Wireless audio

[Sabrewulf]

I've been using an old set of earbuds. Was gifted a set last Christmas, and recently got a nice set, technics az80.
Wireless audio has been improving recently.
Basically most streaming music is very compressed, but services like Tidal are offering better quality compared to Spotify or pandora.
So I wanted earbuds that let's you take advantage of that.
What are you using and what codec is it using?
My samsung let's me use ldac, ssc and the lower quality ones as well.
I know iphones aren't up to date yet.
Wired earbuds are still superior to wireless.

 

[TPA]

I'm still using hardwired for as long as possible. I have quite a collection of wired headphones, mostly studio type stuff.

On the Bluetooth audio side of things, I have a gaggle of Anker's Soundcore speakers. Some of the cheapies to kick around and travel, but I also have a pair of their Motion+ speakers, and a Motion Boom Plus for outdoors use.

I have to give the Motion+ speakers credit. When paired as a stereo pair, they give a heck of a lot of performance for the $. I have a friend who blew $20k on a home theater system in his house. All in-wall stuff. Not what I use. I put the two Motion+ speakers in the room and yes, there was a difference, but it was a lot closer in performance than either of us had imagined it would be.

I was going nuts trying to figure out how to do wireless distributed audio for our wedding and have it sync'd properly. Ultimately I gave up on digital and will be using a small FM transmitter with $2 FM radio receiver boards strapped to the back of powered speakers. So simple and cheap.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I'm still using hardwired for as long as possible. I have quite a collection of wired headphones, mostly studio type stuff.

On the Bluetooth audio side of things, I have a gaggle of Anker's Soundcore speakers. Some of the cheapies to kick around and travel, but I also have a pair of their Motion+ speakers, and a Motion Boom Plus for outdoors use.

I have to give the Motion+ speakers credit. When paired as a stereo pair, they give a heck of a lot of performance for the $. I have a friend who blew $20k on a home theater system in his house. All in-wall stuff. Not what I use. I put the two Motion+ speakers in the room and yes, there was a difference, but it was a lot closer in performance than either of us had imagined it would be.

I was going nuts trying to figure out how to do wireless distributed audio for our wedding and have it sync'd properly. Ultimately I gave up on digital and will be using a small FM transmitter with $2 FM radio receiver boards strapped to the back of powered speakers. So simple and cheap.

There is an emerging Bluetooth standard called Auracast that's essentially a Bluetooth broadcast format. It does not require pairing between the transmitter and the receiver; instead any number of receivers can "tune in" to the transmitted audio stream. I believe it requires Bluetooth 5.4 support in the hardware/. A couple of large venues are currently testing this for broadcasting program audio to Auracast-enabled hearing aids. I've picked up an inexpensive Auracast transmitter and receiver and will be experimenting with it as well.

Having said that, you can't go wrong with an analog FM transmitter.

 

[ButchW]

I recently got hearing aids thru the VA… They are upgradable to Auracast with a firmware upgrade… Looking forward to trying this… Since I’m new to this, I think I need to get with my audiologist about setting up my aids for a little better sound quality….
Butch

 

[TPA]

I don't know if this will help anyone, but I recently got my dad new hearing aids at Costco. 1/5th the price of what he paid for his last ones. He's had many pairs of hearing aids over the past 10 or so years, but for the first time ever, he can actually hear with these! I also had them locked down since he's having memory issues, so they automatically turn on when removed from the charger, automatically shut off when put back in. Everything else locked down.

 

[Monocrom]

I don't know if this will help anyone, but I recently got my dad new hearing aids at Costco. 1/5th the price of what he paid for his last ones. He's had many pairs of hearing aids over the past 10 or so years, but for the first time ever, he can actually hear with these! I also had them locked down since he's having memory issues, so they automatically turn on when removed from the charger, automatically shut off when put back in. Everything else locked down.

Sad to say.... I might need a pair of those for my elderly mother. Gotten to the point I have to shout at her, just for her to hear me. She's also on a low-dose aspirin regiment to help prevent strokes. Downside is, any slight bump means instant, large bruising. I suspect some of the neighbors might think I'm abusing her. Would you happen to remember the brand-name of those hearing aids?

 

[TPA]

@Monocrom : They were these: https://www.costco.com/f/-/philips-brand-showcase They are full-featured, but they disabled all of that at the hearing center for us.

My dad's hearing loss is very profound. -40dB in the bass frequencies, -80dB in the upper-midrange (2kHz-5kHz range). These have made a huge, lifechanging difference, especially with his brain injury .

 

[Monocrom]

I appreciate the info. Thank you.

 

[azebolsky]

I bought the hype and got a set of Status ANC earbuds. I’m not sure I like them, as even the smallest ear tip falls out of my ears. They’re not “bulky”, but they’re noticeable rectangles hanging out of your ears. Were I to do it again, I wouldn’t buy them. I’d go for a pair of behind the head ear buds or something.

 

[Schokokeks]

@Monocrom : They were these: https://www.costco.com/f/-/philips-brand-showcase They are full-featured, but they disabled all of that at the hearing center for us.

My dad's hearing loss is very profound. -40dB in the bass frequencies, -80dB in the upper-midrange (2kHz-5kHz range). These have made a huge, lifechanging difference, especially with his brain injury .

To tie to this, long story short, tangential to my studied field in graduate school, I'd spent some time talking with audiologists. They said, when it comes to hearing aids, one of the more interesting technologies is where it essentially lowers voices an octave or two, as hearing loss affects low frequencies last. Then, despite the fact that it sounds almost unintelligible, the cadence and tone of the voice fills in a lot of the gaps they miss with the higher frequencies, and the brain rectifies that, and they can hear. It's similar to how you can hear murmured voices, and follow along with what's being said, generally, haha. The brain is kind of amazing in how well it processes speech.

Also, Costco is the way to go. They essentially hire an audiologist just to help you, and they're not commission. It's literally cheaper to just buy a membership JUST to get hearing aids, for most people.

Of course, with hearing aids being over-the-counter in a lot of states, one can also just go down rabbit holes and make a good selection for themselves, haha.

 

[ButchW]

If you have access to the VA healthcare system, the hearing aids are free… They are top of the line, and many accessories are free as well….
Butch