Poll: How many hours is your listening day?

[Mary Beth]

When Med-El creates processors with built in rechargeable batteries, we need these processors to last a full listening day (including streaming audio).  Please enter your responses in the poll above.  Thank you

[Mary Beth]

Tagging some people to get things started 

@Joan

@Mary Featherston

@Justin

@Jdashiell

@Megan L.

@Dani

@Jared Charney

@Dave in Pittsburgh

@Kylie

@John R

@Valentin

@Tracey_66

@Kirk S.

@Jewel

@Nikki

@Nischal Koirala

@Mr-LJ

@MallaRuth

@polyesternapkinstowaway

@KittKatz
@ats169

[John R]

It also surprises me that the "Remote" is not backlit in any way. Watching TV in dim lighting or darkness near impossible to use. 

[Mary Beth]

@John R

Yes that is a problem for many with the FineTuner Echo.  People comment about not being able to use that remote in theaters during shows to adjust their volume.  The original FineTuner has buttons (bumps) so I can easily feel the buttons and make changes in the dark.

 

It seems like Med-El focused on being able to see the display on the FineTuner Echo in daylight but forgot we need to use our remotes in the dark as well.

 

@MED-EL Moderator  may be able to share your comment with their team for future improvements.

[John R]

3 minutes ago, Mary Beth said:

@John R

Yes that is a problem for many with the FineTuner Echo.  People comment about not being able to use that remote in theaters during shows to adjust their volume.  The original FineTuner has buttons (bumps) so I can easily feel the buttons and make changes in the dark.

 

It seems like Med-El focused on being able to see the display on the FineTuner Echo in daylight but forgot we need to use our remotes in the dark as well.

 

@MED-EL Moderator  may be able to share your comment with their team for future improvements.

I have yet to try the cinema, but said that same scenario to my wife yesterday. 

I struggle with mine even at home in our "TV Ambient" setting. 

[Megan L.]

@John R

Thats a great idea to have a backlight for the fine tuner echo 👍 a backlit display would definitely come in handy.
 

Yesterday my fine tuner echo froze on me and it would not switch programs or sync to my processor. I wound up taking the battery out and putting it back in and it fixed the problem. I never had that problem before with my old fine tuner. Have you or anyone else experienced this at all? 

[Mary Beth]

@Megan L.

That is frustrating 

[Megan L.]

@Mary Beth

Yeah it was frustrating but I was able to switch to the program I needed before it froze. After that it froze and was not synced to the right 🤷‍♀️ Hopefully it doesn’t become a regular thing 🤞

[Mary Beth]

@Megan L.

If it does become a regular thing, let your CSR know.

Have you tried using AudioKey2 as your remote?

[Megan L.]

@Mary Beth

Good idea 👍 I’ll keep an eye on it. I have not tried the AudioKey 2 yet. I probably should!

[John R]

41 minutes ago, Megan L. said:

@Mary Beth

Good idea 👍 I’ll keep an eye on it. I have not tried the AudioKey 2 yet. I probably should!

I use AudioKey 2 and Audio2Ear ALL the time, although it worries me with these too, as EVERY time you use Audio2Ear and Often with AudioKey you have to go through the cumbersome task of logging into your MED-EL account to open the app. 

NOT Great if you do not have access to the internet, also time consuming if you have others waiting on you to adjust and adapt.

[MED-EL Moderator]

9 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

@John R

Yes that is a problem for many with the FineTuner Echo.  People comment about not being able to use that remote in theaters during shows to adjust their volume.  The original FineTuner has buttons (bumps) so I can easily feel the buttons and make changes in the dark.

 

It seems like Med-El focused on being able to see the display on the FineTuner Echo in daylight but forgot we need to use our remotes in the dark as well.

 

@MED-EL Moderator  may be able to share your comment with their team for future improvements.

Hi @Mary Beth - thanks for tagging us. We've forwarded the feedback to our product management team 🙂  Best regards, Barbara 

[Dani]

10 hours ago, Mary Beth said:

Yes that is a problem for many with the FineTuner Echo.  People comment about not being able to use that remote in theaters during shows to adjust their volume.  The original FineTuner has buttons (bumps) so I can easily feel the buttons and make changes in the dark.

@Mary Beth that applies to FineTuner Echo, too. This is one of the advantages of Medel's remote control over the other manufacturers. You CAN look at the status in the light. But you needn't. You can't switch to a specific program but one should know which program is active at the moment. If you really need to look at the display then AudioKey (2) is the preferred way.

9 hours ago, Megan L. said:

Thats a great idea to have a backlight for the fine tuner echo 👍 a backlit display would definitely come in handy.

@Megan L. No I don't think it's handy. By having a backlight you need to change battery every few days or you need to recharge it very often. For me this would be a great disadvantage.

8 hours ago, John R said:

NOT Great if you do not have access to the internet, also time consuming if you have others waiting on you to adjust and adapt.

@John R You're sooo right. This is a BIG issue. It's a pain all the time. If I keep Audio2Ear disabled in the background (so that I don't need to re-login all the time) then battery drain is HUGE on my iPhone (don't know if this differs from Android). On the other side I hope that I get my AudioStreamer soon (for one of my ears). Then there is no need for this thing of $§%#☠

[Mary Beth]

@MED-EL Moderator

Thanks Barbara!

Will you also pass along 2 other suggestions?

1) We would really like to be able to set the AudioStream to a 100/0 mix (like AudioLink can do) to hear streamed audio only.  Best scenario- users get to set mixing ratios via the app.  Second best scenario- our audiologists can set different mixing ratios in different program slots.  This would be very awesome!

2) The AudioKey2 app repeatedly forcing signing in again makes it impossible to use when we do not have WiFi nor cellular access.  Like in beautiful Innsbruck, sometimes we are enjoying nature and do not have cellular/WiFi access.  Then we do not have access to any of the remote settings via the app.  And if we must always carry along the FineTuner Echo remote to use in those situations, then it lessens the benefit of having the remote app.  This would be very helpful.  Sign in once and then the app just works any place.

 

Thank you!

[Megan L.]

@Dani

If you do a backlight similar to one on a watch, it won’t use hardly any battery and it would only be when you need it. I think it’d be great if Med El could do a fine tuner with the Citizen watch Eco-Drive concept in mind - solar powered so that we wouldn’t need to worry about batteries and it would hold a charge for a long time plus it would glow in the dark. I usually keep my fine tuner somewhere where there’s light and it goes in my purse during transport. 

[Mr-LJ]

Shamefully I'm the one who only listens to between 8 and 10 hours per day, actually it is a LOT less than that on most days. I like silence! I enjoy 4 hours of streaming using the Direct Audio Input.

A question to @Mary Beth I'm still considering one of these new AudioStream devices... and I wonder if having one of these would eliminate the need to use headphones. What do you think? I know you have mentioned that you love using your Bose headphones but would the AudioStreams make your headphones redundant?

[Mary Beth]

@Mr-LJ

I love streaming audiobooks while I do other things. I use my Artone BT neckloop for that because it is wireless, easy to wear and I can listen to streamed audio only on T.

My BOSE QC35 headphones are terrific and music is amazing.  I use those when traveling.

The AudioStream allows us to stream all audio with no other attachments needed.... but we still hear environmental sounds through our processor mics.

[Mr-LJ]

9 minutes ago, Mary Beth said:

but we still hear environmental sounds through our processor mics.

That's true.... and I'm forgetting things like this...hence the request to Med-el for a 100/0 mic cut out, or at least to turn the mic down in the AudioKey 2 app.

[Kylie]

On 2/17/2021 at 7:56 AM, Mary Beth said:

When Med-El creates processors with built in rechargeable batteries, we need these processors to last a full listening day (including streaming audio).  Please enter your responses in the poll above.  Thank you

Yes that aspect is frustrating. I have to change my battery at approx 8 hours so I go through 2 every day. If I forget to do it in advance sometimes I find myself changing it halfway through a work meeting in the afternoon.

[Mary Beth]

@Kylie

That’s why I use disposable batteries.  Change them every other morning and never have inconvenient dead batteries.

I hope Med-El offers much longer lasting rechargeable batteries in the future.

[Mary Beth]

Thirteen members participated in our poll so far.  Let’s see if we can get more responses.  Scroll to the top of this thread to participate in our poll.  Thank you!

[Mary Featherston]

23 hours ago, Kylie said:

Yes that aspect is frustrating. I have to change my battery at approx 8 hours so I go through 2 every day. If I forget to do it in advance sometimes I find myself changing it halfway through a work meeting in the afternoon.

Does that bother you?  I just change them when the die, it doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

[Kylie]

2 hours ago, Mary Featherston said:

Does that bother you?  I just change them when the die, it doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

It does if my handbag is in a different room to my meeting, or if I'm running a training session, then everyone has to wait!  I'm not saying it's a big deal though, I have stuck with them all this time so far. It's a minor inconvenience that I hope they improve over time with better technology.

[Mr-LJ]

It would not be so bad if the battery audible warning beep tells us there is about an hours power left rather than only half an minute or so.

[Mary Beth]

We are up to 16 members responding so far. I believe this is important information for @MED-EL Moderator to see so they can design rechargeable batteries that last an adult user’s full listening day, including streaming.

Please scroll to the top and join in our poll.  Thank you.