This instalment in our series of end user testimonials comes courtesy of Nick Higgins, who has written eloquently in the past on his experiences with his ReSound LiNX² hearing aids. Nick has been a long-term user of our original Unite Mini Mic external microphone and our other wireless accessories, so when the new Multi Mic came out he was keen to give it some prolonged use and feedback his thoughts to us.
The new Multi Mic and Micro Mics feature extensive upgrades over the previous Unite incarnations. In particular, the Multi Mic features an innovative microphone switching function: when hanging in vertical position it acts like a unidirectional mic- focusing in on the voice of the wearer. When placed horizontally, though, the microphone automatically becomes omnidirectional and will pick sound up from the surrounding circle. This makes it ideal, when placed on a desk or table, for hearing the voices of those people located around it.
We don’t believe in distorting or influencing customer testimonials of our products, so the following words come direct from Nick in a stream-of-consciousness series of observations exchanged via email. We have simply edited these thoughts together into a logical narrative. Thanks Nick for your time!
The new Multi Mic is a tiny device; while it is being suspended from my shirt or tie it looks unobtrusive and sleek. Even to those of us old enough to have lost the body of a God, we still have a desire for tech to have good aesthetics - and this little device does. The mic looks far better than the older Unite Mini Mic, and I’m hoping there is a similar design upgrade for the TV streamer in the future too! My only concern is that although it is a great looking piece of equipment its size means it could be easily lost!
I was impressed with how easy it was to link the Multi Mic to my hearing aids, even without my iPhone, just by pressing the buttons on the multi mic and my hearing aids. This was good as with it being so sleek and small, and with a clip that rotates 360 degrees, for comfort and ease of use it is a satisfactory thumbs-up for both.
Using the volume control on the unit itself, or the ReSound Smart app for iPhone, was simple. The sound quality is great. I get a better sense of surround sound or stereo than when relying on my hearing aids alone. This is probably due to the greater number of microphones.
Back to School
I am a secondary science teacher so use the Multi Mic often in a school setting, with it clipped to my tie. Under the tie the brushing of the tie or ID lanyards (which can be removed and placed on a desk during the lesson) is evident on the mic. The clip, which rotates 360 degrees, was great so I was able to hang the Multi Mic vertically down. At a department meeting the sound it picked up was great and clear. Obviously there were distracting noises like ventilation fans, but my focus remained directed at the right sources!
I then had three lessons with it in the same position. In close proximity to students the pick-up of volume was greater than with my ReSound LiNX2 hearing aids on their own. It does take in some of the surrounding sound, which I feel is good as you don’t feel isolated. The quality of sound was better than the older Unite Mini Mic I traditionally use.
I have also used the mic on the desk of one of my students. Half of the class were on a sports day, so it was a smaller group than normal. The sound pick-up was great. I was stood at the front of the class. I tried moving it between different rows of students, with me in the same position, and again the quality was excellent.
I’ve used it in a variety of rooms and situations now. The main issue I guess is finding the perfect placement. It performs well in most situations, but obviously best when you have selected an appropriate position. I’m growing to find it a necessity!
Silver Screen
We recently visited some friends to watch the Wales v Portugal football game on television. With the Multi Mic clipped to the v-neck of my t-shirt, and sitting on the far right of an L-shaped sofa with three other people to my left, the pickup of volume was an improvement than with the ReSound LiNX2 hearing aids on their own.
One of the party, whose vocal frequency I often struggle with, was a lot clearer to hear than normal. In this situation in the past I have used the old Unite Mini Mic as a drop down mic and placed it on their TV table. With the newer multi mic around my neck, though, I heard the voices and the TV much clearer, so overall a much better hearing experience for me. This is good as we do this football watching thing many times a year!
Then, watching the TV with it last night was a pleasure. I successfully avoided the urge to use subtitles. On live TV like the news and Question Time they can be a nightmare as they’re often wrong. The Multi Mic performed very well, which was excellent as hitting the subtitle button is often an automatic reflex to me.
Driving in my Car
Yesterday I drove to work with my other half in the car. I can normally hear her voice well, but wore the Multi Mic just for comparison. The gain is great, along with the clarity. It was clipped to me in the vertical position. It was a much improved experience over using hearing aids alone. As for the potential wisdom of her actual words, the jury is still out!
My eldest son, Callum, got back from Faliraki early this morning. I often struggle with his voice, so was looking forward to driving him and his twin sister into town with the Multi Mic mounted on the passenger sun visor. Even with the air conditioning blowing there was impressive sound pick-up in conversation with both passengers. This is a significant improvement over the original Unite Mini Mic - which struggled a little with properly hearing both front and rear seat passengers.
As an experiment, when I drove my youngest to his cricket game I clipped the Multi Mic to me, and on the return journey I clipped it to my son. The sound pick-up was better when clipped to him. So this is a great improvement and it seems that the success of the device often comes down to working out where best to put it! This is particularly true when using it in the car.
Conclusion
If I am honest this is something that I could consider using 24/7, all the time. The audio benefits the Multi Mic brings to my daily experience, over just using my hearing aids, are good. I am impressed with the clarity and conversations gained. I have made use of it in many of my day to day situations and will keep on doing so over the coming weeks. It is a truly great addition to my hearing experience.