Benefits of Streaming Products

Although your hearing aids are ready to operate right out of the box once you put batteries in, there are a number of assistive technology devices that you can use in conjunction with your hearing aids. Because many of these assistive technology devices operate using Bluetooth® technology, you’ll get the most out of these when you have Bluetooth hearing aids.

How the Products Work

These devices work to make your life easier. They are designed with communication and entertainment applications in mind, helping to transform your hearing aids into a personal wireless headset.

What Can I Connect to Through Streaming Devices?

The purpose of the streaming products is to enhance communication in all aspects:

  • Face-to-face conversation
  • Watching TV
  • Listening to music
  • Chatting online or over the phone

 

There’s an App for That

There are countless apps that connect to your hearing aids, helping you do the things you want to do — with ease.

Android or iPhone®

Some apps connect your Made for iPhone or Android hearing aids, turning them into customizable units with features that improve your listening experiences. These apps allow you to stream phone calls, FaceTime® audio, music, and sound from your television or computer using Bluetooth technology.

Your cell can also act as a remote control and microphone for your devices. The remote feature allows you to change the volume of your Bluetooth hearing aids quickly and easily, while the live microphone offers extra amplification to ensure that you don’t miss a moment of conversation. The microphone feature can also record, play back, and email audio as it happens.

Music

Other applications allow you to remotely adjust bass and treble to make hearing in certain environments easier. They can also save those adjustments so that when you return to a specific location, your devices readjust automatically.

Lost Your Hearing Aid? We’ve Found Your Solution

There are also apps that help you keep tabs on your devices. Features like Find My Hearing Aids emit a tone that helps you detect how close you are to your hearing aids.

iPhone and FaceTime are trademarks of Apple, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

 

Bluetooth Hearing Accessories

The Made-for-iPhone® Hearing Aids seem to be all the rage right now in the world of hearing technology, but you don’t need a smartphone to take advantage of some of the great features that those units have to offer. Many hearing aid manufacturers produce devices that stream sound from audio sources directly into your hearing aids. Let’s take a look at the differences between two popular streamers, the ConnectLine and the SurfLink.

 

ConnectLine

The ConnectLine is a series of devices that are designed with communication and entertainment applications in mind, helping to transform your hearing aids into a personal wireless headset. The purpose of the ConnectLine is to enhance communication in all aspects: face-to-face conversations, watching TV, listening to music, and chatting online or over the phone.

At the heart of the ConnectLine is the Streamer Pro, a device that can be worn around the neck and linked with your hearing aids via Bluetooth®.

  • The Streamer Pro acts as a gateway to the audio sources you wish to hear. Any technology you own that has built-in Bluetooth, such as a TV or iPod, can connect to the Streamer Pro wirelessly to send the sound straight to your hearing aids.
  • If your TV or computer doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth, the device can connect to the Streamer Pro via a mini-jack cable.
  • The Streamer Pro also allows for control over the hearing aids’ volume and hands-free cell phone calls straight to the units.

 

SurfLink®

The SurfLink products are similar in purpose, but the devices differ in how they operate. There are four SurfLink devices: the SurfLink Mobile, SurfLink Media, SurfLink Programmer, and SurfLink Remotes. The choice of devices allows the user to decide which wireless capability they would like based on their lifestyle and activity level.

  • SurfLink Mobile: This allows for hands-free cell phone conversations that transmit the signal to your hearing aids. It wirelessly streams sound from your Bluetooth-enabled TV or MP3 player and can act as an assistive listening device that can be placed on the table for listening in group settings, meetings, or restaurant conversations.
  • SurfLink Media: A device that is plugged directly into a sound source (a TV, radio, or MP3 player) to stream sound to your hearing aids. It allows multiple users with SurfLink-compatible hearing aids to connect to a single device. Set the device up, and it automatically streams audio to your hearing instruments when you’re in range.
  • SurfLink Programmer: This unit allows hearing care providers to quickly and easily fit your hearing aids. It connects to a computer via a standard USB connection, allowing for quick programming by your hearing care specialist.
  • SurfLink Remote: There are three different remote control options for those who wish to adjust their hearing aids using a more traditional remote device. Make memory and volume adjustments to hearing aids, or choose to activate/deactivate streaming modes.