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ListenWiFi, Auracast, assistive listening

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I’m looking for suggestions from others who have experience with ListenWiFi or similar assistive listening systems.

My church recently installed a ListenWiFi sound system. It streams audio over the church Wi-Fi to my iPhone, and then from my iPhone via Bluetooth to my Phonak Audéo Infinio I50 (non-sphere) hearing aids.

The main challenge I’m having is latency. I hear the pastor’s voice first through the church speakers, and then I hear the same words a moment later through the streamed audio in my hearing aids. The delay is roughly four words, which makes it hard to follow comfortably.

Using the Phonak app, I can make adjustments through the Ambient tab while the hearing aids are in Bluetooth streaming mode. This has helped considerably. However, I’m still experimenting with what works best.

For those who have dealt with a similar setup, what has helped make speech easier to understand? For example, have you found that sitting farther from or closer to the wall-mounted speakers makes a difference? Are there app settings, seating choices, or other practical tips that reduce the distraction from hearing both the room sound and the streamed audio?

When service is eventually available in my area and with my hearing aids, will it greatly improve my listening experience?

I think it will much improve your situation. My experience is that there is no lag or latencency that I can discern with my ears or hearing aids. That doesn’t mean there is absolutely zero latency that could be measured, I just mean I can’t hear any. A lot will also depend how they set up the input to the transmitter. The best would be to send the same signal to the Auracast transmitter as they send to the PA system (the microphone output/PA system input, rather than sending a PA system output to the Auracast transmitter.)

Edited
@Midwest_Man said:

When Auracast service is eventually available in my area and with my hearing aids, will it greatly improve my listening experience?

Yes. has much lower latency that the system your church is using. Wi-Fi has a latency of 20-50 ms. Bluetooth Classic has a latency of 40-200 ms. If we assume the lowest combined latency (20+40=60 ms), you will want to sit 68 feet away from the Wi-Fi transmitter. That seems workable for some churches. However, if the latency runs higher than that you’d probably be better off turning off the hearing aid microphones and using just the Wi-Fi & Bluetooth.

The SIG for Auracast indicates an expected latency of 20 ms. This would mean that the ideal listening spot would be 22.5 feet away from the transmitter. With the Auracast system I have in my home, I sit closer than that to the transmitter and don’t detect any echoes between the speaker audio and the Auracast audio.

Your church could install an Auracast transmitter for as little as $50. I’m planning on donating a transmitter to my mid-sized church that costs $120. I will likely do the install as well. It’s basically a matter of choosing the best location and connecting two cables (power and audio).

is available in your area - it just requires someone to order it and install it!
In my church we currently meet in a school hall with an AV setup that is wheeled in and out each time. As it’s just me using the Auracast - a FlooGoo - the latency doesn’t worry me too much, I just mute the surrounding sound and listen soley to the Auracast. However, when others join me we would then need to tweak the FlooGoo settings to cover the latency. It’s a split second, but enough to be behind the main speaker.

Other Auracast transmitters we’ve tried were fine, but because we are an outside hire and the FlooGoo fits in a coat pocket, that is the easiest solution for us right now.

I have the Soundgear AMP from Costco. It’s a rebranded Starkey EDGE 24.

When streaming, I have two sliders in the iPhone app from Starkey / Soundgear:

  • Streaming volume
  • Microphone volume

.

When it matters, I shut out the surrounding environment by turning OFF the Microphone volume.

That technique can help to lessen impact of the sync delays.

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