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Apple AirPods Pro 2 update (7A294) with hearing aids features - personal reviews please!

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My wife has begun using the Airpods Pro 2 as (my own hearing is too poor for these pods to be of any use). Naturally I thought it would then also be nice to hook them up to our TV, using a Bluetooth transmitter. I have a bunch of those, covering versions 4.2-5.3. Interestingly, most of these will connect (I hear a tone in the buds), however there is no audio transmission at all!

The transmitters work fine with other buds, and I can also connect these Airpods with my Samsung phone but, for some dark reason, they won’t work with (any) dedicated BT transmitter.

Apparently this is a known issue:
“After a lengthy phone call with Apple support the conclusion is that Apple AirPods will not work with 3rd party Bluetooth adapters.”
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254687537?sortBy=rank1

Definitely uncool for anyone considering these Airpods as HAs.

Why are you surprised? The hearing aid manufacturers use proprietary Bluetooth CODICs, so that you have to buy all new accessories when you change brands of hearing aids. It’s called greed which is disguised as capitalism.

Indeed, my Phonaks use a dedicated TV-streamer- however, these will also smoothly connect with anything Bluetooth, as do all earbuds I have.

I know, I know that Apple users happily lock themselves in the iOS walled orchard, but this is a new low even for me. As far as I know there are not even “made for Apple” streamers for Airpods.

I still hope that other, more “normal” earbud manufacturers also come up with software that allows us to use these as HAs, especially for buds, like the excellent (and cheaper) OnePlus Buds Pro 2, that after taking a hearing test are far louder than Airpods.

In reply to @Flyboybob

@Flyboybob said:

Why are you surprised? The hearing aid manufacturers use proprietary Bluetooth CODICs, so that you have to buy all new accessories when you change brands of hearing aids. It’s called greed which is disguised as capitalism.

Glad we agree - standards are good :grinning: it helps keep costs down for consumers and allows innovation and new applications to emerge!

Using standard protocols whether its for communication (Bluetooth) or charging (USB Type-C cables / Qi wireless charging) is all good!

Thanks

In reply to @RobHooft

Update- I got the Airpods Pro 2 finally to work with a generic Bluetooth v 5.3 transmitter. I guess Apple forgot about backward Bluetooth compatibilities, as is the case for virtually all other Bluetooth devices out there.

My Airpods Pro 2’s pair perfectly with my Garmin running watch (which I believe uses Bluetooth LE) for playing music while running. The Garmin watch is nearly 4 years old so not sure which version of it is running.

Edited

Garmin Running Watches use to connect to heart rate, monitors, earbuds and other sensors

The AirPods Pro 2’s1 support Bluetooth 5.3

The Stereophile review of the AirPods Pro 2 has a sidebar on Bluetooth which says:

with the AirPods Pro 2, Apple chose to implement Bluetooth 5.3, an advanced Bluetooth codec that incorporates something called LE Audio, adopted in 2020 as part of Bluetooth 5.2. LE stands for “low energy,” from its roots in improving hearing aids, where energy efficiency is imperative. Energy-saving technologies are also useful for true-wireless headphones? like the Apple AirPods Pro 2—but for our purposes the most important thing about?LE Audio is LC3, short for “low-complexity communications codec.” LC3 is said to be?a big improvement on so-called Bluetooth Classic audio.1

My Garmin Forerunner Fitness watch connects perfectly with the Airpods Pro 2’s for running…

In reply to @Flyboybob

@Flyboybob said:

Why are you surprised? The hearing aid manufacturers use proprietary Bluetooth CODICs, so that you have to buy all new accessories when you change brands of hearing aids. It’s called greed which is disguised as capitalism.

@Flyboybob said:

I agree except for the case of the USB-C mandate from EASA. Governments shouldn’t get involved , let the market decide.

This seems a little circular. Capitalism is bad but letting markets decide is good? :confused:

No, having the government decide is bad, but letting the market decide wha the standard should be is a good thing.

In reply to @coastal_california

Yes, great that Apple’s Airpods Pro 2 use Bluetooth 5.3. What is less great is that its chips seem to have no backward compatibility with earlier Bluetooth versions, unlike all other Bluetooth devices I have (i.e., this is not a technical problem). Typical Apple, I would say.

As for the side discussion on state (or EU) tech intervention. We all know that companies feel zero moral obligations vav the environment, safety, durability, or fair competition. Bring on those regulations, imho.

I just received a pair of AirPods Pro 2 and did a hearing test via the iPhone.
So far, I am really impressed with the hearing aid ability of these devices.
I have moderate to severe loss especially in the high frequencies and in transparency mode it is a clear improvement and you can even have conversations with the devices in.
Cleary they are no 100% replacement to my Oticon Real 1 aids but they are highly supporting hearing in easy environments.
In the afternoon I try a meeting situation and compare them to the Real 1.
As to listening, I actually prefer my Sennheiser momentum wireless 4 due to a richer sound in general with my hearing aids in compared to the AirPods Pro 2.
But as they are brand new, you probably need to listen to them for a while for the sound to improve.

In reply to @RobHooft

@RobHooft said:

Yes, great that Apple’s Airpods Pro 2 use Bluetooth 5.3. What is less great is that its chips seem to have no backward compatibility with earlier Bluetooth versions, unlike all other Bluetooth devices I have (i.e., this is not a technical problem). Typical Apple, I would say.

That is not my experience - they work great for music with my now discontinued 2021 Garmin running watch which is definitely running an earlier version of Bluetooth

Edited

My impression as well. I noticed that they’re a bit louder (especially in the high frequencies) and voices are clearer now.

Edit: just saw this

image

Maybe it’s not just our imagination, hard to know with Apple.

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