can also use the Oticon ON app on your iPhone to mute.

x6. You don’t show your so I have no idea what your hearing loss is like. But the OPN S has a feature called Speech Rescue that may be helpful for you if you have a steep and heavy ski slope loss. It’s not a brand new feature so maybe your Alta2 Pro Ti already has it too?

Thanks for posting this. I too have been reluctant to give up my Oticon Streamer. While it isn’t exactly pretty it does work. I’ve read the ConnectClip can be problematic because of the weight, particularly for females when you try to clip it to a light weight blouse. I do think it might be nice to wear necklaces again, which is pretty much an impossibility with the Streamer. That said, I was thinking of switching to Phonak for my next pair so I could use a Roger Pen, which would seem to work better for me in work meetings and/or in social settings where there is a lot of background noise. I’m also a bit skeptical of rechargeables, but that seems to be the thing now.

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