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Starkey edge AI24 bluetooth streaming

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Been trialing Starkey edge ai24 for a couple weeks. Previously had Phonak Audeo M90-R since 2019. Obviously sound quality much improved. I only go to loud venues maybe once every few months. Only once since I have had the Starkey.so can’t really comment about speech in loud noise yet. Maybe tomorrow. Anyway, my question today is about the bluetooth. I stream podcasts a lot. I notice the Starkey are much more sensitive to the location of the phone. Walking on the beach I find I cannot get consistent reception unless I hold onto the iPhone and keep it close but away from my body. Otherwise the sound fades in an out of one ear consistently. My old Phonak were touchy as well but at least I could put the phone into an outside pocket and receive a good signal. I have tried a shirt pocket, no jacket. Nope. Also tried moving the phone in all directions, meaning top up front out, top down front out, bottom up, etc.
The phone has latest IOS.18.1.1

I suspect the bluetooth antennae on the is the issue. These are the small version of the Edge AI24. The ones with the single button on each HA. Would the larger version, the R/T ones with the larger body and larger battery and two buttons on each HA be any better? Possibly the antennae is in a better location, or larger.

One possibly contradictory thought is the TV connector has decent range. I can go about the same distance away from the TV as I could with the Phonak set up. Although I have also been having problems with the TV stream dropping out when I am sitting about 8 feet away. So is it the iPhone or the HA that are the problem?

Any comments?

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I wear the Starkey’s. I have a Pixel 6a.
I have a cell phone pocket in my left pants leg.
That is where I put the phone.
It works walking in the park. It can be subject to some interference.
Each phone reacts differently.

Update. I’ve been learning about Bluetooth reception issues in general. One possibility is because my walks are next to the ocean. Apparently the water absorbs the Bluetooth frequencies thereby limiting my reception. I will try walking somewhere else and see if the problem goes away. Also, regarding the TV connector dropping signal, I’ve learned that placing the device near a wireless router can cause issues. Plus my TV stand has glass shelving which can cause frequency reflections. I will make changes and report back.

Apparently Bluetooth problems account for a significant portion of complaints.

It should.
I think the only thing is it will work in the mode.
I’m not sure if it works with LEA.
If it’s does that would make it hands free.
Google treats the A’s slightly different.

Cell phone for upcoming hearing aid purchase
Well yeah it says supported, just not Auracast capability for some reason, yeah so I keep getting told you only need version 5.2 bluetooth for LEA so pixel 8a has 5.3, and yes you right about the PC running win11, they are coming out with LEA, just need everyone on board so every device has this as a minimum… nice But apparently it does have it, also 7, 7a, 7 pro.

Try this thread.
I think I did it correctly.

I was wondering if the Edge models were any better. The Starkey pro website says, “By switching to , Edge AI hearing aids pair more easily, connect more quickly, stream more robustly, and are ready.” And my audiologist said the bluetooth was supposed to be better. But I see still maybe not good enough.

I have the Genesis AI (). I guess the / are good enough for use with the app, but not really for streaming. They work OK if I hold the phone in front of my face (e.g. on a call), but I still get some static. But they are bad for music. Not just that the hearing aids sound bad, but they disconnect/reconnect regularly. And this is with the phone in a jacket pocket (even chest pocket).

I am trying these as the smallest option that supports Bluetooth. But if it cannot stream, that’s at least half the benefit. So, was wondering if Edge AI is better (with an iPhone). Such a different experience as compared to Airpods or Jabra over the ear headset where I can walk out of the room and still not have dropouts.

I am having the same streaming issue with the new Edge which I’m demo’ing. Thinking about not getting them b/c of this. Unfortunately, I’m very petite and these fit me better than others and work really well in loud noisy spaces like restaurants.

Hearing aid streaming will never be as reliable as AirPods or traditional headphones.

That’s because operate with less transmit power due to battery constraints.

However, I am getting reliable iPhone streaming with both ReSound/Jabra as well as Signia HAs. Having the phone in my back pocket doesn’t work though.

I’m trying the AI24 Edge at the moment. ’s with the long aerials. I find the Bluetooth decent at home but when outside they are very patchy.

Walking with my iPhone 14 in my pocket - nope.

Sat on a sunbed on the beach (right now) they are still patchy. Move a hand and they wobble.

The one thing I really want from my next set is a decent Bluetooth option. These aids do many things very well but this restriction is putting me off spending over £4k on them when I still have fro years warranty left on my Phonak ’s.

I’ve got to the end of this month to convince myself to buy them. Not sure I can.

I have had this model for about ten months. The Bluetooth is weak. I have adapted by learning what phone position works. Walking on the beach requires having the phone in a chest pocket or an armband. Even then position of the phone matters. Same goes for everywhere. Even lying in bed listening to podcasts requires moving the phone around until it gets a good sound. So yes the Bluetooth is weak but I have adjusted and overcome this weakness.

My point was you can adjust to the Bluetooth issue easily enough. If the other points are to your liking then Bluetooth should not stop you from buying this brand.

It may depend on which iPhone you have. If you search thru comments here and on Reddit, there are a lot of complaints about this, for many different hearing aids. What they seem to have in common is iPhone 15 or earlier. Not many complaints specify iPhone 16. My audiologist also says she has not seen complaints with iPhone 16. But I’ve never seen any authoritative source to explain what Apple may have done to improve this. Obviously Bluetooth has worked fine on earlier iPhones for other kinds of accessories like speakers.

In reply to @Clancy

Listening to music on the go is one thing I was looking forward to. Walking with my phone near my chest in the summer was annoying and quite dangerous in some areas. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me but was part of the reason I returned them after two months trial.

I’ll look at them again when my current aids run out of warranty though. They are pretty good -but not good enough for me to jump in right now.

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