Jabra Enhance Pro 20 Micro RIE vs. RIE 13

If you frequent large public places (events, performing arts, places of worship, etc.) then the only way to connect wirelessly is via a telecoil (using a hearing loop, FM, or infrared system). You’ll get a clearer sound than with a hearing aid alone. All are required by ADA to be installed where microphones are in use (except religious spaces). There are thousands already installed. BT LE audio can’t currently work in these spaces.

Thanks for promoting the Multi Mic here! I’ve used mine in a variety of situations over the years. Yesterday I endured a long-winded presentation to a hearing group about the Roger On external mic, and I was very distressed and frustrated. First of all, they are hugely expensive (about 6x the cost of the Multi Mic!) and full of expensive add-ons. Anyone with a Jabra or a ReSound should look into owning a Multi Mic–they are SO handy and effective.

The 13 version is likely to be thicker than the rechargeable version. I wear glasses, and the extra thickness of my Pro 10s doesn’t bother me, but it’s bound to bother some people. My reco is to see if Costco has some demo 13s and see if you find them objectionable with a brief in-store demo.

The Pro 10s have rocker switches for both the 13 and rechargeable versions.

I live in New York city and I found a city web site that listed every place that has Telecoil available, the list even included churches. There are less than 70 places in the entire city. I understand some people use it for their phones but other than that I would say its not a feature worth considering.

If one attends performances at concert halls, and programs/lectures at public libraries, and many other lecture-type events, I say that telecoils are DEFINITELY worth having. Many/most of these places have hearing loops installed! Sometimes you have to ask staff to know for sure. They are even on the subway system! Plus thousands of taxis are looped! Look for the sign with the “white ear on blue”.

Give it up, MyStuart. When I asked about Telecolis, my Costco HCP told me they are pretty non-existent in my city (Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada) and most other places as well. And now, given the introduction of the new LE Buetooth, Telecoil is definitiely “obsolete technology”.

Jim G

Not in the UK. By law public facing institutions are mandated to provide Telecoil. This has taken a long term to implement. Auracast may eventually replace Telecoil but the wheels of legislation turn slowly. Personally I would foresee a 10 to 20 year horizon before Auracast becomes entrenched, even though the UK is quite progressive about technology.

My concern about Auracast is that a lot of people will believe that they must have it and as a result buy the hearing aids that provide it. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I would personally not allow a technological feature, app or phone to dictate my choice of hearing aid. I have a severe to profound hearing loss and therefore I require the aid with the best signal processing, reliability and speech in noise. Auracast, apps and compatibility to my favourite phone are therefore of secondary importance and nice to haves. Sorry to upset anybody.

Downunder is the same, all government departments including banks must have it, it’s been around far to long to just disappear overnight.

@jim_lewis said:

Third World” (which supposedly doesn’t exist anymore)

First World was the free world and Second World was the Communist bloc, right? So it’s obsolete. “Global South” is the term you’re looking for.

@glucas said:

By law public facing institutions are mandated to provide Telecoil. This has taken a long term to implement.

I have never gone somewhere public in the UK where the telecoil system actually works.

I had issues with my local theatre over 10 years ago with the telecoil system not working. I haven’t been since but I went last month and I still missed the first 10 minutes as once again, the system wasn’t working. It’s also not even the same company.

My bank has a telecoil system but won’t provide training to staff to actually use it. Madness when they’ve paid for the system but won’t use it as no one knows how it works.

Yeah. You are probably right. I have tried to use Telecoil in Cineworld. It doesn’t work. To be honest, one on one, I don’t have big problems. The only time when I did use Telecoil regularly in public was on the old BT pay phones, which was good. The last time I used telecoil was probably in the early to mid 1990s.

@glucas said:

I am not sure if you are rankled by my comments. … what is the obsession with LE Audio? I don’t believe it will solve my problems in communicating in groups, no matter how prevelant it becomes.

And tell me how LE audio is going to help?

Hi, @glucas. Disagreeing with you doesn’t mean I’m rankled. I disagree with you on two main points. That BT LE Audio isn’t a significant advance and that it will take 10 to 20 years before it has a major effect.

I’m glad the UK is concerned about hearing-disabled people and has invested in telecoil. However, in terms of being technologically progressive, spending a lot of money on telecoil on into the future might not be a wise use of taxpayer money.

In the U.S., sites that are pro-deaf people do not recommend telecoil as opposed to other assistive listening technologies. Here’s what one such website recommends:

• Infrared Systems for Low-interference Indoor Transmissions
• FM Systems Give Simplicity and Reliability
• Tour Guide Systems for Groups on the Go

Here’s what the site says about telecoil:

You may have also heard or read about induction loop systems. We do not recommend them because they can be difficult and costly to install, the fidelity is generally poorer than FM or infrared, and they primarily benefit people who wear hearing aids with telecoil receivers – usually a small percentage of any group.

People with telecoil hearing aids can pick up the signal from both FM and infrared transmitters directly, without having to put anything else in or over their ears, by wearing a neckloop receiver, which picks up the signal and sends it directly to the hearing aid.

Source: 3 ADA Compliant Assistive Listening Device Systems (audiolinks.com)3

So, even before BT LE Audio, telecoils were regarded by some as an expensive and less-than-optimal solution to a problem that could be better addressed in other ways.

The thing about BT LE Audio is that it will soon be built into all modern hearing aids and earbuds. It saves battery life (just ask Phonak how it’s doing with the rechargeable Lumity HA and classic BT - you kill your battery if you stream heavily throughout the day). While one could claim it’s really only the quality of over-the-air sound that matters with a hearing aid, that ignores the reality of modern life. The reason that proprietary BT-like technology took off in HAs so rapidly is that over-the-air sound is often degraded and includes a lot of environmental noise pollution. A BT phone call streamed directly to your ears is much clearer and easier to understand. Same with BT streaming from your TV, smartphone, tablet when you’re watching a show, movie, or YouTube or listening to a podcast, etc.

BT LE Audio gives better sound than classic BT streaming with much longer battery life. If you want the best hearing aids possible that give the best, longest-lasting listening experience, why wouldn’t you want a HA that has BT LE Audio? The generative devices have to be there to provide the listening experience. BT Classic was everywhere in computing devices within a few years of its announcement in 1999. BT in hearing aids was in almost all major HAs within a few years of Apple and ReSound announcing MFi devices. It’s not going to be 10 to 20 years for BT LE Audio to become the established transmission method for modern premium hearing aids, earbuds, wireless headphones, etc.

We can all check back in 3 or 4 years and see how it’s going by then.