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New River Cruise Vox
Not sure when Tauck started using these but on our cruise that ended last week, they were using new much smaller/ighter units which can be clipped on your clothing. Much better than the old ones slung around your neck. They pop into their charging stand with magnets. Will be interesting to see if the land tours have a similar unit.
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The ear piece is still annoying. I’m wondering when they will go to a bluetooth version.
Claudia, that is the "ultra-compact" Vox Microguide.
I'm not sure about Bluetooth but Vox and other brands have introduced WiFi versions, e.g. VoxConnect, which broadcasts to smart phones. I don't think Bluetooth has the necessary bandwidth or range. On the downside the TD must carry a large purse-sized WiFi transmitter unit.
https://www.voxtours.com/guides/vox-box/
That look’s similar to the ones we had on a tour with another company. We liked them. I think the ear piece was different, if not, then I used my own.
The ear piece in the photo is an old one of mine before they went to the hook style which I think is worse.
Those earpieces do not work for people who use over-the-ear hearing aids. I've contacted Tauck after every tour but they still don't do anything about it. The best is the one that broadcast to your smartphone, because then the sound comes to my hearing aids, and both hearing aids. In general, I cannot hear anything that a tour guide is saying when they use those old earpieces. I have to get my wife to tell me if anything said was important.
[The reason they don't work is that the microphone for over-the-ear hearing aids is, well, over the ear. And those earpieces direct the sound to your ear canal, which is too far for the hearing aid microphone to pick it up. Those VOX units are really old technology - it's time for Tauck to get a system that works for hearing impaired people.]
Mike, I'm sure you have seen my solution- a small separate Bluetooth transmitter (C.) and rechargeable USB battery (L.), (if needed), that I plug into the Vox earphone jack. It broadcasts to my over-the-ear (Bluetooth enabled) hearing aids. Works great with minimal latency.
The only negative is that the Bluetooth connection between the transmitter and hearing aids is designed to automatically terminate when there is no audio, i.e. the guide turns off his master Vox or stops talking for awhile. When the guide begins to talk again there is a slight delay before the Bluetooth device automatically reconnects with my hearing aids so I sometimes miss a few words. It broadcasts an alert tone first, however. The first few times it happened I didn't know about that feature and thought the battery had died.
If anyone followed my link above and read about the new Wifi-based Vox- along with broadcasting the tour guide's commentary to a smart phone, it can also broadcast other pre-recorded content (music, other commentary, etc.)
I have a looped wire that connects and broadcasts to my hearing aids. It plugs into Vox same as ear piece. T-coil technology. I use it for church at home.
Alan or Gerry, can you tell me exactly what you ordered and where. My bf is going to needs something that plays through his hearing aids on our spring trip. Thanks
It all depends on the brand and model of hearing aid. It is best for your bf to talk to a hearing aid vendor so they know exactly what they need and can recommend something compatible. Some HA use T-coil (telecoil) technologoy which works with a lanyard you wear around your neck. I have Bluetooth enabled hearing aids which work with the Bluetooth signal broadcast by iPhones, iPads, etc. but which require a separate small transmitter to work with something like the VOX which isn't Bluetooth compatible. My Phonak hearing aids were supplied with a separate Bluetooth "TV Connector" transmitter which also works with the VOX. I just connect the Connector to the VOX earphone jack via cable. The TV Connector requires a USB (5V) power source, however. I put the VOX and devices shown in my post above in a pocket- no long cords, lanyards, etc.
I have been using a Bellman Neck Loop which has worked out very well. The sound I get through my hearing aids is far superior to the ear speaker that they give us with the Vox devices. The telecoil neck loop is available on Amazon as well as other online places.
The one caveat is that the hearing aid must be telecoil enabled. Not all of them have this functionality.
I have Oticon Bluetooth hearing aids, but sadly, they will not connect to a standard Bluetooth transmitter. I think the Bluetooth standards group defined a "hearing aid profile" that has low requirements for memory and processing power, but will only connect to a device that also implements that same profile. The iPhone apparently does. I've tried to pair my hearing aids with other devices, such as my laptop, and the hearing aids are just never recognized. When I got my aids, I never thought to ask about Bluetooth connectivity, except to my iPhone.
I'll ask my audiologists next appointment at the VA.
Same here. The TV connector came from Phonak so is designed to work with my HA. I also use the Connector at home with my laptop. It is a bit easier than with the VOX, since the laptop has USB power available.
Like your Oticons, my Phonaks also work with my iPad Bluetooth. At one time I was going to contact Phonak to see if there is a user changeable setting somewhere that will allow my HA to work with Bluetooth in my laptop or with the little Bluetooth transmitter I use to listed to the TV with my Bose. (I have to hook the transmitter to an accessory output on the TIVO so TV is not muted and my wife can hear it).