Who is successfully using the AudioLink cabled to a TV and streaming to Rondo 3

[Dianna]

💘 

[MED-EL Moderator]

HI @Lauren,

thank you for sharing your experience. We've forwarded your feedback about return instructions to our colleagues and they'll keep it in mind for future cases.

Have a great day!

Giulia

[Lauren]

All fixed now lol. They are expediting the back part of it. Should have it by Friday at the latest. 

[Roy]

I've got a love-hate relationship with the AudioLink.

The downside - the range is too short, and it produces a substantial amount of static (which I believe is due to a weak signal, because, you know, the range is too short). I suspect that the short range was required in order to preserve the already marginal battery life of MED-EL's processors.

The upside - the static is tolerable when the AudioLink is used for speech, say, in a crowded restaurant. Hang it on your dinner companion, turn on the AudioLink mic and turn off your processor mics, and conversation becomes easy. This also works well when driving in a convertible with the top down, BTW. Surprisingly, bluetooth latency is not a problem, and kudos to MED-EL for that.

But for TV my method of choice is a telecom neck loop paired with my AV receiver via real bluetooth.

[Roy]

Oh, the other part of the topic, the Rondo 3. Yes, that's what I'm using, bilaterally. My wife and I recently did a 7-week road trip in the aforementioned convertible, and I used the AudioLink every day, sometimes for as much as ten hours. But it was always within a 18 inches of my head (connected to an in-car sound system in this case), so range wasn't an issue. The Rondos never ran out of battery even after 18 hours of total use, 10 of which were with the AudioLink.

But the range - when I got out of the car the Audiolink would disconnect beyond about ten feet, and sometimes less. 

[Jimit]

So the conclusion here is, audio link isn't working with TV. Right? I do have the white and red audio jack and I have read and watch all tutorials around it. But nothing seems to be working.

Earlier when I plug it in, I was used to switch the mic on and that makes the sound more clear as the docking station always placed right below the speaker of my TV. And was in impression that's how it should be working but today I realised when I just remove that cable that connects to TV and just kept the audio link near to TV speaker. The quality of sound remains the same.

@Mary Beth is there any connector or something we can use here? I seen your comment that mentioned people are using some sort of connectors to do it 

[Mary Beth]

@Jimit

There are AudioLink users who set the AudioLink in its dock (so it is vertical and works better) and just place it near the TV speaker using it as a remote mic without an audio cable between the TV and the dock.

Lots of times this is because their TVs no longer have the red and white RCA audio out connections.  It is an older kind of connection.

”The RCA connector is a pretty old type of audio connector, and it can transmit analog signals. That’s why many consider it outdated”

Most newer TV have only digital audio connectors, like optical connectors.

”Meanwhile, RCA cables are associated with analog signals. This is why optical cables offer superior sound quality”

 

But for those of us with TVs that do have the red and white RCA connectors, making sure to plug into the red and white connectors that are labeled AUDIO OUT and not labeled audio in is usually all that is needed to send the audio signal that way.

If the cable is good, the connections are tight, the red/white is marked audio out, the connection to the AudioLink dock is tight, AudioLink is firmly set in the dock and still there is no audio….. check your TV audio settings to see if you need to alter them to use the RCA analog red/white connection.

No other device is needed in this case.

[Jimit]

Thanks @Mary Beth I can see there is no audio out in my tv, those red and white jacks are labelled audio in so I can understand why it isn't working. 

I can see the socket for optical connector in my tv. Is there any other cable that can be used with audio link that fits in optical socket of the tv and provides better sound quality.

[Mary Beth]

@Jimit

Med-El does not have that kind of cable for AudioLink and that is something many AudioLink users are disappointed about.  
 

Either use the AudioLink as a remote mic near the TV speaker or look at third party options for a converter.

Some people have chosen to connect with TVs in other ways instead of AudioLink to get a better range.  @Roy Louis Smith mentions how he connects above. 

[Mary Beth]

I have not used a digital to audio converter but here is some info on how that works 

https://www.spacehifi.com.au/how-to-convert-digital-audio-to-analogue

@Jimit

[Roy]

Many modern TVs (mine included) have bluetooth output that can be paired to either a telecoil neck loop or a consumer-grade bluetooth dongle with a 3.5mm output jack. This is my listening method of choice - neckloop for speech-heavy shows and bluetooth dongle for music.

Check your TV menu for bluetooth capability.

[Mary Beth]

@Roy Louis Smith

Tell me more about how you use the BT dongle to listen to music from your TV please.  What do you plug into the dongle’s 3.5mm jack?  The AudioLink?  Which dongle do you have?  Any latency?

 

[Roy]

FM covers with Sonnet 2s. Headphones could also work, but might drain the dongle too quickly. A small headphone amp would solve that.

[Roy]

My ClearSounds neck loop has a jack on top (barely visible), so it’s either telecoil or plug-in. Plugging in disables the loop.
My other favorite is this brightech, which can be set to either send or receive. I have two, which can pair with each other. There is a bit of latency but not enough to noticeably desync with the video.

[Mary Beth]

@Roy Louis Smith

I can not find that BrighTech device online.  Do you have a link?

Lots of Sonnet2 users do not know about the direct audio option because they stopped automatically including the FM covers and cables in the US kits- but I believe they remain a connectivity option to select.

[Dianna]

Hi jimit, lauren helped me find one jack in the back of my tv, i use the single cable provided in my backpack, has plugs on both ends, one is in the back of tv and one in the audiolink jack. I dont know what this jack is for, its all alone in the center of the back.

[Roy]

I've had my brightechs for a while, and they seem to no longer exist in the marketplace. Here's a link to a $13 unit on Amazon that should do the same thing: https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Transmitter-Isobel-Headphones-Enjoyment/dp/B07Z4NLG67/ref=asc_df_B07Z4NLG67/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=385629062390&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3045041180336715461&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021225&hvtargid=pla-845129914696&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=76780760857&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=385629062390&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3045041180336715461&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1021225&hvtargid=pla-845129914696

Jeez, that's a lot of gobbledygook. In case it doesn't work, go to Amazon and search for "Isobel bluetooth transmitter receiver."

Regarding connectivity options, I recall selecting the FM cover for one of my Sonnet 2s and the AudioLink for the other. I bought the second FM cover.

FWIW, I find the BT connection to have much better fidelity and range than the AudioLink, which I don't use for TV or music listening at all. I do use it for phone calls and high-noise environments like restaurants and top-down convertibles when I want to talk with one person from less than 6 ft away.

[Mary Beth]

Thanks @Roy Louis Smith for taking the time to search for that.

Yeah I agree.  AudioLink’s range is way too limited and I experience sound quality issues with it so it’s not the best fit for me.

I have the FM covers and red DAI bilateral cable.

I test out a lot of tech so I have an assortment of options.

I use this rule of thumb….. if someone is still using a connectivity option a year later, then it is a good option.  Smile.

My go to items are…

Artone BT neckloop for streaming speech and phone calls

BOSE QC35 for streaming music and while flying 

[Mary Beth]

@Roy Louis Smith

As many of us have figured out, the AudioLink performs better if it directly cabled to a sound source and then only has to relay that audio to our processors.

I experimented using a small BT dongle with a 3.5 mm jack and disconnected the AudioLink from my phone and instead connected the BT dongle.  Much better range and audio quality.

Instead of using the bulky 2.5 to 3.5 adapter and then the AudioLink’s 3.5 cable, I used a very flexible and lightweight 2.5 to 3.5 cable that came with my BOSE QC35.

 

 

[Lauren]

I still use AudioLink with my TV and Rondo. It works, not perfect, but works. I do have Artone but don't use it only because its another thing for me to keep track of. and my main streamer is the Rondo. I did get lucky in that my TV has audio out jacks that are comparable with the AudioLink but yes - frustrating that there's only that one option (my TV has multiple audio-out options). We'll see if my preferences change at all down the road :). Right now, my streaming system isn't broken (except one whoops on my part)so I don't want to mess with it.

The one whoops was accidentally sitting on the base so had to replace that. Wasn't sure if I broke the base or the cable so ordered both and it turned out to be the base. When doing any home re-arranging projects be sure to not sit on anything.

[Jimit]

Thanks Everyone, these are all useful information. I have ordered digital to analog converter and one optical connector cable to plug my audio link with Tv. Hope it works.

@Lauren any chance you can send one pic of the the audio out jack of your TV. I just want to confirm if I have any such jack in mine.

Thanks.

[Dianna]

Hi jimit, its been a year, so i totally forgot my set up, i use this cable from audio link to phone or laptop

[Dianna]

This is back of tv, not on the side, red and white cable to adapter to audio link stand

Next pic, sorry

[Dianna]

[Dianna]

Back of tv, not side, red and white plugs, cable goes to base of audio link