Any experience with ELI DirX?

[Zymurgist]

I'm in the market for a pair of hearing aids and being able to use my cell phone is a key aspect of my profession. I realize that some cell phones have lower SAR emissions and work well with hearing aids, but I prefer headsets so I have both hands free to type and take notes.

I have looked at the Phonak Smartlink SX and its bluetooth communication with a cell phone is better than removing the hearing aid to use a headset or puttng a headset over an ITE or ITC aid, but it is one additional gadget I have to drag around with me.

Convenience is the key. The ELI (ear level instrument) Dirx (http://elihearing.com/UnitedStatesENG/Docs/Features1.htm) which plugs in to the DAI / Europlug boot on a BTE hearing aid seems ideal: no wires, no remotes to drag around, etc. However, I have run into two issues:

1. Haven't found anyone who has any experiences with the ELI unit.

2. Having a hard time finding informatoin on which aids have the europlug DAI connector.

I have been in contact with a local audiologist but it is getting very expensive and inconvenient to schedule office visits only find out she doesn't know anything about bluetooth (hence why I'm researching this on my own).

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[Admin]

I'm posting my personal experience with the ELI Bluetooth Module from
Micro-Tek and Starkey Labs. You can find out more information here:
http://www.elihearing.com (http://www.elihearing.com/)

I've had the device for a few weeks now and have tried it out with a
few different Bluetooth enabled mobile phones. For those of you who
don't know what this device does; it basically plugs into the hearing
aid and acts as a receiver for your Bluetooth enabled mobile phone.
You hear the caller's voice through your hearing aid amplified to your
loss. The caller hears your voice through the microphone on the ELI
which is sent back to the phone. It's like a Bluetooth headset that
plugs into your hearing aid.

My Configuration: I currently have a set of Phonak Savia BTE's that I
love. I'm used to having the FM receivers plugged into both BTE's all
the time for my various FM transmitters. This device requires the DAI
boot instead of the FM boot for one of the BTE's. This means that I
now have FM in one ear and DAI/Bluetooth for the other. I've used both
a SonyEricson t610 and an Audiovox SMT5600 phone for my tests.

The Good:
1. Pairing was as easy as any other Bluetooth mobile headset, and the
range seems good.
2. Battery life seems good and is able to be used for a few days
between charges as long as you don't talk for more that a few hours on
the phone. I'm used to 9 hours for my previous headsets, but this is
fine for the usual day's work.
3. The design is great. I also have the Smartlink SX from Phonak and
this is much better than having to wear a big microphone around my
neck. My biggest complaint with the Smartlink was the background
noise. This device is a little better in that area.
4. Voice-dialing works well in quiet situations. I can pretty much
handle all of my calls from the headset and rarely need to touch the
actual phone.
5. Call quality is amazing for me. I hear every word since the
caller's voice is match to my hearing loss. It's a little loud at
times, so occasionally I have to turn the volume down on the BTE's or
the Phone. This is so much better than trying to line up the phone's
speaker with my microphone on my BTE.

The Bad:
1. The microphone is not directional at all and is pretty sensitive to
noise. I've had several callers comment on the noise coming through to
them. They can hear the conversation next to me as well as they hear
my own voice. Wind noise is exceptionally bad, so don't plan on much
outdoor use.
2. The size is amazingly small for what it does, but since it requires
a DAI boot to connect to the hearing aid, it hangs down very low and is
quite visible with the bright blue color. I already have silver
hearing aids, so I don't care much... but I do notice that I get quite
a few more looks than usual with its flashing lights.
3. The charging cradle is HUGE, compared to what should be required. I
travel quite a bit and it's much larger than you would think would be
needed to charge such a little device. They just listed a Belkin USB
charger which should help reduce the cables I have to haul around.

Hopefully this helps those of you that were considering this device.
If you're looking for a better way to handle your mobile phone calls,
this is the best solution out there.

[Zymurgist]

I'm rarely outside when I call .. so you've definitely got my attention. Unfortunately there are other issues, which you've responded to in my other post.

I appreciate your response, and it will help me make a decision.

[diggerdave]

what kind and model of phone do you use with your blue tooth headset? i have a motorola krazr and have to press the button on the phone and have it open at least part way in order to voice call. curious how you can make calls totally hands free with the starkey bluetooth eli...??

thanks,
dave

[elgncs]

My wife bought the ELI, and it works well enough as a phone headset, its really good when driving to just answer your phone by just a click on the dongle.

One of the reasons we bought it was also that it says on the site ".....listen to TV.....". However it has proven virtually impossible to find a Bluetooth audio transmitter that can be paired up with the ELI.

The ELI does not suppord A2DP, and herein lies the problem. It supports hands free profiles, but all the transmitters I have seen so far only supports stereo headsets.

So for the life of me I can not figure out how the ELI site claims you can listen to the TV via their Bluetooth, because you can't. I have yet to find a transmitter that even comes close to the specs that is necessary to pair it up with the ELI. Luckily the companies does take the transmitters in return.

Has anybody had any luck doing this? Or have any idea where to look for more info, or maybe even a transmitter that would work?

[Joe Strib]

I have a daughter who has a severe hearing loss and currently wears Widex Senso C-19 BTEs. We are considering the Phonak Savia. She uses her cell phone as her primary phone. My question is about the ELI specifically the latest model which I believe is the ELI Dirx. I read that the originil ELI had problems with its mic picking up too much external sound in addition to the users voice, making it annoying and difficult for the person on the other end to hear(which I find ironic). I wondered if there are any ELI (Dirx) users out there with real world experience? I have checking the web for reviews but almost none exist. If you have user experience on the latest iteration of the ELi any information would be appreciated.

[diggerdave]

I've had mine for a coupla months now and love it. the weakness though is the dai boot that it plugs into, which is a coupla years old now and no longer fits tightly enough on my unitron hearing aids to keep a good electrical contact. it's very frustrating and annoying cuz it makes it impossible to use the ELI! So I'm shopping for new boots or some other solution to this problem. anybody have a good source for unitron boots?

BTW I paid $200 for my bluetooth ELI and thought that was a good deal. Just now I found the very same item for $99 here: http://www.buyncidirect.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=58

it pays to shop around!!

thanks,
dave

[Joe Strib]

Thanks Dave is the ELI that you have, the ELI or ELI Dirx? Do you have problems with folks on the other end of the conversation hearing you? I read a review from a user of the ELI (original) that said they could hear very well but the people on the other end, said it sounded like the caller was talking in a barrel and extaneous sounds also came through. I also read a review on the later model ELI Dirx that seemed to address those problems. Does the link you inlcuded have a return policy if the product doesn't work out satisfactorily? Again thanks for your info. Happy Holidays

[diggerdave]

I don't know anything about the company behind the link I sent. I was shopping for new DAI boots when I came across that link. what is ELI DirX is that "directional microphone" ??? that might explain the wild differences in price? Honestly I was only going by the picture when I compared them. I think you'd want to talk directly to the vendors to find out exactly what's being offered. I bought my from ClearSounds. It does not have directional mic and yes it is often difficult for people to hear me. I really haven't had mine long enough to have much experience with it though. the problem now is my boots which are getting old and wearing out to the point of being unusable. so I won't be using my ELI until I get new boots :(

dave

[Joe Strib]

Thanks Dave I'll check with the vendor(Starkey) and see what they know. I did read that a model after the original ELI was desingned to address the mic problems. I just hoped to find someone that has the newest model and get their input. Thanks and good luck with the "Euro boots" for your aid.

[Laura B]

Hi,

I may have some info that might help you with your boots.

I recently purchased and Eli DIRx and a boot.
I currently wear an Audibel, Juno BTE.
My hearing loss is profound in the left ear. The hearing loss in my right ear is so bad, a hearing will not help, so I do not wear one.

I just purchased my Eli from a web site called Precise Hearing.
The price for the DIRx version, was $339.00. Without the DIRx the price is $195.00.
I paid $50.00 for the boot.
I don't know about anyone else, but thru my audiologist I would have paid
$160.00 for the boot. So this was quite a deal.

I will say I truly love this Eli. I have gotten rid of my land line and went straight to cell phone use.

Hope this helps.

Laura

[Admin]

Great to hear that the ELI works well for you, as it has for many.

It is a great piece of equipment and probably one of the best cost/benefit investments in hearing out there!

[whistlerskier]

New here, very informative forum. Has anyone used the ELI dirx to use SKYPE through a bluetooth enable laptop or desktop PC? How is the sound quality, etc.

Thanks in advance for any feedback

whistlerskier

[Admin]

The ELI should work just the same with Skype via a bluetooth connection as you would with a regular cellular call w/ bluetooth or via Vonage, etc.

I have never personally tried it...just need someone to confirm that the ELI can link properly with a laptop, as some headsets are only linkable with cell phone and not supported for laptop use.

I would suggest emailing Starkey and finding out for sure, or if any of our users have been able to link properly, then please post.

[BobT]

I just obtained an ELI and thought I would leave a few comments. The best price I found was at WWW.buyncidirect.com with $99.00 for the ELI and 49.00 for the neckloop. I purchased both from this website and the ELI is the latest DIRX model and is black in color. The neckloop is black with a purple plugin module for the ELI (why did they pick purple!)
I have Unitron Unison 6p BTE's in both ears and am retired. I have been involved in electronics all of my life both throught work and as a hobby (amateur radio etc.) It amazed me how unknowledgeable my audiologist was. I hope this is not typical because when I ask to have a DAI boot installed on one of my aids he did not have a clue. I am currently waiting for the DAI boot. The ELI works very well with the neckloop and I was pleasantly surprised at the excellent volume. I am using the LG Cu500 phone and it paired with the ELI with no problems. The volume through the neckloop is excellent and I have the Cu500 on only the third volume step! The Cu500 also has an MP3 player but it is designed to only play via bluetooth pairing with the A2dp protocol so I can't get music to the ELI from the phone.
I also use a Dell X51V Pocket PC (Dell just discontinued it!) which I use as my portable entertainment (EBooks, Movies, Music, Games, Audio books, Old time radio). Dell put a severely crippled bluetooth stack on the X51v but there is a software mod available (Broadcom stack) which solves that problem. The X51v works very well with the ELI with this modified bluetooth stack and I can now pipe all of the audio from the X51v to the ELI.
There is one area which I find has helped me quite a bit at home and that is the inductive loop. If you have a hearing aid with a Tcoil you should really take advantage of it. There is equipment available but it is very easy to setup your own loop for very little expense. The loop I set up is in a room 12 feet by 28 feet where I watch TV etc. You can use almost any amplifier but the Radio Shack PA amplifiers work well. I purchase a Radio Shack MPA46 35 Watt amplifier for $30.00 Dollars from Ebay and connected a double loop 130 feet in length to the 4 Ohm output. This covers the entire room and works very well. The amplifier is only at half volume so I'm sure it will cover a larger room if needed. Hope this helps.

[Admin]

Thanks for the great post!

Yes any users with T-coil hearing aids can really take advantage of looping their homes for TV watching! It can work very well.

I am considering offering a complete home looping package if our users have a interest in them.

I am also working on getting the TVB system from Artone to work with the Artone Bluetooth Neckloops.

[mr.k.2k5]

The best price I found was at WWW.buyncidirect.com with $99.00 for the ELI and 49.00 for the neckloop.

BobT, I'm not able to find the ELI DirX that you mentioned on the buyncidirect.com site. However, I was able to find the neckloop which was listed at $99 but is on sale for $49: http://www.buyncidirect.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=58

Could you please provide the link to the ELI DirX? Thanks.

[Kathy B]

I've been following the discussion about the ELI and am somewhat confused. I have been told by an audiologist that there are no boots for my hearing aids (Sonic Innovations), so I can't use the ELI. Does anyone know for sure? I assume that the boot is like an adapter so that the ELI can be plugged into the boot which is plugged into the hearing aid? If I can't use a boot, is there another way to connect?

I'm going crazy with wires. I hate them!! Right now I'm using a t-loop that plugs into my cell or land line and hooks behind my ears next to my hearing aids t-coil.

I'm also using a Pocketalker--more wires--to hear people around me (at the dinner table) and for TV. I use a neckloop but still a wire must be connect between the microphone and Pocketalker. Does anyone know of a wireless device that will serve this purpose. I had heard about the Blu-Pal that I think is supposed to be compatible with the ELI and transmit wirelessly but have been told they have been taken out of production.

Thanks! Kathy

[xbulder]

I've been following the discussion about the ELI and am somewhat confused. I have been told by an audiologist that there are no boots for my hearing aids (Sonic Innovations), so I can't use the ELI. Does anyone know for sure? I assume that the boot is like an adapter so that the ELI can be plugged into the boot which is plugged into the hearing aid? If I can't use a boot, is there another way to connect?

I'm going crazy with wires. I hate them!! Right now I'm using a t-loop that plugs into my cell or land line and hooks behind my ears next to my hearing aids t-coil.

I'm also using a Pocketalker--more wires--to hear people around me (at the dinner table) and for TV. I use a neckloop but still a wire must be connect between the microphone and Pocketalker. Does anyone know of a wireless device that will serve this purpose. I had heard about the Blu-Pal that I think is supposed to be compatible with the ELI and transmit wirelessly but have been told they have been taken out of production.

Thanks! Kathy


yuo could buy the artone it works well and it is real cheap!
________
Enzo ferrari history (http://www.ferrari-wiki.com/wiki/Enzo_Ferrari)

[wabua]

I am hearing aid wearer using oticon sumo dm. It is the best for the eli bluetooth.why? easyto hook up with the dai boot from oticon.I use it for my Cellphone which is bluetooth compatible.the bluetooth is easily compatible with bluetooth enabled cellphones. Have been using it since may 2007 and it has been a wonderful experience. A little expensive when bought directly from eli website.can shop around for cheaper prices.hope the info is enough for you.

[wabua]

kathy b ,
try to use the eli bluetooth neckloop which can connect to your hearing aid telecoil .i bet should be handy.
thanks, wabua

[Lincoln]

Has anyone had a problem with echoing using the Eli DirX? When i make calls people sometimes say they can hear their own voice echoing back at them when i use the headset. :(

[bigjim7t]

Hi all. As a rather new wearer of these hearing augmenter devices, I'll just say THANK YOU to all the people through the years that have refined this technology so that all of us can actually have a chance at normal living.
I've never been timid about trying some new gadget so immediately after I got fitted with these Unison BTE's I went looking for a better way of using my ever present cell phone. I'd been using a Bluetooth headset for over a year and quickly decided that this additional item hanging outboard of my new "saddlebag" just wasn't going to work! I learned about the Eli Dirx quite by accident while browsing on Ebay. I missed on a near brand new one for $175 just because I wasn't aware of actual prices. Later on I bought a unit that was a little more used. It works well with my AT&T Samsung SGH-A707.
What I have found is something I want all of you to know about----BE SURE TO USE (and NOT lose) THAT PLASTIC SLEEVE! Wearing this thing while perspiring at all WITHOUT the protective sleeve will induce corrosion of the contacts, which probably is eating the insides of my prize, and created quite a sore in nearby skin.
I'd really appreciate any tips on where to buy one of these NEW at a really low price.
Thanks!
Jim

[tru33]

I've got a brand new eli dirx that I never used and I'm selling on ebay for $99 Heres the link http://cgi.ebay.com/ELI-DirX-Bluetooth-Headset-for-Hearing-Aid-Wearers-299_W0QQitemZ120282968453QQihZ002QQcategoryZ37821Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem