Selecting the best assistive tech for the listening situation

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

You mentioned that you wanted to compare Roger Select with AudioLink.

I have used both.  Any questions I can try to answer?

Is it a noisy situation with friends you are trying to improve?  Standing around or seated at a table?

Sonnet processor?

[Jewel]

Hey @Mary Beth

We sometimes have meetings in a conference room which is on the 3rd floor and faces the street. When I'm in that room I can hear the vehicles zipping by. Although I use the Roger Pen in that situation I'm still hearing the vehicles so that doesn't make for a good listening situation. 

Then I have meetings in another room where people are seated around a huge circular table. I wasn't making out everything in that setting. 

So I'm wondering which device would be more helpful.... Select or AudioLink?

I am interested in how you found both devices overall and which one you consider to be better. 

I haven't logged on to the webshop. Not sure how much for AudioLink but I believe the Select is for USD950. 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

Neither option is cheap unfortunately.

A few things to consider.....

 

Roger transmitters can work together and you already have the Pen.  Do you have the Roger 21 integrated Sonnet receiver?

So if you were to purchase another Roger transmitter, they could work together at two places on the large table or a presenter wearing one and the other on the table.  Check out all Roger transmitter options, not only the Select.  There is a Roger Table Mic II That may interest you.

Roger transmitters adapt to the noise level in the room.  This helps.  

Have you played around with sensitivity in those settings while using Roger?  If you are comfortable playing around with your FineTuner in that setting, it may help.

 

As far as which is better Roger or AudioLink,  I can’t really answer that.  To me assistive tech must match the listening situation and there is no wonder piece of tech that solves every problem for every person.

 

If I was trying to help the meeting situations you described above, Roger would work better for me in those settings because:

-I could link more than one transmitter

-Roger mics adapt in noise

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

 

https://www.phonakpro.com/us/en/about-phonak/technologies/roger-wireless.html

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

I hardly ever adjust sensitivity settings. I don't notice much difference. 

I don't have a problem when there is one presenter who stands. My problem is when people are sitting around a large table and getting all that is said. 

I have a Roger 21 receiver. Would I need a MyLink to connect both the Pen and the Table Mic? 

It's a pity that I can't try all the available options before purchasing one. 

So which situations would AudioLink excel in? 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

No you don’t need anything special to Connect the Table Mic II and the Pen as long as they are compatible.  Read about how to do that on the Phonak Roger pages and see if it appeals to you.

I will tag you where I commented on my favorite features of the AudioLink.

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

 

https://www.phonakpro.com/us/en/products/wireless-accessories/roger-table-mic/overview-roger-table-mic.html

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

Med-El US used to offer half day Hands On Hearing workshops at no cost led by Jeff Campagna and his awesome team.  Just like the name suggests.....after learning about various devices, everyone had a chance to try them with a Med-El HOH team member working with 1-3 CI users.  Fabulous things happened at these workshops.  I attended 4 sessions (2 in Raleigh and 2 in NYC).  I loved helping out at these workshops with Jeff and his team.

Med-El US stopped offering them.  Now the CEMs host MeetUps or Mingles or Open Houses etc.  They teach people how to use what is in the kits.

Jeff’s Hands On Hearing workshops covered everything in the kits and so much more.  We can benefit from many third party devices because Med-El makes our processors with telecoils.

I miss those Hand On Hearing workshops and feel like CI users in the US lost an amazing half day training opportunity and a fabulous chance to meet other CI users face to face.

 

 

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

No wonder I have not found any Hands on Hearing workshops. 

Guess the Med-El Meetups aren't for me then. 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

I think you might be able to test out the AudioLink and the Roger Select if you reach out to your CI center’s Med-El CEM (Consumer Engagement Manager).  Both of those items are options in Med-El kits.

The CEM for my region brings devices to MeetUp events.  I helped a CI user test out the Roger System at a MeetUp event.  Our Med-El CEM had brought it along.

 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

Here is a link that shows which Roger transmitters may be set up to work together in a network.

https://www.phonak.com/us/en/hearing-aids/accessories/use-cases/hearing-multiple-speakers-individually.html

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

more info on Roger Table Mic II

https://www.connevans.co.uk/product/24154353/3PRTM2/Phonak-Roger-TableMic-II---remote-control

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

I had an idea that may help you while in meetings to cut down the background road noise.  You can ask your audiologist to create a more restrictive program (much lower sensitivity) and possibly ease off low frequencies a tad to use just with your Roger devices in that setting.  When Sonnets use Roger they default to omni mic setting.  So the mic settings will not help you when using Roger.  But a program with a much more limited sensitivity setting would help block out noises from its use the windows.  A program that eases a bit off of bass tones too may help even more.

As you know, it is a bit of trial and error.  At least we have 4 program slots to use.

Just a thought.

Are you now at every 6 months for MAPping appts?

[Jewel]

@Mary Beth

Thanks. I'm actually preparing to come to the US for my mapping appointment next week. I had to push back my August appointment. Yes I'm now at 6 month appointments. 

By the way I love autoadaptive! I have been using it at my place of worship and it is a fuller sound than adaptive.

Re your suggestion... I thought that when you use the Roger Pen there is no adjustment you can make with the fine tuner in terms of choosing which program to use....I am referring to the buttons with the dots. So how would that work with what you suggested? 

 

[Mary Beth]

@Jewel

I am glad you like autoadaptive.  It stays in omni and switches to adaptive at a trigger dB level.

I always thought the Sonnet changes the MAP you are presently using into omni mic setting when Roger 21 is active.  The sensitivity setting is a setting of each MAP by our audiologists.  So if we were in the MAP stored in program slot 4 and it had a default sensitivity of 50% then I think that is how the omni mic would behave with the Roger 21 active.  Is this correct @MED-EL Moderator?

Some people have the same exact MAP stored with different mic settings in their program slots.  If so, switching to a program of the same MAP using adaptive would not change the way things sound when Roger 21 is active since Roger 21 always uses omni mic setting.

[MED-EL Moderator]

Hey @Mary Beth, thanks for tagging us. We're just double-checking with our experts and wil get back to you asap

[iHM24]

Hello dear @Mary Beth

 

what’s different between Quattro or Artone3Max with AudioLink which one better?

 

Still we are waiting for AudioLink in Middle East, everything you will connect wirelessly like Quattro or you need wire for transmitting from TV like RogerPen?

 

Now, I’m using always Quattro but unfortunately wires always twisted and easy corrupted, also I have RogerPen but I’m not use it that much.

 

However, I’m wondering if you have to RogerX in both processor it will work? Or it will connected only to one receiver? 
 

Regards 

Hameed 

[Mary Beth]

@iHM24

Hello Hameed!

AudioLink has a lots of similarities with the Roger Pen.  

-Both only connect via BT for phone calls, no other audio from the phone

-Both connect to a TV with cables

-Both require a cable for all non-phone call audio from phones unless we run a A2DP converter app in the background which decreases the audio quality.

-Both can send sound to both sides.

-Both function as a remote mic.

 

Some differences between Roger Pen and AudioLink for Sonnets include

-AudioLink sends true stereo music (separate left and right audio) when attached to sound source with a cable

-AudioLink does not require a special battery cover (Roger 21) or a neckloop receiver (Roger MyLink) because the receiver is built into the Sonnet itself.

-AudioLink gives us a lot of control on the mixing ratios whereas Roger and Med-El processors mix at 50/50

-Roger has a dynamic mic which adjusts based on background noise whereas AudioLink is a fixed gain mic.

 

Subjectively after using them in my own life along with the Artone 3 MAX (which I greatly prefer over the Quattro 4)....

-Artone connects directly with my phone for all audio and delivers a consistent sound quality.  It is easy to use, small and light and much less expensive than the other options.

-AudioLink is cool when it is used in a way that delivers true separate stereo to the left and right sides.  At times though, the audio was not in sync and occasionally it lost connection.  I like the control over the mixing ratios that AudioLink provides and the absence of electromagnetic interference from telecoil in some settings.

-Roger Pen is not my favorite Roger transmitter.  I prefer the Roger Select.  It has more sophisticated mic technology.  It wins as a table top mic in small groups over the other options for me.

 

So for me, there is no perfect assistive tech option yet.  Different tech works better in different situations.  The most used piece of tech for me continues to be the Artone.  It is so light, small, connects BT directly, sounds great! easy to use.  It remains my most used assistive tech.

 

Yes if you have Roger X on each side, the Roger Pen will send audio to both.  You have to sync them separately but then they will both receive the same sound.