Q: starkey halo

I don't know how to start a new thread, so I'm just using reply to get this out.

NEW THREAD: I HAVE BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES THAT I CAN RECOMMEND!

I can still use headphones, and have a wall full of them, both wired and BlueTooth.  A month ago I found some that I can HIGHLY RECOMMEND.  They are the V-Moda Crossfade Wireless:  http://v-moda.com/crossfade-wireless .  They can be used BOTH WIRELESS AND CORDED and are completely compatible with iPhones and iPads.  The sound is EXCELLENT, and I cannot hear any difference between corded or BlueTooth.  They have a built-in microphone, so you can use them for phone calls.  The people that I have spoken to say that my voice comes across just fine.  The battery lasts "12 hours, depending on volume." 

These are OVER THE EAR earphones, so they fit around your ears, and are very comfortable for long periods of use.

The only caveat is that the battery is not USER replaceable.  But V-Moda has a LIFETIME warranty that extends beyond the normal one year warranty.  The way it works is that if you are past the one year warranty, you can get a BRAND NEW replacement at HALF PRICE.  The cost of the headset is $300, so an out of warranty replacement would be just $150. 

I also have Sennheisers that cost more, but the V-Moda beat them hands-down.  Much better Bluetooth and much louder sound.

Jim Flannery

Littleton, Colorado

I am a 2 week use of Halo i110 units (both ears).

I have a question about Comfort Boost - I have read some general info in the manuals but don't really know when to use the setting button to turn it on, leave it on all the time?, leave it off?

What is it doing and how are others using it?

Generally, I am liking the units - I do use streaming for podcasts and phone but use normal speakers or ear devices for Music listening.

I would like to be able to adjust the sound better than with Soundspace as others have commented on. 

I have found a low hiss setting that I have done in Soundspace that helps the audiologist Normal setting but if I understand correctly, the audo won't be able to see what I have done? 

fmH 

Hi Jim,

I have not been to the forum for along time. I've been wearing the halo i110s since september 2014. I had the same initial BT connectivity issues that most people were experiencing. Once the iOS upgrades come out, my Halos have been virtualy trouble free. Add an apple watch recently, still no issues at all. I predominately stay connected to the phone rather than my ipad, although I do switch back and forth occasionally without issue.  My loss is extremely profound. I only hear the first 2 hertz at about 20% and then drop to zero. My speach recognition is below 50%. The halos are by far the best aids I have every had. I can't watch TV without a headset and closed captioning, the aids don't help much with the TV viewing. The headset I currently use is from Sony. very comfortable over the ear, wireless infrared connection from the rechargeable headset to the base. The base connects to the the microphone jack  on the TV, when connected that TV doesn't put sound into the room, which is a great set up for the bedroom, where we have his and hers TVS. I am looking for a headset that would connect to smart tv in my family room, allow regular volume in the room, so I could actually enjoy TV with my family.

Even with my Halos, watching TV without a headset doesn't work for me, I need the sound to be streaming directly to my ears in order to have any hopes of hearing enough on the program to enjoy it. Do you think the V-Moda would work for me?

Well, they're LOUD, but I guess you won't know without trying them.  They're much louder than my Sennheisers.  Any more, I only use the Sennheisers with the TV, and that's just because I plug the base unit directly into the TV.

Good luck to you!

Jim

LOUD is good, my hearing is BAD! Do they have a volume control?

When in BlueTooth mode, YES.  There are 3 buttons and a switch.  The switch turns 'em on, then there are buttons for +, -, and the standard pause multi-function.  When used with say, an iPhone or iPad, the + and - duplicate the effect of the buttons on the iDevice.

When you use the headset WIRED, it is just "earphones" and uses the source volume control. 

Jim

thanks for the info Jim!

Hello,

Not sure if anyone else has this issue. You can hear every sound your phone makes but you can’t hear anything around you. This happened to me a few times and it’s really annoying. Good part is, you can fix it yourself. See the link below. In my case, I asked my audi to send me extra covers just in case the ones I removed breaks or something. Also, the wire is slippery to remove so I put a rubber band between my finger and the wire  to provide a non slip grip.

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/How+to+clear-clean+Starkey+Halo+Hearing+Aid+microph one+screens./51569

HTH and good luck.

Hi Jim, et al,

I just want to thank everyone in the forum who have tried to help me with my MANY issues with the Starkey Halos. I've finally gotten some excellent support from my new audiologist. Starkey is totally amazing in their support for these issues. I'm moving away from the Halos and looking at a more flexible HA, I hope, in the Starkey "Z" series. They have t-coils! They also have streaming capabilities that support a myriad of devices. Again, I appreciate the support that I've received in this forum. With my level of loss, I believe I need a more flexible solution. It sounds like (here's hoping) the Starkey-z offers that. The t-coils alone do offer some kind of constant connection when/if streaming doesn't work as it should. They will also cut down on battery burn.

I've struggled with the Halo HAs for well over a year. They just don't seem ready for prime time--at least, my prime time. I do not fault Starkey. In fact, after this experience (my first bad one after wearing HAs for over 30 years) I am a Starkey fan. They have bent over backwards to try to help me. I can also reiterate what everyone else says. It pays HUGE dividends to have an audiologist that cares.

Thanks again.

-Rachel

The very best to you, Rachel!  After you've used the new ones for a while, please come back here and let us know how they are working out for you.  We always like to hear success stories, and you may help future people.  I agree that the Halo's STREAMING is "not ready for prime time" but really like them as plain hearing aids.  For streaming, I find myself taking the HA's off and putting on my V-Moda Crossfade Wireless headset.  That is my "go-to" device for any streaming.  Hopefully Starkey and Apple will continue to improve the streaming experience as they gain more experience.

Jim

Hi guys,

I have an iPhone 5 and iPad air 2 both on last iOS 9.2.1.

But I still have issues:

- if I connect my iPhone, everything works well, but then if i want to connect them on my iPad, only the left Halo will work.

I have to do "forget device" everytime and then reconnect on my iPad for my right Halo work...

- When both Halo works on my iPad, then its on my iPhone where only the left or the right halo work, i always need to do "forget device" for both Halo work.

I don't know how to resolve it, i thought iOS 9.2.1 gonna resolve this but no... I tried everything since a few month !

I talked about it with my audioprothesist but he doesn't really understand, (i live in France and its an american product)...

I saw on his computer, that my Halos are on Firmware 3.0.0.64, does everyone here know if it is the last firmware ?

Maybe there is an update or something else ? If yes, how to up to date it ? I asked to my audioprothesist to look after this, but there isn't a way to update this on his computer.

Sorry for my bad english, hope you gonna understand me

Thanks !

Don't worry about your English.  It is excellent.  French was my first language (Canada) but I barely speak any French at all now.

When switching between iPhone and iPad,  TURN OFF BLUETOOTH on the first device, THEN WAIT a minute before trying to connect to the second device.  It sounds like ONE AID isn't dropping the previous connection.

You may also need to TURN YOUR AIDS OFF, THEN BACK ON to drop the previous connection.

"Forget Device" shouldn't be necessary.  Your aids have a DATABASE that remembers "THE LAST TEN DEVICES" and should recognize ANY of those devices.

Yes, it sounds like you Audi doesn't know this product.  I don't know the latest firmware number of my aids, and ONLY YOUR AUDI can determine that, by using the program.  That program will list the serial numbers, firmware, and settings.  You may need another AUDIOLOGIST.  Some are much better than others.

A bientôt!

Jim Flannery

Littleton, Colorado

You can see your firmware version.

Go to Settings icon (looks like a gear on top of Trulink page.

Go to Help

You need to then flip through to the last page of the Help information and you will see a link for Customer Support email.

Click on that and the device information for your iPhone and Halos show there.

Hope this helps!

My firmware is 3.1.0.12

THANK YOU!!!