Bimodal streaming to an ASHA hearing aid and Med-El CI via AudioLink XT

[Mary Beth]

This is going to make bimodal users very happy!  
 

AudioLink XT streams to an ASHA hearing aid and Med-El CI simultaneously.

Just copied and pasted from the Out. Now topic so it is seen

”Hi @Buzz Dee, thanks for your post. Yes, for bimodal streaming to an iOS device and connection via telecoil you need to use AudioLink XT.  We've shared your feedback with the responsible teams here at MED-EL so it can assist for future developments.

Kind regards, Barbara ”

 

@Bill C

@Deanne

@Dianna

@Kirk S.

[MariaZ]

Hi,
That is fantastic news! The previous audio links were limited only to CIs.
I'm interested in learning more about the "bimodal streaming to an iOS device" feature for CI + Hearing Aids. Questions:

1- Can we really connect bimodal to an iOS device like it does with some Android devices? I'm asking because iOS can't handle a dual Bluetooth connection, so I guess it would work similarly to the Artone 3 Max?

2- Is that bimodal streaming limited to mobile devices, or does it work with laptops and TVs?

3- For those who can't yet upgrade to Sonnet 3: Can we use Audiolink XT with Rondo 3 (connected with AudioStream Adapter) and ASHA hearing aids for bimodal streaming? Is that bimodal feature possible by purchasing the Audiolink TX only?

[Raquel]

4 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

 

Hello May Beth, I'm from Spain, I've had the Rondo 3 since April, I use the Audiostream for the phone but it's not compatible with the TV, I bought an ARTONE but it doesn't work well for me, the sound doesn't reach me correctly, it stutters. .. I was thinking about buying an Audiolink or some device that has the Audiolink features and was compatible with my processor... Does Audiolink work well, do you recommend it? Is the Audiolink TX the new version or are there 2 versions? Thank you.

[John F]

There’s also that whole team up with Starkey HAs too which if it pans out, should act like AB/Phonak, Cochlear/Resound which iOS allows a CI/HA to connect last I knew.  So maybe soon a MedEl/Starkey connection can occur.

[Deanne]

sounds like there will be a single connection to the audiolink XT and from there it will connect to both ASHA HA and CI's....is that how it's going to work?  Mind you, as long as you can stream via BT to the CI (Rondo or Sonnet)

[Mary Beth]

@Raquel

I prefer to listen to our TV through the TV speakers so although I have tested out various options for streaming TV audio , you will probably get better feedback from others who choose to stream audio from TV.  Maybe start a new topic specifically about that and members will respond .

[Buzz Dee]

@MED-EL ModeratorWill there be a possibility to use Bluetooth to connect the Audiolink XT to a phone and use it as a bimodal streaming device? I am asking because the "old" Audiolink could only be used for phone calls and was not suited for wireless music streaming. Instead, you had to plug in an audio cable to the audio source. Nowadays almost no phones have an audio jack, so it would be important to be able to listen to music without a cable. The product page does not specify the kind of connection used for streaming music, so could you please share some sentences about the wireless connection at this point? That would be great!

[Lauren]

1 hour ago, Buzz Dee said:

@MED-EL ModeratorWill there be a possibility to use Bluetooth to connect the Audiolink XT to a phone and use it as a bimodal streaming device? I am asking because the "old" Audiolink could only be used for phone calls and was not suited for wireless music streaming. Instead, you had to plug in an audio cable to the audio source. Nowadays almost no phones have an audio jack, so it would be important to be able to listen to music without a cable. The product page does not specify the kind of connection used for streaming music, so could you please share some sentences about the wireless connection at this point? That would be great!

@MED-EL Moderator also curious to know if the Audio2Ear app will not be required if using the AudioLink XT. 

[MED-EL Moderator]

5 hours ago, Lauren said:

@MED-EL Moderator also curious to know if the Audio2Ear app will not be required if using the AudioLink XT. 

@Lauren, Audio2Ear app is not needed for AudioLink XT. 

Kind Regards 

[MED-EL Moderator]

On 9/23/2024 at 5:03 PM, MariaZ said:

Hi,
That is fantastic news! The previous audio links were limited only to CIs.
I'm interested in learning more about the "bimodal streaming to an iOS device" feature for CI + Hearing Aids. Questions:

1- Can we really connect bimodal to an iOS device like it does with some Android devices? I'm asking because iOS can't handle a dual Bluetooth connection, so I guess it would work similarly to the Artone 3 Max?

2- Is that bimodal streaming limited to mobile devices, or does it work with laptops and TVs?

3- For those who can't yet upgrade to Sonnet 3: Can we use Audiolink XT with Rondo 3 (connected with AudioStream Adapter) and ASHA hearing aids for bimodal streaming? Is that bimodal feature possible by purchasing the Audiolink TX only?

Hi Maria, thank you for your questions.

1. Yes, you can do bimodal streaming from an iOS device is possible via AudioLink XT to SONNET 3 and an ASHA compatible hearing aid.

2. AudioLink XT can be connected to nearly any external source (e.g. TV, laptop, …) via cable or via the docking station. That means, it allows bimodal streaming from e.g. your TV via AudioLink XT to your SONNET 3 and a hearing aid.

3. As mentioned, AudioLink XT supports bimodal streaming. And yes, AudioLink XT is compatible with RONDO 3 + AudioStream Adapter too. 

Kind Regards 

[MED-EL Moderator]

On 9/24/2024 at 7:41 AM, Buzz Dee said:

@MED-EL ModeratorWill there be a possibility to use Bluetooth to connect the Audiolink XT to a phone and use it as a bimodal streaming device? I am asking because the "old" Audiolink could only be used for phone calls and was not suited for wireless music streaming. Instead, you had to plug in an audio cable to the audio source. Nowadays almost no phones have an audio jack, so it would be important to be able to listen to music without a cable. The product page does not specify the kind of connection used for streaming music, so could you please share some sentences about the wireless connection at this point? That would be great!

Hi @Buzz Dee, 

There is no Bluetooth input to the AudioLink XT as we have direct Bluetooth connectivity integrated into the SONNET 3. Therefore, the Audio2Ear app is no longer required.

The AudioLink XT is intended to be used as a TV streamer, remote microphone, and to support legacy devices, including the audio jack and the telecoil. Additionally, FM systems can be connected to the AudioLink via the FM adapter.

All these inputs can be streamed to the SONNET 3 in stereo.  

Kind regards, Barbara 

[John Schulz]

17 minutes ago, MED-EL Moderator said:

Hi @Buzz Dee, 

There is no Bluetooth input to the AudioLink XT as we have direct Bluetooth connectivity integrated into the SONNET 3. Therefore, the Audio2Ear app is no longer required.

The AudioLink XT is intended to be used as a TV streamer, remote microphone, and to support legacy devices, including the audio jack and the telecoil. Additionally, FM systems can be connected to the AudioLink via the FM adapter.

All these inputs can be streamed to the SONNET 3 in stereo.  

Kind regards, Barbara 

So, just to clarify... there is no BT to BT functionality anymore, only AUX to BT?

[Buzz Dee]

I'd like to know this as well. Now it sounds like there is no possibility to have a BT stream from an iOS device to a hearing aid and the Sonnet 3 at the same time. Those phones don't have an audio jack so that would mean bimodal streaming is still no option for Med El users in 2024. No bimodal phone calls, no music (if you're on iPhone). I really hope that is a misunderstanding.

[MED-EL Moderator]

20 hours ago, Buzz Dee said:

I'd like to know this as well. Now it sounds like there is no possibility to have a BT stream from an iOS device to a hearing aid and the Sonnet 3 at the same time. Those phones don't have an audio jack so that would mean bimodal streaming is still no option for Med El users in 2024. No bimodal phone calls, no music (if you're on iPhone). I really hope that is a misunderstanding.

@Buzz Dee AudioLink XT uses the ASHA protocol so it can stream to the SONNET 3 and an ASHA-supported hearing aid at the same time. 

Kind Regards

[MED-EL Moderator]

On 9/30/2024 at 5:31 PM, John Schulz said:

So, just to clarify... there is no BT to BT functionality anymore, only AUX to BT?

Hi John, thanks for your patience. Yes, there's AUX to BT / Telecoil to BT / FM to BT / remote mic to BT.

Kind regards