The FUTURE of Hearing Aid Bluetooth! | Auracast
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- The FUTURE of Hearing Aid Bluetooth! | Auracast. Dr. Cliff Olson, Audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix Arizona, discusses the new form of Bluetooth LE Audio that uses the LC3 codec that will revolutionize the future of hearing aid wireless connectivity and could replace the Telecoil.
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drcliffaud.com
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![Auracast Demo: Accessibility & Audio Sharing LIVE from EUHA Conference [Part 2]](/img/n.gif)
My understanding is that Resound One, Omnia, Cochlear Baha 6 and Oticon More devices could be firmware upgraded to Auracast. Whether they actually are will depend on the manufacturers. Cochlear Nucleus 8 already has support for Auracast.
No, just the Nucleus 8 has an Bluetooth 5.2 or higher chip with BLE Audio option. All other hearing aids all have chips below 5.2, kst just 4.2. They never can be upgraded to Auracast capeability. No one will change a chip in a hearing aid an will provide a new firmware or software which all must be proven by medical authorities as hearing aids are medical instruments.
This is great news. Your example of the couple on a plane sharing the same audio source was spot on. My wife and I have been in that exact scenario before. I'll be looking at getting new hearing aids next year at some point, so I'll be sure to ask my audiologist about this. Might hold on to my current devices a bit longer if it means getting this tech.
The difference in size between a hearing aid with the telecoil and one without is barely discernible. It costs no more with a telecoil and is valauble in many listening situations. An ALD with a telecoil gives far better clarity than trying to use one with headphones over the hearing aids or using ear buds without hearing aids.
I have Signia Pure 7Ax hearing aids, and I wrestle with bluetooth connectivity to multiple devices, though the claim is that they're designed for that use case. My Streamline TV works great, but not the Streamline Mic that is required to connect to my laptop. I greatly look forward to the implementation of this new Bluetooth standard which, I hope will solve a lot of connectivity issues while further reducing latency.
Your hearing aid will not suport Auracast since it has no Bluetooth 5.2 or higher chip. You must buy new hearing aids when they will be available, one upon time. You cannot upgrade since no one will change a chip in a hearing aid and will provide firmware or software for older hearing aids. Every change of a hearing aid must be proven by the FDA or other authority throughout the world since it is a medical product. Do you think hearing aid manufacturers will do that for their old products or do they rather sell you a new one? They are not a charity organization but a commercial industry. Use your telecoil. You must pair the Streamline Mic via Bluetooth-Classic with your laptop. Then it must be paired to your hearing aids. Then you must switch your HA to your StreamlineMic. Sometimes it turns on only when it hears some seconds of sound.
Insightful video Sir. Keep posting such amazing content ❤ hoping you'll do a video on "Hearable" soon... Greets from🇮🇳👍🏻
Dr. Cliff over the last 5+ years with hearing aids I've not found anywhere that I can use my Telecoil, so while I like the idea it has not been useful. I just got a pair of Resound Nexie 9 with LE and look forward to Auracast, the battery life is amazing!
Exciting news! Many thanks for sharing and I’m looking forward to new developments in auracast that I’m sure you will bring to us in future videos…❤
Good info, but all this was announced about 3 months ago. I was wondering when you were going to get around to talking about it. Personally I will be waiting for all of this to be adopted before buying any expensive prescriptive hearing aids - so I hope you will continue to keep us informed about this as manufacturers add support for Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast.
I originally had a video about it 2 years ago before they trademarked the name. As soon as I hear about new hearing aids with Auracast, I will be sure to announce it ASAP..
Great to see that this is coming. Until Auracast is available it would be a real plus for HA manufacturers to make their new models upgradeable. I may need new aids in the near future, but I will not get a model that doesn't guarantee upgradeability to Auracast.
Almoust every heraing aid has a Bluetooth 4.2 chip. It is not upgradeable to Auracast which needs at least a Bluetooth 5.2 chip. No one will change a chip in a hearing aid and no one provides a new firmware or software. You will have to by a new hearing aid when Auracst enabled hearing aids will be provided once upon time. Auracst is just an option of Bluetooth 5.2, not mandatory. And you will always have to use a Smartphone to select the transmitter you want to listen to. It depends on the design of the hearing aid wheather the smartphone needs an Auracast enabled chip as well. At the other side there must be Auracst transmitters. There are no professional equipment providing it. There are just a few TV's or dongles etc. that are said to provide it. So I think you will have to wait several years until you can use Auracast with your hearing aid. In the meantime ist better to use your Telecoil.
At one time, there was an organization named Loop America. It stated that most European visitor sites were looped and they were a grassroots organization to do the same for America. Haven’t heard anything about this organization lately. Not even sure if still exists.
This news is huge! Thanks for sharing.
The article in Hearing Health (Fall 2022) about Auracast assistive listening systems sounds very promising. Hope devices can be upgraded. I already attend a meeting that has a Loop system and my understanding is travel in Europe has most visitor/tourist attractions looped.
no hearing aid can be upgraded since you need an new hardware chip Bluetooth 5.2 with the BLE Audio option. Contemporary hearing aids use Bluetooth 4.2 chips. No one will solder a new chip to your hearing aid and provides a new firmware and software for old hearing aids. Manufactures will sell you a new one instead. And you must have a compatible smartphone since you have no screen on your hearing aids to see the provides streams in your area. So it will be very expensive for you to use Auracast. Using your telecoil will cost you nothing.
@@user-qj2hk7oi7r i purchased both pairs of hearing aids in March of this year. I specifically purchased both with t-coils and they have both Bluetooth and LE Bluetooth. I have a cellphone that was purchased in January of this year. My understanding is that i will probably want a new pair of hearing aids before Auracast becomes a reality. The current Auracast device is still prototype versions only. I’m positive that there will probably be new technology by that time and if changes can’t be made, i will replace them with ones that can. I have seen the company’s videos on the device and the videos of the test groups and if their product works as promised, i will have no problem (other than cost) buying new hearing aids because they will be so much better than anything i currently own. Maybe by the time the devices are actually available to the masses, technology will be able to upgrade. Its not a problem that i have to deal with now.
this is gonna be incredible. i cannot wait
Samsung s24 has Auracast.
So does my fold 6 and here I am trying to figure out how to use it 😅
Im Henry and have been following you for about 6 months i found you when i was looking for relief for my tinnitus i am grateful for your channel , it honestly got better in the past 4-5 months but just 2 days ago my other ear started ringing and it seems louder i saw my doctor and they just gave me drops for my ear i scheduled for a specialist but i wanted any advice from anyone reading this i am mightily fighting it to not become sad or down but these past days have been very stressful, please if there is any one i just feel alone
@@dougiehouser7789 thank you I really appreciate it
Henry do u have any other symptoms like aural fullness or something
Henry you will win this battle and best wishes I am damn sure the journey might have ups and downs but you will raise the trophy 💕💕
The galaxy buds 2 pro just dropped an update for auracast
Have been following the Auracast development for awhile now and am eagerly awaiting its eventual launch. Game-changer for public streaming. One question though... Is there any reason to think that the new protocol might allow HA manufacturers to more successfully add bluetooth capabilities to smaller ITE aids, like true CIC-sized if not IICs? Seems it's the length of the antenna required for current bluetooth tech that has been the biggest obstacle. So...wondering if the new Auracast CODEC might allow for smaller antennas and therefore successful inclusion in smaller aids?
I am not an electronics engineer, but my understanding that the antenna length is a function to the radio frequency carrier, not the codec. My understanding is that Auracast is a new codec. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I do not believe it will make the Bluetooth antenna smaller. Unless they stop using 2.4 Ghz, the antenna length will have to remain as long as it is now.
The antenna depends on the radio frequency. Auracast is not a new codec but it has a new codec. But it is far more. It relies on an new Bluetooth chip at least version 5.2 and with the BLE Audio option. It's a complete other software architecture than before. You will need a complete new hearing aid with a new BT 5.2 chip. So forget Auracast for CIC's.
Great job! Well done!
So doc I was thinking about what you said about wireless connectivity streaming to 2 different hearing aids that sort of already exists with Bluetooth 5.2 if I remember correctly only with headphones and earbuds
Not that I'm aware of yet.
Hi Cliff, would you please consider changing your intro music. It seems to be much louder than your voice, and the volume and frequencies are jarring, painful, and trigger my tinnitus, so much so that I either skip your videos altogether or try to skip past the intro. I know I'm not alone in this, as someone else shared a similar experience in response to one of your other videos. Would you please be so kind as to consider this genuinely, especially given how many of your viewers are likely to experience noise sensitivities, hyperacusis, etc? Thanks.
I was just thinking how much I don't like that music.
If you have any good suggestions for the music, please let me know. It has to be royalty free.
@@DrCliffAuD thanks so much for taking it seriously. I'll find a few good options. What's the best way to share them, and what length would you prefer?
@@claughlin send them to Drcliff@drcliffaud.com. My current intro is about 6 seconds long. Any clip between 5 and 9 seconds would be appropriate.
@@DrCliffAuD - excellent. I'll try to match the mood and tone.
So is Aurocast replacing hearing loop?
Signia has a 7TIX version. Do patients with good low decibel hearing still hear a hum with the Signia 7TIX like they do in the Signia 7TAX model!
Nicely done! 😊
So what is the range of Auracast transmitters? I understand that Bluetooth was designed as a short-range communication system. My Phonak Audio M70-R was spec to have some of the best Bluetooth hardware, I still drop my Bluetooth connection to my Mac when I move more than 4 feet from the Mac whereas the Phonak TV Connector (which does not use Bluetooth) can keep me connected for over 30 feet from the TV. Auracast as you described it is not go to be able to transmit over long range and through walls.
I'm not sure about Auracast specifically, but Bluetooth 5 has a range of up to 800 feet, and also has great features like low-latency aptX streaming, dual-streaming (two devices at once), and low battery drain. Almost all new phones, earbuds, headphones, and Bluetooth speakers already use it, but unfortunately most hearing aids don't. I don't know what Bluetooth standard the Phonak Audio M70-R is using because Phonak obscures technical details of their products, but I assume it's Bluetooth 4.2 or earlier, unfortunately. Hopefully Phonak and other HA manufacturers will play catch-up and introduce Bluetooth 5 devices very, very soon. It's incredibly frustrating to pay so much for devices that are so far behind technologically yet we depend on them so much.
@@claughlin As a brand new HA user I can tell you that rather than authorizing the release of OTC HA I would have preferred a regulation that required HA manufactures to release full spec sheets on their devices. It's an outrage that all of them hide the most basic information about the devices. Nothing but advertising fluff that tells you nothing. Just my 2 cents.
@@gbkworf Yes, but why not both? The HA industry as a whole is disgustingly deceptive and exploitative. It's astonishing that governments allow it to continue this way.
Also, it's crazy how many proprietary technologies the HA manufacturers use - for example FM systems like Roger - and charge so extortionately for. HA users would benefit so much from open standards, but the HA manufacturers only seem to care about profits.
There are two Bluetooth variants Bluetooth-Classic and Bluetooth-Low Energy (LE). They cannot connect each other since they use differnt techniques. Phonak is using Bluetooth-Classic, alls other manufacturers use Bluetooth-LE. The Version tells the capeabilities provided, e.g. bitrates channel-widths etc. There are options e.g. BLE Audio/Auracast since e.g. a bloodpressure-sensor dont need an audio transmission but may be other festures of 5.2 spcification. Most hearing aids use Version 4.2 chips. An Auracast transmitter is said to have a range of 900 feet (100m). The Auracast receiver just receives and doesn't send, so the range doesn't matter.
AptX is not a specification of Bluetooth, it is a Qualcomm surplus in some of their chips and requires that both chips - sender an receiver - has this codec - means are Qualcomm-chips or have a licence to AptX.
All contemporary hearing aids (except Cochlear 8-processor) cannot be upgraded to Auracast since no one will exchange chips in a hearing aid or provide firmware or software for used or old hearing aids. So you have to buy new ones when they appear in a while ...
What is the difference with MFI Bluetooth?
I'm a geek and I love BT streaming tech with my hearing aids....but I am concerned about the less technically savvy people (there's lots) with hearing loss being left in the dust. I know because I'm the neighborhood tech support who has helped many in my area to try to understand how to use basic technology. Many seniors and non-seniors as well struggle with smartphones to control their hearing aids with basic functions.
So do I. Bluetooth is not a good choice for older people. In Germany a statistic says that more than 50% of 65 or older people do not use a spartphone. They never can use Auracast because you should use a smartphone to say your hearing aids which stream you will hear. Using the telecoil is easy: just press one or two times a switch at your hearing aid and you are connected. But tell a 75 years old housewife that she has to take her smartphone, switch Bluetooth on, start the Auracast app, restart the hearing aids if they are not connected, check which transmitter and which stream is the right one and then find it in the app to switch the hearing aids to this stream. And phone me, when you have problems ...
I just got new HAs on the NHS - Oticon Engage BTE. I feel like I've been reborn! They have the 'made for iphone' BT LE Audio tech and so I assume that I'll be able to use Auracast from the outset when it becomes available. As I can already use my HAs as streaming headphones via my iPhone, I can't see it being a massive jump to include 'Auracast'.
But for now, I'm keen to try and use them as remote, wireless headphones for other devices whilst field recording.
So.... what I want is something that plugs into the 3.5mm headphone socket and transmits, presumably to my phone, which I can then stream to my HAs. As my phone streams sound from all of its software already I'm going to try and use it as a conventional BT receiver which then outputs via BTLEAudio to my HAs.
Has anyone else tried this?
Basically it would revolutionise my field recording activities.
Thank you
can we expect that with the next generation of Phonak?
~2 years
Great video Cliff! This is very exciting and I'm sure I'll look forward with enthusiasm to getting my fourth Bluetooth-enabled hearing aid. Hopefully, they won't cost much more than my current PHONAK Paradise 50's! And hopefully, this will give all hearing aid providers some competitive advantages against the new OTC providers!
But you will not get an Auracst enables hering aid. All you can get until now and the near future will never receive any sound from Auracast transmitters. That's why it cannaot be upgraded to Bluetooth 5.2
do you know if auracast come out yet because I going to have my hearing tested July 18th for the new hearing aids
Why is Auracast broadcasting cheaper than hearing loops broadcasting?
Because it will not require a physical induction loop installation, which can be very expensive and complicated.
No, induction loops are in most cases the cheapest and lowest-maintenance hearing aid technology. And it is the only barrier-free technology because it does not require any additional devices other than the disability-related hearing aid (with T-coil).
Even if in some individual cases it is the case that a loop is somewhat more complicated to lay, this is not an argument against this technology at all. For example, there are also cases with Auracast where a larger Bluetooth mesh has to be installed. This is because the Bluetooth transmission frequency of 2.4GHz is swallowed up or attenuated by anything containing water.
Total Cost of Ownership" must be used. In addition to hardware costs, these are the installation costs and the costs for operation and maintenance as well as new purchases after end-of-life or end-of-support.
Induction loops incur virtually no maintenance costs and usually last more than 30 years. The amplifiers usually require no maintenance, no updates, no administration.
However, an Auracast transmitter needs to be constantly kept up to date with the latest software. It must be administered by technical staff. In addition, there are the costs for the staff who have to explain the technology to the guests, install the app that goes with the hearing system, if necessary, and provide instruction.
And after a few years, a new acquisition becomes necessary because the hardware used is no longer provided with security updates.
Theoretically, there could even be recourse if the guests' smartphones were infected via Bluetooth hacking.
All in all, Auracast is likely to be considerably more expensive than an induction loop.
I'm in the process to buy hearing aids but I have no idea what are the best ones, can you please Dr. Recommend the best hearing aids out there? I have extremely loud noise (ringing, drumming etc) 24/7 in my ears and the sound I received is like a broken speaker lots of distortion, I have hearing aids at the moment but not adjustable so loud sounds for long periods can be extremely overwhelming specially with my distortion hearing...I need something that I can constantly adjust and with clear sound....please advise when you have a moment, thanks Dr. In advance!!!!! I really appreciate your help.
My Widex Moment hearing aids I have that are a few months old have the WORST bluetooth. Practically unusable even when the phone is inches away from my head. I wonder if they are going to be able to do a firmware update to help these actually work?
Is phonak going to use it
I know this video is almost a year old, but do you have any update on this new technology? We have a very tiny church and can't afford a hearing Loop but could probably work with auracast. Is it actually available now? Is it a future thing? Any idea how much it costs to implement if all you need is to connect the device to your existing audio system?
I just heard about Auracast today and I'm just starting my research.
Thanks.
Cliff please do reply can sensoneural hearing loss cause ear fullness and can hearing aids alleviate it .....
Pls reply dear and fellow members watching video
I have hearing aids so this is good for me
Is this strictly one way transmission? Still need regular bluetooth for phone calls?
Auracast is able to transmit in both direction, theoretically you can phone with it. But since Auracast is designed for public hearing (broadcast). So you must use a password for the phone connection and everone who can guess your password can participate to your phonecalls. But also this means that your hearing aid and your smarthone needs a Bluetooth 5.2 or higher chipset with the BLE Audio/Auracast option and the full support of all features of Auracast. You have to buy new hearing aids an a brandnew smartphone. But no hearing aid manufacturer will limit its devices to brandnew smartphones. So all legacy features must be supported in future. So you can forget phoning with Auracast. Auracast ist just a product for conference centers, but there are better systems in use.
I was surprised (and disappointed) that Dr. Cliff never mentioned telecoils for ALDs in this Auracast video. He says only that you’ll still need telecoils because there will be some looped venues around for a while. Nothing about ALDs. He also puts emphasis on no longer needing telecoils because then your hearing aids can be smaller.
You are right. Telecoils no longer determine the size of a hearing aid these days. It is the rechargeable batteries that make hearing aids even bigger than battery devices these days. Induction loops are the only barrier-free hearing aid technology and are part of the basic provision for the hard of hearing. Bluetooth or Auracast is just an add-on technology that is more convenient for some situations.
I am a keyboardist with almost total loss in L ear (no HA) and fair hearing in R ear with a KS-10. Listening to streamed music via the KS-10 built bluetooth sounds acceptable but when not streaming, listening via the KS-10 mics is very disappointing. Would the latency of Auracast be low enough to allow me to play my keyboard (with a compatible transmitter) and hear it live? Present attempts using a bt setup make it near impossible due to latency. Thank you.
Possibly, but I won't know until I hear it myself.
Nick Hunn, chairman of the BLE Audio/Auracast development group of Bluetooth-SIG, says in his book about BLE Audio that the signal transmits in about 20ms to the receiver. The book was published before any BLE Audio/Auracast device had been developed. Then the hering aid must decode and do the other work until you will hear the sound. But one of the first devices with Bluetooth 5.2 are daid to take about 55ms. Nevertheless, for a musician using in-ear monitoring the latency must be unter 20ms otherwise he gets out of sync with the other musicians. (says the company shure in a webinar).
My son is using Phonak Naida UP,His communication is not very good,I am from Pakistan ,Is Auracast good for my son?
From a wireless perspective it would be. However, if he is not having success with a UP hearing aid, he may need a cochlear implant.
I used to wear Naida hearing aid. Now I have cochlear implant. Miles of differences between them and I’m not sure about Auracast improving his Bluetooth connection to listen to whatever devices he’s using but it wouldn’t have improve mine. I am looking forward to Auracast because it will be much better than AudioStream I’m using with my processor.
Talk to your audiologist about cochlear implant as it may help him significantly with hearing. I wish I got mine when I was young but I was young in 70’s, cochlear implant is nowhere as good as now.
Price?
It isn't available yet. No idea on the pricing.
anyone else here notice anything ultra strange about Auracast company logo? that blue triangle?....eeeek
Please see my comment on your short about ear wax.
This intrigues me probably because I'm technerd/ techhead🤣
Great backup for portable oxygen generators.