Compatible induction charger for rondo 3

[jcech344]

Could not find any information on this, but i discovered that the induction charger in my car that charges my phone will not work on my rondo 3.  Surely the charger that came with my rondo is not the only one compatible.  It is annoying to remember to take the charger when I travel.  Any idea why this is?

[Mary Beth]

@jcech344

some Rondo 3 users from Europe have mentioned the charger in their kit was different from the one in the US kit.  Sorry I do not recall the brand.

We can choose to purchase the charge on the go cable from Med-El and use a USB outlet to charge instead of the charging pad.

[Jimit]

@jcech344

yeah, as @Mary Beth said, on the go charging cable is what you need to charge Rondo 3 in your car. It is compatible with any usb charging device then, be it a usb power bank or a usb port in the car. 
 

I haven’t tried the USB port in car yet but I am pretty sure it should work as it is working fine with my USB power bank.

[Tim]

I got cheap Amazon Qi chargers that work fine.  I keep them in my office but given the long battery life  of the Rondo 3, really haven't needed to use it much.  Got a two pack or so for about $10.

I have also used my  "Aircharge" Rondo charger hooked up to a little phone battery system sometimes when traveling.  I really like the ones with built-in cables an AC plug but now  getting one with a Xi wireless charger built-in would be really nice for the Rondo.  Just rubber band the Rondo in place.

I've never used the on-the-go charging cable on my Rondo..  At this point, I have an Audiostream adapter on my Rondo 3 and plan on never taking it off to avoid wear and tear. 

[Jimit]

Hi @Tim, Thanks for bringing the Audiostream adaptor to light.  I didn't know about it. have a few questions about it.

1. So is it something that can replace the audio link?

2. How good the sound quality is compared to the wired connection? 

3. Can we still switch off the outside sounds of the processor like we can when streaming from AudioLink?

4. It didn't come along with the Rondo 3 package I received so assuming we have to buy it separately. Given the cable only cost me $120 here I couldn't imagine how much the adaptor will cost me 😛

[Tim]

@Jimit  It is discussed a lot in other threads in the Rondo 3 forum but I'll give a quick summary here. 

I really like the Rondo 3 Audiostream.  I haven't taken it off my Rondo 3 in several months.  The audio quality is much better than the audiolink.  Even more importantly to me, the connection is MUCH more reliable than Audiolink (not perfect and not as good as high quality headphones but SO much better than audiolink.)  I can't speak to audio quality vs. a direct wired connection to the processor.  My guess is that it will be similar but likely slightly lower, perhaps in ways that we can't distinguish using CIs due to compression for Bluetooth.  Doesn't have a significant impact on battery life for me.  Was all day before, still all day.  Maybe it takes an hour off of battery life but with light usage and staying active but not enough for me to notice.

Price in the US was over $300.  It will be more expensive than the cable, likely 2 or 3x but I think it was worth it. 

Everyone is in different situations but I strongly recommend it. 

[Tim]

Forgot to answer question #3. The issue of mix ratio setting is "complicated."  It can't be controlled directly from Audiokey 2 like you can with the Audiolink.  Unfortunately Audiokey 2 does not allow this basic functionality and this really should be fixed. 

An audiologist can program it into a slot by using the advanced program options.  Again, described in another thread better than I can here. Some Audis might not be aware of this or willing to go into advanced program options. 

 

[Lauren]

@Jimit

For question one, it depends on how one uses the AudioLink. If you use it for its microphone and/or plug in ability then no, the AudioStream Adapter doesn’t plug in anywhere except the Rondo 3 and can’t be unplugged and used elsewhere for a microphone for example. What it does do, it eliminates the need for Audio2Ear app for streaming as the adapter can handle both phone calls and other audio exactly like the AudioStream sleeve for Sonnet series processors. 

That said, the only thing I used AudioLink for is streaming TV. It’s still relegated to that duty and has yet to leave its dock by more than a few inches (when it drops audio entirely). The adapter eliminated the need for me to switch to my Sonnet 2s for phone calls, though I usually keep them handy as they’re my situational processors.

Everything @Tim mentioned is spot on. 

[Jimit]

Thanks @Tim and @Lauren, 

It’s really helpful. Looking forward to checkout Audiostream adaptor. Here is India we can’t order it online so have to check with my Audiologist.

Currently, I am using AudioLink for streaming audio from mobile (through cable wired connection or audio2ear app Bluetooth connection)as well as TV. I also use it with my laptop, with laptop it is working perfectly fine and no other app is needed to stream audio from Bluetooth like we need for mobile streaming. The only issue is, I have to bring it everywhere and looks like this adaptor will help with it. :)

[Mary Beth]

@Jimit

Just be aware that AudioStream is designed for phone and tablet streaming.

[Lauren]

I found out by accident a while ago that both AudioLink and AudioStream adapter can be not only paired at the same time but actively streaming. So at least if one was using the AudioLink cabled into a sound source (laptop for one) it would still play audio from a phone should a call come in or something.

I was playing a game on my phone while watching TV and forgot the sound on my phone was on and an ad started playing. Quickly shut off the phone audio as it was overlapping with the TV. 

No idea impact on battery life as this happened entirely by accident. Also my AudioLink is *not* paired to my phone so I can’t say if the AudioStream Adapter or AudioLink would be the primary device for phone call - maybe one could select audio source from phone though. 🤔 

[jcech344]

While I am interested in the audiostream, I need to first figure out how to stream bimodally (Sonnet/Rondo and Samsung s23).  Both audioStream and my S23 are paired to my phone, but I cannot figure out how to connect both at the same time for bimodal streaming of calls or other media.

Help?