Bluetooth dongle with Auracast support - FlooGoo FMA120

There is a note on the FlooGoo FMA120’s Amazon page that aligns with your observation.

• When using Auracast with hearing aids, please disable the ‘Broadcast High-Quality Music’ option, as most hearing aids do not support 48kHz sample rate music streaming.

The FlooCast app also includes a description for ‘Broadcast high-quality music,’ stating that it must be disabled for compatibility.

As shown in the FlooCast screenshot, you’ll need a Windows PC to run FlooCast, where you’ll find a ‘Device Firmware Upgrade’ button to load the 1.0.9.2 firmware.

After updating, make sure the ‘Prefer using LE audio’ option is enabled (since hearing aids use LE audio), then select ‘Add device’ while putting your hearing aids into pairing mode—this is usually done by turning them off and on.

During this process, please turn off Bluetooth on your phone and Mac. If either has previously been connected to your hearing aids, they may interfere with pairing by automatically reconnecting, preventing the FMA120 from establishing a connection.

@Ranson said:

you’ll need a Windows PC to run FlooCast, where you’ll find a ‘Device Firmware Upgrade’ button to load the 1.0.9.2 firmware.

After updating, make sure the ‘Prefer using LE audio’ option is enabled (since hearing aids use LE audio), then select ‘Add device’ while putting your hearing aids into pairing mode—this is usually done by turning them off and on.

During this process, please turn off Bluetooth on your phone and Mac.

I’m confused. Why would I need a Windows machine to run it on my M1 Mac?
Also, doesn’t my clip show I already have the settings you recommend?

To update the dongle’s firmware, some required drivers are only available for Windows. You’ll need a Windows PC to update the firmware to version 1.0.9.2 or later (the latest version 1.0.9.45). Once updated, you can use it with your Mac.

Regarding the missing setting, please refer to the following picture:

Thanks!

Do you mind just giving the high quality auracast a try though?

I think HA manufacturers will have to support high quality Auracast at some point. If Auracast really will be used in airports and theatres then HA manufacturers can’t expect all those transmitters to be in low quality mode.

Yes, we’ve tested this before. Enabling ‘Broadcast high-quality music’ disrupts compatibility with current Resound hearing aids—and likely most others as well.

Hearing aids are designed to last an entire day (or close to it), so they typically operate in lower-power profiles to conserve battery. In contrast, devices like the Apple AirPods Pro 2—which also likely use the most advanced technology available today—last about six hours per charge at high sample rates like 48k.

For airports, basic voice quality should be sufficient for announcements. If they want to offer music services, they could provide two quality streams to accommodate all listeners.

Hi @Ranson, since you say “We’ve tested this…”, is it correct to assume that you are with Flairmesh? If so, that’s great, welcome to the forum and thanks for providing direct support!

The reason why I’m asking is that I did some testing with an IDC777 module and 48k sample rate kinda half works: see my comment here

This is in contrast to some other bitrates that clearly don’t work at all.

My reasoning is that if Resound doesn’t want to support 48k at all, then they could just have the phone app ignore those streams. Just like they do with 32k streams.

Instead, 48k streams show up, but time out. This looks more like a bug to me.

It’s similar to how hearing aid firmware updates are handled—many users visit their audiologist, who updates the firmware using specialized fitting software, which is likely only available on Windows.

@Nate said:

The maker/seller can’t perform this upgrade on their own Windows machine and make that upgrade download to Mac users from their website?

Writing drivers for hardware requires re-writing for each platform you intend to implement it on, and writing a firmware to a piece of hardware might not be a walk in the park. While I own a mac and would be a bit disappointed, I understand. You’d need to be sure your code doesn’t brick the dongle. You’d need to test extensively, which takes the hardware and more testers. This isn’t cheap unless you’ve got a lot of volunteer friends who have the prerequisites and your trust. I’d expect Sony or MS to do it. A tiny shop will have done very well to have the app they do have running on those other platforms. Maybe ask nicely and hope they deliver later?

WH

Some users have experienced reconnection issues when switching between two FMA120 dongles (one at home and one at work). This may be due to a bug where the hearing aids don’t properly handle an abrupt disconnection when the first FMA120 is unplugged or goes out of range.

To avoid this, please use the ‘Disconnect’ option before unplugging or leaving the first dongle. This will help ensure a smooth reconnection to the next one at your new location.

So… just to make sure that this old dude isn’t confused after reading all of this.

a) The FMA 120 is designed for Windows computers only, not mobile phones.
b) It apparently works quite well with Philips 9050’s although some user have reported issues and required firmware upgrades
c) This device will elminate the need for an AudioClip for connecting the HA’s to a computer.
d) Older phones will still require the AudioClip if handsfree communication is required with an older phone.

Looks like a fabulous a-dapter.

@EagleHeart said:

a) The FMA 120 is designed for Windows computers only, not mobile phones.

The dongle should work on Windows, linux and mac computers. The only restriction regarding windows-only (that I’ve read about) is for applying firmware updates.

WH

Thanks for the summary! Here are a few clarifications for accuracy:

1. The FMA120 can also be used with a phone via certain USB adapters (Micro B or Type C to Type A, depending on the phone). It functions like a wired headset, as most phones support USB audio. This means it can be used for broadcasting and sharing audio from an iPhone, or for making calls with hearing aids on older phones that can’t connect directly to them.

2. The FMA120 has been confirmed to work with GN ReSound Nexia 9, Jabra Enhance Pro 20, Oticon Intent, Philips HearLink 9050, Rexton Reach, and Starkey Edge AI. However, Auracast is not supported on Oticon and Philips models, as the manufacturers have not yet released firmware enabling this feature.

There are also some technical details regarding audio quality that may be worth mentioning for those interested:

1. With the FMA120 and LE audio, audio streaming (e.g., YouTube) using the new LC3 codec runs at a 24 kHz sample rate. In contrast, MFi and ASHA rely on the G.722 codec, which operates at 16 kHz.

2. The primary advantage of using the FMA120 over AudioClip is significantly lower latency. Whether for streaming or calls, LE Audio with the FMA120 maintains a latency of around 20–30 ms for both speaker and microphone. In contrast, AudioClip relies on classic Bluetooth, with A2DP introducing 150–200 ms of latency for streaming and HFP adding ~50 ms for calls. Additionally, because AudioClip transmits already delayed audio to the hearing aids, it compounds the latency even further. If you’re planning to play games with your HAs, the FMA120 provides a much faster response time, allowing for quicker reactions.

3. For calls, LE Audio also enhances audio quality. With LE Audio, both the speaker and microphone operate at 16 kHz, whereas in HFP (Hands-Free Profile), they are limited to 8 kHz unless wideband speech is used.