Roger ON V2 - in trial now

I thought it would be a good idea to start a whole new thread on the Phonak Roger ON V220. I’ve been having a lot of issues for a few months using my Phonak TV Connector when streaming TV, and am looking for a possible replacement for this device to stream TV, DVDs and shows off the internet.

Today, I met with my audi and a Phonak rep who demo’d the Roger ON V2. Even better, I was given this “loaner” to use for the next 3 weeks as I’m at home, then leaving for a 2-week trip in a few days. This way, I’ll be able to set the Roger up at home, try it out, learn about it, AND take it on the road.

I’ve just had this device for about an hour, and already I have answered some of my own questions about it’s set-up and use!

Set-up

• This required that my aids get a software receiver install. That means that if I have two pairs of aids EACH pair will need that software receiver installed to give it a proper “license”. I didn’t see the Phonak rep use any external device, so I’m not sure how she did that, but it seems she just held them close to the Roger stick.
• Can more than ONE pair of aids use the same Roger ON? This is something the Phonak rep will need to find out. I use two pairs of Phonak Lumity Life rechargeable aids on alternate days (even/odd) because I need a pair of backups that are identical to my daily aids. So I’m hoping that 2 pairs of aids can be paired + connected to the Roger ON. That’s how it works with my Android phone. The minute I put in one or the other pair of aids, the phone knows which pair it is, and I can instantly stream phone calls without any BT hassle at all.
• Next, she paired + connected them to the Roger ON. This was exactly as I’d done with the TV Connector: Power both the Roger and the aids OFF. Then turn the Roger ON and then turn my aids ON. Hit the BT button on the back of the Roger device so it “finds” my aids. Voila, that didn’t take long at all.

NOTE: There is NO need to have MyPhonak app on my phone in order to use the Roger ON.

Settings
The small, handheld device is pretty intuitive to use: just 3 settings:

1. Pointer - Just aim the device at someone or an audio source.
2. Tabletop - just lay it flat on a surface to pick up sounds from 360-degrees. If tabletop noises (silverware, glasses, ambient table noise) are too loud, you can raise it up off the table - maybe balance it on the salt shaker?! It can be placed right near a TV soundbar or speakers to pick up that audio, too.
3. Presenter - can be used with a lanyard/necklace for speaker to wear the Roger (or speaker could hold it like a small mic)

Can this replace the Phonak TV Connector?
That was the BIG question I wanted answered cuz I’ve been having a few months of very odd TV streaming issues at home. I’m not sure this will replace the TV Connector cuz it’s base also has to be plugged into the TV audio output and a power socket.

The base replicates the same features as the TV Connector box: power on/off, volume up/down, and BT button for initial pair/connect. I’d have the same issues with plugging this into the back of the TV at home cuz ALL of them are AppleTV mounted flat on the wall (or embedded into a tight space) with no way to get at the back of the TV. Right now, my TV Connector is plugged in to a Marantz hifi receiver in a closet in the TV room. So I will try to swap in the Roger ON and see if it is any more stable for streaming audio.

On the road, it would be the same issue: I’d have to plug the Roger base to the back of the TV and to a wall socket for it to stream the audio. If I just took the Roger device out of its base and pointed it at the TV, it no longer streams clean audio - too much ambient noise comes in. It would work better if I can lay the device right next to the TV speaker in “Tabletop” mode. I’ll need to try that out to see if its feasible. For home or travel, the days of putting a TV on a stand or table top are GONE. Now folks mount the TV right on the wall. Try plugging cable into the back of that, then dangling the base (or even TV Connector box) straight down like a pendulum on a grandfather clock. In that respect, Phonak is BEHIND the times. Laptops and phones stream audio to our aids with no cables, boxes, bases, or clutter. Maybe some day all “smart” TVs will be like our laptop or cell phone?

Streaming Audio
Does this device stream in mono or stereo? Turns out the V2 streams in STEREO, but the sound quality isn’t quite as good as the TV Connector. It picks up more ambient sound, so it’s a balancing act between volume on my aids and TV volume, as both hubs and I watch TV together. I can turn up/down the volume on the Roger or my aids or both to get the right balance.

It has a longer range than the TV Connector - but not by much. So I can be at the kitchen sink cleaning up a meal and continue streaming the TV in the room right next to it.

I’ll need to really put this device through all the scenarios I’d need for my retired life. If I was working, I’d need to test it out in meetings, Zoom sessions, maybe have it on my desk already ON. I was told it gets about 12 hours of use before needing to be charged up.

The booklet that comes with this loaner is useless! It has minimal text in like 4 languages, but uses cartoon drawings to illustrate the device, buttons, cables and base. I’d learn more watching a few videos at Youtube.

Tonight I plan to try this device out watching TV, then DVD. Mainly, I want to see if I have the same issues where my aids (primarily the RIGHT one) simply won’t stream between 7:30-8:15pm or so. It’s as if I’ve got some kind of interference issue going on - maybe a neighbor uses a directional antenna or some kind of device that interferes with the streaming audio from device to Phonak Lumity Life aids.

@Baltazard said:

As a temporary solution for streaming audio from TV to your HA, that’s one option, but as someone on this forum has rightfully said, you will shorten the lifespan of the Roger ON as it will be using its battery more often even while charging

But if I watch 2-3 hrs a day of TV, wouldn’t it be okay to have the Roger ON streaming TV as it sits in its charging cradle that’s plugged into the Marantz hifi here (substituting for plugging it into the back of a TV, which I can’t access)?

YES, it is true that each and every aid I want to work with the Roger has to have that license installed on the actual aid. I was also told that no more than ONE PAIR (or two aids) can have that license at a time with the Roger stick. That seems dumb. I can have both pairs of my Lumity Life aids paired to my Android cell phone. Granted, only the pair of aids I’ve got on will connect for streaming calls. But it’s instantaneous - the minute I have a pair of aids on, I can stream calls with no fiddle-faddle.

@cleveto said:

You obviously have spent a ton of money with Phonak!

Yes, and I also have a pair of their older Marvel aids and TWO of the TV Connectors, which I bought in 2019. So I oughta be bloggin’ for them … except it’s not my style to be a shill.

We’ll see if the Phonak rep can twist arms to get me the 2 extra receiver licenses I need for my add’l pair of Life aids. If not, it’ll just be one more incident of “Phonak doesn’t walk in our shoes - or listen through our ears” for that matter. Thing is, if you have cinderblock ears like mine, and if Phonak won’t sell the Lumity Life in BATTERY version, I’m going to need two full sets to feel safe. Yes. I could use my years-old Marvel aids with battery in a pinch, but why should I pay all this money and have two sets of aids that are not fully, completely, seamlessly interchangeable?

That’s my goal: get these two pairs of Lumity Life aids (used every other day - I don’t just store one in a drawer) fully interchangeable with the TV Connector, my cell phone and the Roger device.
That would be WONDERFUL.

@Psych1 said:

The ON is by far the most versatile but not the best in a noisy restaurant, Table Mic2 is best for me in that situation.

I by far agree.

I now have 2 x Table Mic II and I’m planning to sell all my others as I have the Partner Mic for when I’m travelling which is never with more than one person. Partner Mic does better I feel when out in the open and body blocking the signal. Cut out happens far less than all my other Rogers around the neck / chest area.

Table Mics have been life changing for me. I want to get a third Table Mic when one comes up on eBay cheap enough.