TV Connector for Hearing Aids

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Z3Dreamer

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Anybody have one? Want to tell me about it?

Got my first set of hearing aids (Phonak brand) a few months ago. I can buy a TV Connector from Phonak for a few hundred dollars, new or Ebay for about a third. It appears that 3rd party/generic TV Connector's don't connect real well. That's OK.

One of the technical issues is that you can connect them with either the optical/Toslink or 3.5 MM headphone jack. I already have my TV Toslink connected to my receiver. And if I use the 3.5 MM headphone jack, it turns off the sound to others in the room. Maybe I could mess with some setting to possibility mitigate this headphone issue.

So, anyone have any experience, guidance, etc?

For those who have not studied this, TV's will not bluetooth connect to hearing aids. I tried. I talked to LG. No! Period. The end.
 
instead of using hearing aids to connect to your tv have you tried using earbuds to connect to the tv with bluetooth? that's what I do and it works great. we also have a sound bar connected to the tv so that DW can also listen.
 
mn54 said:
instead of using hearing aids to connect to your tv have you tried using earbuds to connect to the tv with bluetooth? that's what I do and it works great. we also have a sound bar connected to the tv so that DW can also listen.
Click to expand...
I have not. I don't have any bluetooth earbuds. I do have some bluetooth headphones. Will try that. Thanks.

Have you adjusted your earbuds to help with hearing loss or do you just turn up the volume?
 
MN54 - Thanks for the suggestion. I can connect my bluetooth headphones to my TV, but my TV will only allow internal speakers in addition to the bluetooth headphones. We have external speakers since we connect our TV audio to a stereo. The Onkyo receiver is from 2018. Ones made after 2021 have a bluetooth headphone connection. Not ours!
 
mn54 said:
instead of using hearing aids to connect to your tv have you tried using earbuds to connect to the tv with bluetooth? that's what I do and it works great. we also have a sound bar connected to the tv so that DW can also listen.
Click to expand...
I’d like to understand this better. DW has hearing loss and though I am capable of connecting ear buds to the tv, I can’t figure out how to have a speaker on at the same time. I’d like to find a way for DW to have an assist while I listed on a lower volume through the soundbar.
 
Jerry1 said:
I’d like to understand this better. DW has hearing loss and though I am capable of connecting ear buds to the tv, I can’t figure out how to have a speaker on at the same time. I’d like to find a way for DW to have an assist while I listed on a lower volume through the soundbar.
Click to expand...
my soundbar is connected to the tv thru an audio out terminal. this is seperate from the speakers/bluetooth. this way you can have the audio from both the sound bar and the speakers/bluetooth if you so choose. the volume level on the earbuds is at a normal listening level. does not have to be abnormally high. it just helps to cut out any external noise and makes the dialogue clearer and easier to understand.
 
I have a samsung TV 2024 model and when connecting to hearing aids it cuts the sound to the sound bar, have not figured out how to fix that yet.
 
I also have new phonak hearing aids since September. I got two of the TV connectors. One for the bedroom and one for the TV room. They work great. I set the volume on the TV for my wife's comfort level and adjust the volume on my hearing aids for my comfort level. The only thing I don't care for is sometimes when I'm browsing, using my cell phone, I lose the signal and I have to go back to the phonak app to reestablish it.
 
My wife had previously had her hearing aids connected to the tv and it worked great. We got a new larger tv with a sound bar and it wouldn't work with that. And the sound bar caused distortion for her. She uses the old connection with the older tv and if watching the new one, used subtitles.
 
Z3Dreamer said:
MN54 - Thanks for the suggestion. I can connect my bluetooth headphones to my TV, but my TV will only allow internal speakers in addition to the bluetooth headphones. We have external speakers since we connect our TV audio to a stereo. The Onkyo receiver is from 2018. Ones made after 2021 have a bluetooth headphone connection. Not ours!
Click to expand...
Your Onkyo probably has a line out, maybe you can connect a bluetooth transmitter to line out to drive the bluetooth headphones at the same time the Onkyo drives the external speakers.
Another thing you could try is a, TV Streamer for hearing aids.
TV streamers for hearing aids at DuckDuckGo
 
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My spouse uses Rexton hearing aids and is connected to their streaming box by an optical cable. Works very well and volume for her is independent of speakers on Samsung TV. It does drain her hearing aid batteries faster than "normal" use, and when she is listening to TV can't hear us talk.
 
Got some new Philips hearing aids from Costco right at the end of 2024, which thanks to some advertising glitch came with a free tv adaptor. When watching the tv they augment what I hear from the external tv speakers. Volume is adjustable via tv remote for external speakers and via phone app "TV Settings" for the aids. The tv can be muted via the tv remote, but no way for me to totally mute the commercials on the aids. This can interfere with conversations happening during commercial breaks. It is entertaining to leave the room with the tv, go to a different room and have the tv playing quite clearly in my head.
Probably wouldn't have bought it but now, after using, would. Maybe. $200. Don't need it and am bad about springing for personal indulgences.

Oh, I have them connected via toslink.
 
I also have Phonak hearing aids and the Bluetooth device. I bought a fiber optic splitter. One output was plugged into my Bose soundbar and the other plugged into the Phonak adapter.
 
Souschef - I assume this setup works well for you? I think the phonak Bluetooth device is about 300 bucks. Is that correct?
 
Z3Dreamer said:
Souschef - I assume this setup works well for you? I think the phonak Bluetooth device is about 300 bucks. Is that correct?
Click to expand...
I paid$100 5 years ago. I just checked eBay and there are a bunch for sale, but the prices are all over the place.
 
I will have to try eBay again. Last time I looked there were a bunch but you had to be really careful because some models of TV connectors from phonak we're not compatible with the latest hearing aids.
 
Just ordered one for DW. She got her hearing aids at Costco (Phonak) and I found a compatible unit for $179 at a site called the hearing group. TV Connector for Hearing Aids | Hearing Group I’ll give an update when I get it.
 
Z3Dreamer said:
Jerry1 - compatibility with Phonak Audeo 170 Sphere? (Which is my hearing aid)
Click to expand...
I’m not sure. I just focused on the brand (Phonak), not the model. Frankly, it looked pretty basic. I think if your hearing aids have Bluetooth capabilities it will work. It plugs into the optical out and Bluetooth’s the sound to the hearing aid. I had a similar set up with a sound bar and the signal from the audio out worked independent from the tv speaker. i.e. I controlled the sound bar with its own remote and the tv speakers with its remote. If the hearing aid works the same, I’ll be happy.
 
I have read on the phonak website about their current TV connector is only compatible with certain models of hearing aids. Or it is possible that I read the instructions wrong. That is why I've been hesitating to buy an eBay TV connector
 
The connector I bought is not Phonak specific or branded. It will connect to a few different brands, per their website.

It was delivered today and it took just a few minutes to set it up. It needs power from a USB charger (or from the tv) and the optical out from your tv. DW sync’d it this evening and it is working as advertised. I can control the sound on the tv and she can independently adjust the volume on her hearing aid. So far, so good.
 
calmloki said:
Got some new Philips hearing aids from Costco right at the end of 2024, which thanks to some advertising glitch came with a free tv adaptor. When watching the tv they augment what I hear from the external tv speakers. Volume is adjustable via tv remote for external speakers and via phone app "TV Settings" for the aids. The tv can be muted via the tv remote, but no way for me to totally mute the commercials on the aids. This can interfere with conversations happening during commercial breaks. It is entertaining to leave the room with the tv, go to a different room and have the tv playing quite clearly in my head.
Probably wouldn't have bought it but now, after using, would. Maybe. $200. Don't need it and am bad about springing for personal indulgences.

Oh, I have them connected via toslink.
Click to expand...
I have the same setup with my Samsung tv. I’ve been muting the commercials using the app. The tv remote will be more convenient. Glad you mentioned it.
 
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