- At this point Bluetooth technology inside
of hearing aids is pretty much a standard,
but which Bluetooth hearing aids are the best?
Well, in this video, I'm gonna cover my favorites.
Coming up.
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Hi, guys.
Cliff Olsen, Doctor of Audiology,
and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Anthem, Arizona,
and on this channel I cover a bunch
of hearing related information
to help make you a better informed consumer.
So if you're into that
consider hitting the subscribe button.
Wireless technology has been around for awhile.
It first started with telecoils and FM systems.
And then it moved into Near-Field Magnetic Induction
around 2005.
And then we really started moving into the era of Bluetooth.
In 2014 we started seeing new hearing aids
that were directly Bluetooth compatible with iPhones.
And then in 2017 we started seeing hearing aids
that have Bluetooth connectivity with Android phones.
All of these wireless technologies
are still widely used today.
Telecoils are still very popular
inside of churches, in movie theaters.
In fact, there's a push to get even more
of those loops installed in those facilities
so individuals who have telecoils in their hearing aids
can gain access to the sound easier in those facilities.
FM systems have been widely used for schools,
for children who are hard of hearing
being able to hear their instructors.
Near-Field Magnetic Induction
is a personal favorite of mine,
because you can actually get access to wireless devices
and other Bluetooth devices,
but it doesn't take as much power away
from your hearing aid batteries,
so you can actually interact with these devices
for longer on a single battery.
The downside is, of course,
that you need to use some kind of streamer device
or an intermediary device to communicate
with whatever Bluetooth device
you're trying to communicate with.
So take your phone, for instance.
If you only had Near-Field Magnetic Induction
inside of your hearing aids,
you would need to wear some kind of a neck loop
that was a streamer, that paired with your phone
so you could use your phone.
The great thing about Bluetooth is that,
even though it uses substantially more battery power,
you can get direct access to your phone
so you don't need to use any kind of
intermediary device or streamer.
Now that Bluetooth is becoming
pretty much a standard in hearing aids,
and now that we've had four years
to evaluate its capabilities,
I wanna go over my four favorite Bluetooth hearing aids.
Number four is the Phonak Audeo B-Direct.
Phonak actually came out with this hearing aid
very recently in 2017.
And the great things about it is that
it's made for any phone.
It allows you to stream phone calls
whether it's from an iPhone or an Android phone,
but it only streams into one ear at a time.
And you also can't stream other media
like music, or YouTube videos, from your phone
directly into both of your ears.
Now, it will let you stream audio directly from your TV,
but you need the little TV connector box.
In all actuality, you could take that TV connector box
and hook up a battery supply unit to it,
and keep it with you
whether it's in your backpack or your purse,
and you would be able to stream audio directly
from your phone, into this streamer box,
and into your hearing aids.
But it kinda defeats the whole purpose
of having Bluetooth technology right inside of the devices.
If you wanna see a full review of the Audeo B-Direct,
I will go ahead and put a link of it
in the description below.
Coming in at number three is the Starkey HaloiQ.
Starkey is one of the original
Bluetooth pioneers back in 2014,
when they released their first version,
which is the Starkey Halo.
Along with their TruLink app,
they allow streaming into both ears,
and they also have a bunch of other features
inside of the app that you can use
directly with your hearing aids,
like control volume, control programs.
You can adjust the listening environment that you're in,
so every time that you go back
into that particular environment,
your hearing aids pick up the settings
that you want inside of them.
Of course, the only downside to it is that
you really have to have an iPhone.
It doesn't serve much of a functionality
for an Android phone unless all you wanna do is
be able to make some setting adjustments
inside of you hearing devices.
There is no streaming with an Android phone.
All right, on to my top two,
and I literally had to flip a coin to decide
which one I would put in which slot.
And so coming in at number two is the
Oticon Opn hearing aid.
In 2016, Oticon completely changed the way
that their hearing aids addressed how
they would function in a background noise situation,
but on top of that,
they went ahead and made it direct to iPhone Compatible.
Shortly after the release of the Oticon Opn,
they made it compatible with the Android devices,
but only for program adjustments and volume adjustments.
You still cannot stream directly from an Android phone.
But recently, very recently,
they just released the Oticon Opn connect clip,
which gives you access to an Android phone.
If you wanna stream phone calls and audio,
of course, you just have to be using the clip.
Of course, I also have an Oticon Opn review,
which I will link again in the description below.
And the lucky winner of the coin toss,
which puts them into the number one slot
of my favorite Bluetooth hearing aids,
is the Resound Linx 3D.
The original Linx hearing aid
was also released back in 2014,
and again, was one of the pioneers
in the connectivity directly with an iPhone.
And it also happens to be the very first
Bluetooth hearing device that I ever fit myself.
They, of course, can also connect with the Android phone,
but only for the programing changes and volume changes,
but they do have their phone clip,
which they've had for a while,
that let's you gain access to an Android phone
and stream audio and phone calls
directly from an Android phone, as well as an iPhone.
The other cool thing that the Bluetooth connectivity
with an iphone allows you to do is
have it remotely adjusted by your hearing care professional,
which is kind of a neat little feature
if you end up needing it.
One of the other things that I really like
about the Linx 3D hearing aid is that
you have access to the other Resound accessories,
and I'm a big fan of their accessories.
And I know what you're thinking right now.
You're thinking, does this guy have a review
of the Linx 3D hearing aid too?
And of course, the answer is is yes,
and I will have that linked in the description below.
There you go.
Those are my four go to hearing aids
for Bluetooth connectivity.
And if you're wondering when hearing aids are gonna come out
that can connect with Android phones
and stream audio into both ears,
I have to tell you, I don't know.
I do know that hearing aid manufacturers
are working hard at making that happen.
The biggest problem that we have
is the battery consumption of Bluetooth.
So until they figure that out,
and they're able to make it to where they can connect
with a variety of different Android platforms,
we are not going to see that.
I personally, am a fan of Android phones.
In fact, I'm recording the audio to this video
with my Samsung Galaxy S8.
But anytime a patient comes in
who wants that direct connectivity,
I highly recommend that they switch to an iPhone
if they don't have one already,
because that is how they're gonna be
hearing on the phone best,
and that is what's gonna give you the most functionality
with your smartphone and your hearing aids.
That's it for this video.
If you have any questions,
leave them in the comments section below.
If you liked the video, go ahead and share it.
And if you wanna see more videos just like this one,
hit that subscribe button.
I'll see you next time.
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