Skip to content
HearingTracker
Log in

Alternative to Phonak TV Connector at Costco

This topic is closed.

20 replies7.4k viewsLast reply

Jump
Link to this topic
Edited

I have just ordered my new KS10’s from Costco. Unfortunately the TV transmitter is not available so I have been looking for an alternative. I can see some about $30 and upwards on Ebay and on Amazon Australia I have been looking at https://www.amazon.com.au/Avantree-Audikast-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Headphones/dp/B07TLHRPDP/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=Avantree+Audikast+Plus+Bluetooth+5.0+Transmitter+for+TV&qid=1639692995&sr=8-5176

I read somewhere that the tv transmitters are not actually Bluetooth but something AIRSTREAM.
My question is does anybody know what works as an alternative to the real thing and will keep me going until they arrive (Up to a year)

10 people in this conversation8 min readJump to latest

I seem to have some kind of compulsion for answering the same question every couple of weeks.

That transmitter will work but with audio and video out of sync by 200-300 ms. For some that makes it unusable, some don’t even notice it. If you have a Google TV with Chromecast (possibly other products do something similar), you could connect your aids via Bluetooth to the device and the device will do some adjustments to the streams to minimise lip-sync issues. That will turn off the tv speakers, so it’s a solution for one viewer only.

Another possibility is to to use that transmitter with headphones that support the AptX LL codec. If the headphones are roomy enough, you can wear the aids inside the headphones.You risk feedback from the aids or artifacts from the feedback suppression. I’ve done it that way but with warbling from my aids. Your KS10s are newer tech than mine, so feedback suppression should be better.

Hth.

Edited

Thanks d-Wooluf

I have read as much as I can read in these forums and can’t find something that actually works really well. The link I included tells me it will deliver the ultimate “no lip sync delay” I was hoping that somebody could confirm this or otherwise.

My TCL tv has a function for changing the delay per HDMI channel and I am sort of hoping it will adjust it enough to make it acceptable.

I use Philips’ headset at the moment and I am wondering if I can pair the KS10’s instead and ditch the headphones???

(I have Apple TV and Amazon Fire Stick and Foxtel)

No worries @philwright. I wasn’t having a go, having a little laugh at myself. Those transmitters work well, but the receiving device needs to support AptX LL, otherwise the Bluetooth connection defaults back to the (high latency) SBC codec.

Great if your tv can control latency, but that might solve the problem for you and create an equal and opposite problem for whoever’s in the room watching tv with you. The transmitter you linked to can transmit to two devices simultaneously. You could listen with the aids and someone else could listen on the headphones. Or you could transmit to a Bluetooth speaker. Either way should also work (roughly equal latency).

Go ahead and try connecting the KS10s first. You may not even see a problem.

From the ad in Amazon:
" [AptX Low Latency Compatible] The Avantree Audikast Plus is aptX Low Latency certified. When (and ONLY WHEN) used with a Bluetooth headphone/speaker that also supports aptX Low Latency or FastStream, it will deliver the ultimate “no lip sync delay” experience, ensuring perfectly synced visual and audio no matter what you watch."

It looks like it could do the trick but I would love to hear from somebody who has actually used one…

You got this bit?

@philwright said:

When (and ONLY WHEN) used with a Bluetooth headphone/speaker that also supports aptX Low Latency or FastStream

I found a review on Amazon for a very similar model.

Works very well as a streamer in transmitter mode using either optical or auxiliary input from tv.
Have just got it working with my new Phonak hearing aids and it’s one third of the price of theirs.
However I have yet to get the volume control to work and even in low latency mode there is a minuscule but noticeable lag.
It’s very good but not perfect.

Avantree Oasis Plus Certified aptX HD Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter Receiver for...230

Avantree Oasis Plus Certified aptX HD Bluetooth 5.0 Transmitter Receiver for TV, Soundbar PassThrough, Class 1 Long Range, Voice Guide, Touch Screen, aptX Low Latency Audio Adapter for 2 Headphones : Amazon.com.au: Electronics

Good luck.

Thanks - Very interesting. They don’t actually mention AirStream but I think that is only a word that is used so they can increase the price.

Because of Xmas, my KS10’s don’t get fitted until 19th Jan. so I guess I have time to research.

In reply to @philwright

@philwright said:

Thanks - Very interesting. They don’t actually mention AirStream but I think that is only a word that is used so they can increase the price.

You might try to look up the Phonak TV Connector at the site that has the FCC testing results. I don’t use Phonak aids but rather Oticon - the FCC testing shows two different transmitted signals from the Oticon TV Adapter 3. One is a Bluetooth signal and the other is a higher power (21 vs 4 mWatt) non-Bluetooth mode operating in nearly (but not exactly) the same frequency range and uses frequency hopping spread spectrum (as does Bluetooth). Oticon specifies the latency for their device measured from the input to the Adapter to the output from the hearing aid speaker (receiver). It depends on the input type: 25 ms for analog line level, 28 ms for digital optical (PCM) or 45 ms for digital optical (Dolby digital). As far as I can find, Oticon aids do not support aptX Low Latency and I haven’t read anything that claims Phonak do either. So if you want better control of latency and, in the case of Oticon, a longer range connection with fewer dropouts, you use the Oticon device rather than a 3rd party device that doesn’t implement the special, non-Bluetooth, mode. Oticon also specifies the audio bandwidth - it cuts off at 10 KHz which is fine as most hearing aid receivers don’t output much above that. Similar to the Phonak adapter, the one from Oticon is much more expensive than a standard Bluetooth transmitter with aptX LL.

I expect (but do not know for sure) that Phonak’s AirStream is a transmitted signal similar to that from the Oticon adapter that operates in the same unlicensed band as Bluetooth (and WiFi) but is not a true Bluetooth signal but rather one that controls latency better than standard Bluetooth and works with what Phonak has implemented in the hearing aids.

In reply to @philwright

I use the Avantree Oasis Plus and the Avantree Priva III (older model, no longer sold) with my hearing aids (Phonak P90s). The hearing aids pair well–once initially paired, I just have to flip on the transmitter and they connect. But yes, there is a little bit of audio delay compared to headphones that support AptX-LL.

I used to have hearing aids and wore Avantree Aptx-LL headphones and there’s definitely a difference versus streaming through my hearing aids. I didn’t really notice any lag with the headphones, but if I pay attention, I definitely notice the lag with my hearing aids. But, it’s not unusable for me. That being said, I’m seeing if I can get my hearing aid molds re-made with smaller vents (for less feedback) so that I can use the headphones. When I pair my hearing aids, it means my wife’s headphones get knocked down to SBC codec (it only transmits as fast as the “slowest” device), so we both get a little bit of lag. She doesn’t really care or notice, but I’d like to have the option of headphones if I want.

It sounds promising if your TV will allow you to adjust audio delay–that could get things synced up closely enough.

I bought a “refurbished” Phonak TV Connector V2 (this version has volume controls on the device) on eBay, and it works fine with our ancient Samsung TV using the optical-fiber connection. The Bluetooth transmitter I tried delivered sound that was seriously out of sync with the picture.

I just got fitted with KS10’s today. I had already acquired a non-Phonak bluetooth transmitter. Optical out and using an aptx receiver with headphones it was pretty good with minimal to no lag for lip sync. But the KS10’s are clearly not aptx as there is obvious lag.
Thanks for the open licensed use of Bluetooth and not drinking the Apple Koolaid but without aptx…that sucks.
Guess I gotta get a TV Connector. Or use headphones.

I have now had my KS10s for two weeks and I am using the Avantree Plus. I paid my second visit to Costco this morning and everything is okay.

My only problem is that even when I switch back to Auto mode on my they still tend to pick up the TV as I walk around the house. The only way to stop this is to switch the TV transmitter off when I have finished with it. This was confirmed at my Costco session this morning and they also verified that it also happens with the TV transmitter that is Provided by Costco(when available).
Lip sync is not perfect but usable. I believe it would be the same on the Costco provided transmitter. I have headphones which are perfect but the lip sync problem is not worth using the headphones.

I can tell you that lip sync is not a problem with the TV Connector v2 connected to my Samsung tv. If I use bluetooth headphones I will have a sync issue of about 150ms-200ms. With the P90s and the TV Connector there is zero lag.

I have the same experience. I have one of ea (V2 and V1a) and they are bulletproof.

WH

Related discussions