Microphones for friends in noisy spaces

@imallears and @maryjax
The technology is growing by leaps. I have Phonak hearing aids and a ComPilot neck loop with RemoteMic. The ComPilot does not work with the Roger products and would need a Roger X Receiver boot that fits on the ComPilot and connects it to the Roger products. Since I do not have the X boot I need to use the MyLink neck loop with my HA in the tcoil program. I've found that with the MyLink the volume shifts depending on how I wear it. Phonak also has a boot that fits on some hearing aids that’ll allow them to connect to Roger products.
My hearing aids are old and I’m waiting for Phonak to develop a BiCros Marvel for my single sided deafness. The current Marvel line will connect with Bluetooth devices without the need for the neck loop (I.e. ComPilot or MyLink). I just read that this fall the Marvel will be RogerDirect-compatible. I'm looking into that because when I buy new hearing aids I want them to work with the latest tech.
Roger Pen is ok for a quiet room with only one person speaking at a time. It can also be worn by the speaker but there needs to be minimal or no background noise because it picks up too much ambient sound.
The Select sounds good when listening to a person speaking at meetings/restaurants but when I use it with the TVLink it sounds different. I’m still trying to figure out if the different sound quality is because of the MyLink or Roger Pen/Select.
imallears... What product (mic, phone or TVLink) were you using the MyLink to connect to?

I have and use both the Connect Clip and the Roger. I find the Connect Clip works better for a single speaker wearing the mic and the Roger has better microphones for detecting multiple speakers. But a noisy restaurant is still a problem with either one.

The Connect Clip is useful for connecting to my computer the hear the audio.

But the best technology for me is the Hearing Loop. That is an induction loop installed in our church which transmits any sound coming from our audio system directly to my hearing aids via the telecom (T-coil).

@judysmayo
Hi,

My bad...it was the ComPilot with the remote mic not the MyInk.
The ComPilot had a tv link which was ok but not necessary for me. I tried the cell phone and meh....also not necessary. It was when I used the remote mic...either clipped to someone or laid on a table that it was a big fail.....just picked up everything. I had my gym instructor wear the mic and went to the back and, while his voice went directly into my aids, I still needed to face him to understand and and also be up closer. My directional setting on my aids worked better (Phonak Nadia UP).

I also have an older Pocket Talker that I use sometimes with my neckloop for musicals but , generally for conversations, the sound is not good anymore. I have earlinks which I don’t think they make anymore that hook over your ears in conjunction
with the TCoil setting. They are great on my landline and plugged into my cell phone. I use the Ear links for GPS on long trips because my car has a lot of road noise. Don’t always understand the voice but having the vocal prompt is helpful.

For reference, my loss is profound...without aids I can only hear close up thuds and slams...those kind of noises.

I’m really just looking for help in noisy situations without relying on my apps which also fail in noisy places and am lucky to be able to trail anything without upfront money which is a blessing.

Just went through a typical Florida thunderstorm and now the sun is out. That’s why I always stuff a baseball hat in my purse.......protect the ears and the hair...of course.

Regards from Sunny for, ow Fl Mary

@imallears Yes I have the same assisted listening device and I agree with you about the RemoteMic... it pics up EVERYTHING. I only used it in areas with no bkg noise. I’m surprised you are able to listen to the TV without the TVLink with your degree of loss. I really need it.
I’ve been researching the Roger Select and MyLink and have found out that Marvel hearing aids are coming out with a new HA that is RogerDirect-compatible and will stream the Roger signal directly to them. There’s also a newer Roger iN Select. I’m on overload with all this info and still researching. I’ll be keeping my audi on their toes! Since I’m looking to buy new aids I’m wanting them all to work together.

My remote mic didn’t work well until I leaned to turn down the hearing aid column to very low so I was hearing only the remote mic. That makes it work for me except for the very noisiest situations. I use an Oticon TV device, not the mic to hear tv better.

@maryjax I see! You use the Oticon TV link and I use the Phonak TV link. They probably work in the same principles. Occasionally I’ll just use the RemoteMic in a hotel by putting it next to the TVs speaker but yes it doesn’t work very well under those circumstances.

Do you mean the Oticon ConnectClip? This a very helpful comparison.

@maryjax
That’s interesting.....I don’t think I tried that although I remember fooling with the programs to no avail.

FL Mary

@judysmayo
I’m surprised too although I rely on captions, I guess it’s a perfect setup and distance for me. I want tv to be a pleasure and not have to struggle for it. I sometimes use my directional mic program watching tv but it depends on what I’m watching. Sometimes the speech and captions combined are too fast. I’ve turned off series I wanted to watch because the captions just race along....these are prerecorded on Netflix and Amazon and thankfully, does not happened all that often.

FL Mary

I like that there’s so many ideas and different options for people with hearing aids by so many different manufacturers. It does get somewhat confusing though. It’s great to be able to learn about the new technologies on the web.