Sonnet 21 Roger receiver with Roger transmitters

[Mary Beth]

Hello,

 

I just spent two hours testing out the Sonnet Roger 21 integrated receiver with various Roger transmitters in a noisy restaurant.  Here are my impressions.

 

Roger Select (newest Roger transmitter with 3 beamforming mics which allow for 6 mic direction options)

Way smaller and lighter than I expected.  Think Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookie size.  Easy to place in a pocket and carry around.

Terrific sound quality

Cool feature that allows you to deselect directions so you do not hear those people for when multiple conversations are happening at the same table

Can BT for phone calls

Can plug into headset jacks or TV for other audio 

Has a magnetic clip or a lanyard

Wonderful in noise!

 

 

Roger Touchscreen Mic

About the size of a regular cell phone

Terrific sound quality 

Does a super job on the table in noise for small groups

No BT option

Can plug into headphone jacks or TV for other audio

Has a lanyard

Wonderful in noise!

 

Roger Pen

The ONLY reason I would personally choose a Roger Pen over the Roger Select is if I needed to be able to point it at a speaker who was far away.  In my opinion, the Roger Select is so much better than the Roger Pen in all other ways.

 

Now what we really need is for Med-El to give our audiologists the ability to set mixing ratios so we can get 100/0 using Roger.  I do not want to stream music or an audiobook while still hearing all the sounds in my environment.  @MED-EL Moderator, will you please ask product development to consider allowing our audiologists to set mixing ratios for Roger input?  I would love that ability.

[Jewel]

This is great @Mary Beth. Wonder how much the Roger Select costs? Would I have to order that through the audi? 

[Daniel the Stranger]

I'm wondering what @Mary Beth does in order to get that privilege of testing all kind of devices for CIs?

@Jewel, I'm afraid it is in the expensive side by looking on a website in the UK: https://www.connevans.co.uk/product/24140013/3PRSEL/Phonak-Roger-Select-Transmitter

 

[Mary Beth]

@Daniel the Stranger  I am a Teacher of the Deaf in addition to being a bilateral CI user so I have conferences, trainings and workshops to attend as part of my professional development.

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

Connevans (using the VAT lower price) has the best price I have seen so far.    Roger equipment is expensive.  Just remember that we can not obtain 100/0 mix with Roger with Med-El Sonnets unless we use the Roger MyLink neckloop receiver which does not have the same sound quality of the Roger 21 receivers.

[Daniel the Stranger]

Thanks @Mary Beth, can you explain the ratios you are talking about?

[Mary Beth]

Med-El Sonnet uses either the integrated Roger receiver (called Roger 21) that looks like a battery cover or the Roger X (type 02 set to the CI setting for Sonnets).  These receive the sound from a Roger transmitter (Roger Select, Roger Touchscreen Mic, Roger Pen, Roger Clip on Mic, Roger tabletop mic, etc).

The audio is mixed 50/50. 50% from the Roger transmitter and 50% from the Sonnet’s own mic.  (Sonnets default to omni mic when using Roger.). This means that we hear the audio from the Roger transmitter and also all the sounds in the room.

50/50 mix is super when at school or in meetings.  But it is not good for when we wish to hear the sound source ONLY, like when we listen to music or podcasts or audiobooks.  For those times we may want to hear only the sound source and no room/environment noise.  That requires a 100/0 mix (100% from the Roger transmitter and 0% from the Sonnet mics).

At this time the other CI brands allow audiologists to set mixing ratios.  Those users can have a program set at 50/50 mix and a program set at 100/0 mix.  Med-El is a fixed mixing ratio of 50/50.  The only way we can use Roger with Med-El presently and get a 100/0 mix is to choose the Roger MyLink neckloop receiver and put the Sonnet on T.  This impacts the sound quality as now the Roger sound is then changed to telecoil sound quality.

 

I am hoping Med-El product development will make future processors with the ability to have our audiologists set mixing ratios of both 50/50 and 100/0.

[Daniel the Stranger]

I understand that now. After your explanation, I can say that I suffer from this issue with my current Phonak HA and my ComPilot. I'm able to talk on the phone in quiet places but in noisy places it is more difficult, near impossible.I mostly remember this for the time I rode the bus to my studies a couple of years ago. The sound of the bus didn't leave me hold a conversation by phone using the ComPilot.

[Mary Beth]

@Daniel the Stranger

I sent you a HPs mail message.  Look at the top for the mail icon.

[Jewel]

Thanks for the link for the price of the Roger Select @Daniel the Strangerthe price is shocking! 

I am starting to feel overwhelmed by the amount of money I have to spend on this CI journey. I will put the Select on my wishlist and if the CI works for me then I can save for it and get it in the UK. 

@Mary Bethdoes the audi have to program the Select before a person can use it? 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

There is nothing an audiologist has to do to the Roger Select when used with the Roger 21 integrated receiver.  If you use the Roger System with Roger X (type 02) it needs to be set to the CI specific setting for the processor being used.  Anyone can do that but it requires a Roger Touchscreen Mic or a Roger Inspiro to make that setting change.

 

If you don’t mind a suggestion.......do not purchase assistive listening tech until you know what you wish to use it for.  Then look at the options that are best for that particular use.

I have access to the Roger System through work but never choose to use it.  I do not need assistive tech with my processors except when I wish to stream something privately (audiobooks, music, podcasts).  Roger is not a good fit for that with our Med-El processors because we can not obtain 100/0 mix at this time.  So there is no need for me to spend the money on Roger.  The BOSE QC35 BT headphones and the Artone 3 MAX BT neckloop work great and cost much much much less.  For Rondo listening, the CozyPhones headband flat speakers are excellent and only cost $20.

 

I test out a lot of tech for work and because I am interested in tech.  I only purchase and use a few items in my real life.

 

Please don’t feel overwhelmed by all the tech options.  They are just that.  Options.  Some people will want them and some people will not want them.

 

I put on my CIs, leave the Fine Tuner at home, carry spare batteries and go about my day hearing just fine.  No tech.

 

Listening with our CIs can be simple.  See what your journey brings.  And if possible, always purchase tech in a way that allows you to return it if it is not a good fit for you.

 

Maybe you will be able to coordinate one of your appts in Florida with a US conference for users...or better yet, a Hands On Hearing workshop by Jeff Campagna.  Then  you  would be able to test out various tech.

 

It’s finally summer.  Your surgery is getting closer!

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

I almost forgot.........Med-El is designing their own connectivity device for the Sonnet’s internal 2.4 wireless ability which has been latent so far.  It’s called AudioLink.  I am excited to see what that is like after it is released.

[Jewel]

Thanks @Mary Beth.

Overwhelmed at all the costs, including airfare and hotels. 

I agree with you. I only plan on getting the Artone and the BOSE headphones now and then all the others will be icing on the cake ?. 

I definitely need something for meetings though especially since the central ac is located right next to the conference room so it's hard for me to make out what people are saying when I in a meeting and the loud ac is running. I understand that CIs don't perform well in noise. 

Time is flying. My CI surgeon says I can fly out 9/10 days after surgery and return to work. 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

Did you choose one Sonnet and one Rondo plus the voucher for Rondo 2 or did you choose two Sonnets plus the voucher for Rondo 2?

Sonnets have a mic setting called adaptive which does amazing in noise.  I have been in loud places where I heard better than the acoustically hearing people.  I think @Megan L. commented about the same thing in another post.

How large are these meetings at work in the loud room?  Is there usually one main speaker or does everyone speak?  We can probably figure out a way to use your Roger 21 receiver (did you select that connectivity option?), Roger Pen and possibly connect to one other Roger transmitter to get you good access.  You may be able to find the other Roger transmitter on eBay for much less.  Depending on the room size....do you all sit around a table?.....etc ......would guide which other Roger transmitter to get.

 

 

[Mary Featherston]

@Mary Beth -- how do you get to the adaptive setting?  It's not on the Fine Tuner, is it?

[Mary Featherston]

@Jewel - where are you having your surgery done?  It's got to be financially difficult to fly, have hotels, and so forth, but I also understand why you want to do it!  We had some discussion here about paying for a CI if my insurance didn't cover it.  Thank goodness they did, but we were seriously discussing it.

[Mary Beth]

@Mary Featherston

 

When our audiologists create MAPs for SONNETS (only Sonnets), our audiologists set each MAP to an ASM 2 mic setting.  The mic settings are called natural, adaptive, omni and auto-adaptive.  We can not change this ourselves.  But after you reach stable MAPs, many times audiologists will create the same MAP with different mic settings in our 4 program slots.

favorite MAP in natural (Med-El recommends activating people in Natural)

favorite MAP in adaptive (best in noise)

favorite MAP in omni (best for music, headphones, wind, hearing people behind you in the car, waterwear use and access to sounds from all around)

 

If your audiologist does that, then you can switch between program numbers to access the different mic settings and see which ones work best for you in different situations.

[Mary Beth]

Here is a link to Med-El info on Sonnet mic settings

https://blog.medel.pro/sonnet-microphone-directionality/

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

I chose two Sonnets. And I'm hoping to benefit from the PLUSRONDO promotion and get the Rondo2. 

The conference room in my department is pretty small. It has a rectangular table that seats 8 persons. I have no problem once I'm the one talking! Lol! But everyone is free to say something at anytime and the loud AC doesn't help. Most meetings would be there.

Then there is another conference room with a rectangular table where the AC isn't loud. That one seats 16 people around the table but they can also put additional chairs behind those sitting around the table, thereby accommodating about 30 people. Again, you might have one person doing much of the talking but all the others can say something anytime if they wish. 

Then there is the dreaded Board Room which is huge! That one has a large round table that seats 12. When I could hear that table wasn't a problem. I got summoned to that room about two years ago and I had absolutely no idea what the President was saying to me cos he was sitting at one end and I was at the opposite end. But I didn't let on that I was clueless about the discussion. I would say the table was 16 ft or more in diameter and then there is a lounge area within the same room so it's really big. I'm bad with measurements sorry. That room has split AC units which don't help my HA. 

I hope I've made some sense in this post. 

[Jewel]

@Mary Featherston

I am doing the surgery in Miami at Uhealth. That's the closest US city to Jamaica. 

[Jewel]

@Mary Featherston

Ooops this thing acting up again. 

@Mary Beth

I'm getting the Roger 21 receiver and the Roger pen. 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

You described it very well.  I suggest you start off by using the Roger 21 and Roger Pen that will be included in your activation kit.  When there will be primarily one main speaker, that speaker can wear the Roger Pen with its lanyard.  If there is going to be group discussion, I suggest you position yourself more or less in the middle of the table and you hold the Roger Pen and aim it at whomever is speaking at the moment.  If that is successful for you, you are set.  If not, let me know and I will describe other Roger transmitters that you can connect to the Roger Pen and they will work together....like the Roger tabletop mic.

 

Sound like a plan?

 

[Mary Featherston]

Thanks for the explanation, @Mary Beth - I'm sure I'm just not there yet.  I have another mapping on Wednesday next week, we'll see what  happens.

@Jewel - good luck in Miami!  It's going to be great!

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

That sounds like a great plan! Thanks ?.