Advice on how to connect Win 10 Desktop to Bluetooth Hearing Aids

therealsimpsons · 19 Apr 2023

Thank you very much to everyone who responded. I tried a number of solutions, and the audio out using the RCA connections seems the best.

NavyLCDR · 19 Apr 2023

sandyt said:

Bluetooth hearing aids are not really bluetooth. They use a proprietary protocol --- which is why they sell tv streaming devices and dongles for tv and pc connections.

That might have been true of old hearing aids, but not new ones. I have Phonak Audeo L90's and they connect directly to the PC, TV, and phone with no intermediary devices required.

NavyLCDR · 19 Apr 2023

therealsimpsons said:

Thank you very much to everyone who responded. I tried a number of solutions, and the audio out using the RCA connections seems the best.

All you should need is a USB bluetooth dongle, if you have modern hearing aids.

Advice on how to connect Win 10 Desktop to Bluetooth Hearing Aids-capture4a.jpg

Advice on how to connect Win 10 Desktop to Bluetooth Hearing Aids-capture4b.jpg

I know from experience. There is nothing proprietary about the Phonak Audeo L90 bluetooth capability for streaming audio.

MisterEd · 20 Apr 2023

NavyLCDR said:

That might have been true of old hearing aids, but not new ones. I have Phonak Audeo L90's and they connect directly to the PC, TV, and phone with no intermediary devices required.

What do mean by new hearing aids? What has changed? That may be true for your hearing aids but you can't assume the same is true for other hearing aid brands.

My hearing aids are 3 years old and work fine. I can't afford to replace them yet.

My headset and earbuds connect just fine using Bluetooth to my 2 laptops, 2 desktops, and my cellphone. My hearing aids connect fine using Bluetooth to my cell phone but only for the Android app on it. It is only supposed to work with iPhones for use as speakers.

BTW, two of my desktops have TP-Link UB400 Bluetooth dongles just like in your example above.

NavyLCDR · 20 Apr 2023

MisterEd said:

What do mean by new hearing aids? What has changed? That may be true for your hearing aids but you can't assume the same is true for other hearing aid brands.

My hearing aids are 3 years old and work fine. I can't afford to replace them yet.

My headset and earbuds connect just fine using Bluetooth to my 2 laptops, 2 desktops, and my cellphone. My hearing aids connect fine using Bluetooth to my cell phone but only for the Android app on it. It is only supposed to work with iPhones for use as speakers.

BTW, two of my desktops have TP-Link UB400 Bluetooth dongles just like in your example above.

K. Then maybe I should just have said that not all hearing aids are proprietary for Bluetooth streaming as was stated in post #2. There are models that have standard Bluetooth capability and mine are one of those models.

cereberus · 20 Apr 2023

NavyLCDR said:

K. Then maybe I should just have said that not all hearing aids are proprietary for Bluetooth streaming as was stated in post #2. There are models that have standard Bluetooth capability and mine are one of those models.

@NavyLCDR
As I said in Post#3

.
In the end, if you want quality, you have to pay for it - Phonak is simply the best.

A Bluetooth Dongle will work on a PC with USB out ports. However it may not work on a TV. One of my tvs has a usb port for reading usb sticks but does not worth with a dongle . Then you need a bluetooth transmitter with a 3.5 mm Jack connected to RCA. However, as OP already has the TV connector, rather pointless adding the TV connector.

In al honesty, these TV connectors are probably only worth buying if you have a TOSLINK port (optical out), but having said that, it probably transmits a stronger signal (greater distance usage).

I believe any dongle or transmitter needs to be BT4.2 or later.

@MisterED - OP made it clear he was using Phonak hearing aids. The Lumity range is the latest and designed to be universal blutetooth. If it works for @NavyLCDR's older Audeo range aids, it will work for the Lumity range (Phonak are always backwards compatible).

NavyLCDR · 20 Apr 2023

Well, anyway, the OP stated in Post #11 that they went with RCA audio outputs. Unfortunately, I think that decision was based upon possibly false information that all Bluetooth hearing aids used proprietary Bluetooth technology and a cheap USB Bluetooth dongle may have provided better quality because then the audio signal would have remained digital.

User2468 · 20 Apr 2023

I can say for certain that I've seen Bluetooth compatible hearing aids show up in the WiGLE App used for wardriving. So no, HAC is not a certain protocol for all hearing aids, they in fact use real Bluetooth and its associated protocols.

I believe the Spec for Bluetooth now is 5. So buy accordingly... It is backwards compatible with 4 et al...

fireberd · 20 Apr 2023

I have Starkey Livo 2400 hearing aids (less than 2 years old). They are not listed as a Bluetooth device in my iPhone 12. However, when I go to my audiologist for adjustments/updates, I have to turn off Bluetooth so she can access then,

They will not pair with any Bluetooth devices I have such as my Desktop or Laptop. (iPhone Bluetooth disabled when I tried).

NavyLCDR · 20 Apr 2023

Mine have two different Bluetooth channels. One is LE (low energy) and is for command and control. The other is for streaming. You can see the two different channels on my Android phone screenshot: