Phonak introduces Marvel platform and Audéo M hearing aids

In reply to @youbgone

for Roger via the Roger MyLink telecoil I mentioned in my post. I am in settings where I use Roger pens on an almost daily basis. Roger is not available with direct connect until the fall. This is a bridge until RogerDirect is activated.

In reply to @TraderGary

WRT pairing, it’s not just a matter of knowing what you are doing. If you’re a home user, it’s not such a big deal to reboot your computer, but if you are using your computer for work and running more applications, rebooting can be a much more involved and time consuming process and it disrupts your work. It’s one thing to do this once. It’s another matter altogether to have to go through this process every time you switch the Marvels from one device to another. The rebooting issue isn’t solely related to the Marvels. When I got my Opns, I had to reboot the computer for them as well. Another colleague at my office has a different bluetooth headset and he also had to reboot to be able to use it. The fundamental issue is that the Marvels can only be paired to one device at a time. This is a design issue. Phonak offered no fix for this limitation, even when I told them I would return them if they made no commitment to fix the problem. With the Opns, they can be paired to multiple devices, so they do not have to un-paired and re-paired to switch from one device to another. In fact, the actual hearing aids stay connected to all of the devices, all of the time. I can adjust the volume or view battery status using either of the phones while I’m on a call using the laptop. The limitation is that the connect clip can only be connected to one device at a time. The Opns still work on my iphone even when the connect clip is paired to the laptop or my android phone. My understanding is that there will be a fix for this, which will be fantastic.

WRT reliability, the Marvel connection to my laptop was so unreliable, it was unusable. Virtually every time I made a skype call, the connection would drop at least once or twice, during which time, I was not able to hear or be heard during the call. Restoring the connection involved turning the bluetooth off and on, sometimes multiple times. I had to keep a back-up USB headset on hand. It got to the point where my colleagues were so annoyed with the continuous disruptions that I just gave up and went back to the USB headset. They also complained about the audio from the Marvels. They said it sounded like I was speaking though a tunnel. This issue is completely gone with the Opns. I have not had a single instance of the connection dropping and the audio is much better for listeners. Again, there is no comparison between the Marvels and the Opns.

The difference in the connectivity between the Marvels and the Opns is night and day. IMO, the Marvels are an unfinished prototype but the Opns are a polished product. The Phonak press release is grossly misleading, with respect to their connectivity capability.

In reply to @skyemac11

With the Marvel Audeo Ms you can make a call using the phone, or by using voice commands. Assuming that the are connected by Bluetooth, once the call is started the audio will stream to your hearing aids and all you need to do is speak–the microphones in the aids will pick it up. They can also pick up things going on around you, so be mindful–especially if you work in a field where confidential information might be discussed. To take an incoming call, just press the button on either hearing aid and answer it as if you had the phone in your hand. Or, I believe you can long press the button to reject a call. I must admit, I have gotten some interesting looks when using this feature.

In reply to @GR8Dane

The pairing in the other device (phone or laptop) is retained, but the Marvels will not reconnect to it unless you delete the pairing. The reason for this is because the pairing process involves the devices sharing an encryption key. It doesn’t help if your laptop remembers the key when the Marvels don’t.

I didn’t use the Marvels much on either of my phones, because it was too much of a PITA to re-pair them with my laptop. It’s simply too time consuming and disruptive to reboot my laptop every time to do this. So I have no comment on whether the reliability of the connection to the phones was any better. With the laptop, it was so unreliable, it was basically unusable, so I gave up. It wasn’t just keeping them connected, it was restoring the connection after a disconnect that was also a problem. Often, the stereo headphone device would reconnect, but the hands free headset device (with the microphone) would not reconnect. The latter device is what’s required for skype. My laptop is a new HP EliteBook with an intel wifi / bluetooth adapter, running current drivers.

In reply to @cvkemp

Um–what are OPNS? Not familiar with the brand.

cvkemp

Hot Springs Village, Arkansas

Oticon is the brand, just another of the 5 or 6 of the main brands of hearing aids.

Ahh–Kinda thought the O was for Oticon. Thanks.

In reply to @postagedew

If you’re referring to my posts, I’m referring to Oticon Opn hearing aids. Mine are Opn 1. There are Opn 1, 2 and 3. Oticon just announced the Opn s. I will probably be switching to them.

TraderGary

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

In reply to @darylm

Daryl,
I can sympathize with the problems you are seeing in a work environment. I work from home and I don’t require using Skype with a computer, so I’m not seeing the reliability problem you’re having. I’ve had my Marvels for two months now and they have been absolutely solid and 100% reliable for both phone calls and streaming music from my Google Play Music subscription. The audio quality in music streaming has well exceeded my expectations.

In my experience, I will disagree with your pronouncing the Marvels as “an unfinished prototype”. I’m quit satisfied with my Marvels and the only thing I’m waiting for is the ability to connect with more than one device without having to do the time consuming un-pair and re-pair dance.

I’ll also comment on phone audio quality with the Marvel. Kate and I both have identical Marvel M90-R’s and we talk with each other frequently on the phone. The phone sound quality is excellent for both of us and certainly doesn’t sound like “speaking though a tunnel”. Perhaps that was a problem with Skype on your company computer?

Obviously for you the Marvels aren’t doing what you need and I’m glad you have found a solution for your work requirements. If you read the forum, it isn’t that way for everyone.

If I only had one device, the outcome of my choice might have been different. As I said in another post, I didn’t get much opportunity to use the Marvels with my phones, because it was too much of a hassle un-pairing them and re-pairing them with my laptop.

My remark about the Marvels being an “unfinished prototype” is based on contrasting Phonak’s marketing hype with the limitations in the actual devices, particularly in the context of Phonak’s response to my questions about the inability of the Marvels to pair with multiple devices. For the record, here is the response I received from Phonak via my audiologist:

From what I read the problem is having multiple devices paired to the Marvel.

It is a limitation, but at this point the Marvel can only pair to one device.
I understand his frustration. The hearing aids have been thoroughly tested, but it is still a hearing aid and at this point in time it doesn’t have all the capacity that a Bluetooth headset device can do due the complexity of sound processing for hearing loss. We are working with a very small chip to fit in a discreet housing that patients will accept to wear as a hearing aid, while trying to provide the best sound quality for different hearing losses, keep the power consumption low, and offer Bluetooth compatibility to facilitate communication. We are still facing some technological challenges when it comes to multiple bluetooth connections.

Read whatever you want into this response, but even when I pressed them further, Phonak did not give me any confidence they could or would address the issue, which is a non-issue for the Opns. If this is not an issue for the Opns, why is it an issue for the Marvels?

With respect to skype, my colleagues have no problems with the audio from my USB headset or from the Opn Connect Clip. Their complaints are specifically with respect to the microphones on the Opns. Maybe it’s because of the relative proximity of the Opns, being behind the ears. Perhaps it would be better if both Opns were used, rather than only one.

The reason I’m posting about this issue is so others considering the Marvels will take Phonak’s marketing hype with a sack of salt.

MDB Central California

Depends on priorities. If you want to connect to multiple Apple devices, by all means get a made for iPhone hearing aid. If you want direct streaming to an Android phone, Phonak is currently the only game in town.

scififan

Ohio

I have a situation where I have a personal Android phone, which is perfect for listening to music and making personal phone calls. I also have a employer provided iPhone 7 and a Bluetooth enabled desk phone. The problem of course is the difficulty in switching back and forth. I wonder if there is a device that could be permanently paired to the and then be used to switch among the multiple inputs that would be simultaneously paired to this device. Clearly supports multiple devices being paired to one device. It is the limitation of the BT implementation by Phonak that limits our abilities. I would certainly pay for a device that would let me manually switch among multiple inputs to the device while it remains permanently paired to the HA. Has anyone ever heard of such a device? Is this even possible? If not, does anyone believe that a future firmware update from Phonak might alleviate our issues, or do we have to wait on the next generation of $6000 hearing aids to be released. Thanks for all of the great information on here!

I’m not certain, but I believe the Resound Phoneclip would do that. I’ve never used one myself–I didn’t want yet another device to carry around and keep charged.

MDB Central California

In reply to @scififan

I think if you want to pair with multiple devices you would need to move away from Phonak to a made for iPhone hearing aid. All of them will stream to Android with an intermediary device and I believe the intermediary device will pair with more than one device. Phonak MIGHT come up with an intermediary device, but who knows. Even when companies promise something, it often is delayed. Phonak hasn’t promised anything yet.

Don

In reply to @darylm

You don’t have to reboot a PC to start or stop bluetooth or to connect to a device.

In reply to @MDB

It’s true that the Marvels stream to android (and bluetooth in general) directly. However, that comes with big limitations, due to them only being able to pair to one device at a time. The Opns can be paired to multiple devices without having to re-pair every time you switch from one device to another. They also stream directly to apple devices, even while they are connected to another device, such as a laptop. When my Opns are connected to my laptop, I can take a call on my iphone without having to disconnect the Opns from the laptop. The only caveat is that you have to use the microphone of the iphone. I have found this to not be a limitation. I set the Oticon connect clip beside my iphone in front of my monitors and I can use them both with them on the desk.

In reply to @Don

I never said that you “have to reboot a PC to start or stop bluetooth or to connect to a device”. You have to reboot the PC after pairing with a bluetooth device before you can use it. This applies to the Marvels, the Opns and other bluetooth devices in general. Once they are paired, they can be reconnected without rebooting. However, if you pair the Marvels with another device (which is required if you want to connect them to another device), you will have to un-pair them on the PC and then re-pair them, which requires another reboot. Perhaps this limitation will go away in the future, but it’s how Windows currently works.