Q: starkey halo

I don't use my Halos when I use the headset on calls. I will have to look at the headset when I am in my office in the morning.

Just4Fun00 - I just reread your post and noticed the comment about your MacBook and being unable to stream from there to your Halos. That is expected - the Halos use low power Bluetooth connection and that is not supported by the MacBook (folks - I think I remember that right. Please correct me if I am wrong.)

My headset is a Jabra Evolve 80. It works very well as a phone headset on my iPhone and my Cisco desk phone. It performs extremely well for music. It is noise canceling and I hear virtually nothing of my surroundings, even when I am on an airplane.

Thanks Old Gnome,

I appreciate the information. One more question: "Do the ear covers press or hurt when combined with the Halo's?" I seem to have issues with every headset when it comes to the size of the earpieces. They are so small that they press uncomfortably against my ears and Halo's.

Yes, you are right about the MacBooks not being able to use the Halo BT. I called the company when I first got the Halos and the representative told me that the Halos would not work with the MacBooks. Nor did he ever expect that to be the case. So, I started searching for comfortable headsets. I'm going to check into those that you and others have mentioned in response to my questions.

While I'm at asking questions, does anyone know what the firmware update does? Bug fixes, additions, deletions, etc?

Thanks again to all of you. This is the best place to come for correct information regarding the Halos.

-Rachel

I am not aware of any headsets/headphones that are designed to be worn with hearing aids. The microphones on the Halos are at the top of the behind-the-ear piece and are poorly positioned for use with headphones anyway.

I stil have to max the volume to hear what I can when I am on the phone or listening to music.

Sorry, Old Gnome.  This isn't a reply to your last post.  I don't know how to post on a different subject. I seem to only be able to "return to hearing, go to original post or reply to original post" but not start a new subject.  But I have a new subject:

Starkey Halo and Theatre Use.

I will be attending a lot of plays this summer. The Stratford Festival season begins in May with Hamlet. The plays are not miked. Headphones are available but I have never found them very satisfactory.  Do you (or anyone else who may read this plea) have any advice on maximizing the Halos for use in theatres? Or am I being just overoptimistic in hoping there might be a way to enhance the theatre experience? 

I think you are correct that there is no way to start a new question without it showing up in some other part of this forum.  I've always "changed subject" by looking for something similar, then hitting reply.

Optimizing for a theatre is where Soundscape would be useful.

I still find that cupping my hands behind my ears helps in watching TV by using my hands as "reflectors."  It has occurred to me that something like "Mickey Mouse Club Ears" could be modified as passive reflectors/concentrators.  I'd be very open to a hat that was designed with that in mind.  NO, I AM NOT KIDDING.  Some enterprising inventor could become a Billionaire by inventing a hat-like passive reflector that we could use.  It shouldn't cost more than a standard baseball cap, and the "reflectors" wouldn't have to be very large.  "Batteries not needed."

To start a new thread, click on New above (way above) and ask a question. You will be able to select the correct community (this one is Accessibility->Hearing) so that it will get put in the appropriate place. Don't just reply to a thread with a different topic.

Hello Just 4fun,

1. I read the whole post. What a difference almost a year and OS updates make huh?

If you are still looking for a pair of stereo headset, consider trying the behind the head instead of over the head models. This way, you can swivel the headset up a bit so it goes over the mics instead of your hears. A good set should be well padded so if it does pinch, it does not hurt as much. I have a pair of HK CLs and I swivel them so the ear cups goves over the mics instead of my ears.  IF you need to use a mono headset like a plantronics, you can do the same thing. Just move the ear piece over the mic instead of your ears. This is what I do and it’s comfortable.

1. According to Starky, the firmware adds better noise filteration and adds functionality between the Halos and Trulink. It’s doesn’t make the connection better, the IOS update did that. If you haven’t gotten the update, get it as it does make a difference. If your Halos still sounds tinny, ask your Audi to adjust your settings.

As far as streaming from your Mac to the Halos, I thought it was odd as well that it was not made available.

You can purchase a USB Bluetooth 4.0 adapter so the BT should not really be an issue. I checked out my Audi’s PC and she used the same thing to connect to my Halos. But of course, she had the Starky software. In the meantime, you can try experimenting with apps like Airfoil speakers and see what it does and if you can tweak it. (wink)

1. Enough babbling.

HTH and good luck.

raserror645,

Thank you! Your information was very helpful. I'm going to attempt to digest it all with a little research. Then, I will look at the options. It would be nice to be able to stream to the Halos from my Macbook. Have to figure out the BT 4.0 that you mentioned.

As you suggested, the Apple iOS update has helped some of the connectivity issues that I've had, but, in my case, it hasn't solved them. I still have to reset the iPad several times over the week. Sometimes several times in one day. That is frustrating when trying to get some work done. On the other hand, when the streaming works, it is much better sound than my t-coils ever gave me. I keep hoping the technology will improve with time. :-)

I still need to see my audiologist about the firmware update. Interesting about that. I would have thought that it would help deal with the connectivity issues. Still, in some ways it makes sense. Starkey is about helping us hear better and not so much, until recently, about device connectivity.

Thanks again,

-Rachel

Rachel - I talked with Starkey tech support shortly after I received my Halos about a year ago regarding streaming from my MacBook. It is not possible.

I got my Watch yesterday. Starkey has an app for the watch that is needed to work with the iphone and hearing aids. I haven;t made much use of it but it looks good and at first pass works. One has to have Trulink on the phone and the Watch app installed on watch. To do so one has to download the new version of Trulink, and then go to the watch app on iPhone and find Trulink there. Click it and then it gives the options to Show app on watch and in glances. I did both. I'll see if I need to.

I'd be happier if Starkey would tell me how to get auto switch to work for streaming to normal and back. Streaming Boost is a bust for me. My Audi set up streaming for me and we worked until I have quite good sound. The Streaming boost is not loud enough nor does it have good fidelity. Problem is Starkey seems to have the boost locked into any audio streaming so I have to switch every time to my setting and then back. The watch will make that easier. Plus now in church I can switch between my presets without looking like I am looking at my phone. People will think I'm just timing the sermon. It will take a while for them to figure out my watch has my messages and email on it.:)

Sorry to go off topic but am new to this forum and would greatly appreciate advice from your collective wisdom. I have read all of the posts, following your trials and disappointments as the technology improves. Thank you all. I recently had ear surgery on the right ear only, the ossicle bones were removed and I need to wait 9 months to have restorative surgery. The left ear has lesser issues however a hearing aid is required. I work as a server in a restaurant that is often very noisy and, without an aid,  makes working impossible. I've go a temporary Oticon Alta Pro but I'm attracted to trying the Halo. Will it work well in one ear only? I have an iPhone 5 32GB with software iOS 7.1.2.. I am not running Yosemite on my iMac 2.7 Core i5 but have OS X 10.9.5. If I leave things as they are am I setting myself up for disaster? Should I install the latest software updates for the iMac OS and the iPhone? Would I be well advised to upgrade to the 6 or 6+ first?

Thanks everyone.

I have Yosemite and iOS 8.3.  Upgrading to Yosemite will make your Mac more functional with your phone, but won't affect your hearing aids at all, since the aids will only talk with iOS not OS X. 

That said, there were MAJOR improvements with the upgrade to iOS 8.3.  I'd definitely recommend that.

I also have the iPhone 6 PLUS.  The two reasons for going to the PLUS are SCREEN SIZE (for my old eyes) and PHOTOGRAPHY since it has a much better camera.  There are no other differences.  In my work, I take a lot of video clips (every day) and the OPTICAL STABILIZATION has been a Godsend.

I hope this has helped!

Jim Flannery

Unixman@Mac.com

Littleton, Colorado

Hi Jim, I  have appreciated your considered and thoughtful comments over the life of this community conversation.

I was afraid the iOS upgrade would but too much strain on my IPhone 5 and its battery but  I will do the upgrade to iOS 8.3.

I'll go ahead with Yosemite too for the phone functionality. I'll need to make due with the iPhone 5 for now. Because you didn't throw up any red flags to continued use of the older phone with the software updates, I'll do the upgrades and see what happens. I assume using only one aid won't affect performance substantially.

and yes, thank you for your helpful comments.

Cheers,

Gregory Groth

www.gregorygroth.com