Feature Requests

[rm9]

Hi there, 

I've been using for 2 weeks and here are a couple of suggestions:

1 - method to cycle through personal modes w/o connecting to the app... why - I use for a long train commute and in open office where I switch form office to phone to mtg mode.  I will work at desk (work mode), take a call, switch mod (phone), get up and go to mtg (mtg mode), go back to deck (switch to work mode). the modes are - train mode +35 (quiet + music), office work mode +20 (somewhat quiet + music), phone mode -5 (great to hear the environment while walking on the phone),  mtg mode -15 (only have one setting now... would have 2-3 settings for small/med/large room mtgs).  Doing on manual controls are okay. I currently do on the app, switching modes frequently.   Another alternative is to bring a direct mode select  (top 4 options) as selector in world view instead of a drill down option.

2 - longer/more flexible/different placement of earpiece wires.  Why - when I turn my head the cables pull on the earpiece, pulling them from my ear.  The cables stick out around my cheek since I need to rotate the earpiece to fit properly.  Consider bringing them up and over the ear and/or make the cable longer/more flexible.

Thanks for making such a great product - keep innovating.  

Thanks for listening

[ST - Hearphones]

Hi rm9,

Thank you for joining the Hearphones Community. It sounds like you're getting a lot of use out of your Hearphones.

You've put a lot of thought into your listening modes. Thanks for documenting them in detail.

Yes, we're listening.

ST

[Jterrylee44]

I've tried different approaches to deal with echos in medium to large rooms and auditoriums. I don't feel I get much help from Hearphones in those cases.  Changing location to get closer to the source doesn't work with assigned seats.  More echo/reflected sound rejection would be great in all cases.  In small rooms using Focused helps.  Very good with TV voices.  I've used closed caption for years with hearing aids but with Hearphones, I can listen and occasionally look at the closed caption if I miss a word.  Just the opposite experience with hearing aids.

'I'd like a symetrical charging plug.  It's really hard to plug into the Hearphones without good lighting to see which side is the flat side. If the plug were on the bottom of one of the neck ring lobes it would not be as mechanically threatened  as it is sticking out at an angle.  It would also be easier to use if 'Charge-while-playing' were implemented.  Present charging port location and angle is too awkward for a charging cable when wearing it.  Thanks 

[thersites]

#4: a built-in hearing test that helps users tailor the frequency response of the hearphones to his/her auditory characteristics doesn't presuppose a medical device. 

Other PASPs have this: HereOnes, for example, have a clever test that plays a series of tones while the user moves sliders until they are inaudible.

[thersites]

NuHeara PASPs (completely wireless, and without collar) offer the ability to switch between listening modes by tapping on the right earbud.

[Jterrylee44]

Petralex iPhone app is a hearing assist app. It helps profile an iPhone for hearing assist by using a hearing assessment process at startup. That test doesn't make the iPhone a medical device. 🙂

[Lothar]

Hi-

I would like to second the request of several of the others for addition of some sort of adjustable notch filter in the software. The big advantage of the hearphones over hearing aids is being able to focus on conversation in a noisy environment. The information in conversation is contained in a relatively narrow bandwidth and people's voices vary in frequency. A notch filter with adjustable 'walls' would allow one to focus on what ones partner is saying but with screen out the clanks and hums in the background. If the partner had a lower voice, you could lower the frequency of the passband. 

There would be no hearing test. The filter control would be much simpler than the elaborate frequency response controls used in hearing aid fitting. I dont think that this addition would make regulatory agencies consider the hearphone to be a medical device. 

Thanks!

Lothar

[Miles]

Hello!

1.  I would really like to see a future iteration of the hearphones that has a jack where each of the cables meets the main unit.  This would really go a long way towards the longevity of the product.  My VMODA Crossfade M-100s have this feature where the cable connects to the headset and I've accidentally pulled it out dozens of times.  I'm pretty worried that if I give the hearphones an accidental yank it'll cause a break.  Having jacks would allow the earbuds to be replaceable if damaged and lessen the likelihood of damage in the first place.  

2. The world-volume buttons are great, on the opposite side if there could be 1-4 more buttons that each had pre-set settings it would be an even better piece of tech.  Some others have posted that they would like a way to quickly change the settings for world volume; and I agree.  Having to hit the 'volume up' button 5-7 times to be able to hear well is a bit of a pain.  I work in an industrial setting and use these on the floor.  I'd love to set some presets in the app for each of the new buttons and have it jump to the setting.  Such as, high treble to listen specifically for air leaks, normal unadjusted sound, muted, and a high bass setting. 

3. The collar part of the unit does not sit still; it often rotates around my neck.  An optional accessory to clasp it in place might be nice.  Or a way to fasten it in place on the back of my neck ( to a shirt?). 

[thersites]

@Miles:

Your comment about the shifting collar has been made by many about the Bose Quiet Control 30 headset. Many understand that the Hearphones do not represent a radically new design, but rather a repurposing of the QC 30, to which Bose added a few more microphones and some hardware modifications -- and then charged $200 more!

Instead of adding replacing the current cables with jacks (which have their own reliability problems), Bose would do well to consider where the "hearables" market is going: toward totally wireless bluetooth earbuds which incorporate controls so that the user does not have to depend too much on the smartphone app. This is currently being done by switches (Jabra Elite Sport and Bragi The Headphone), by touch (NuHeara and HereOne), or by head gestures (Bragi Dash). Owners of earbuds that incorporate switches frequently complain that pushing them feels uncomfortable.

There are obviously size and battery constraints, but these are being overcome.

The Nuheara and HereOne ear buds claim to offer hearing enhancement similar to those of the Bose Hearphone, but they don't have automatic noise cancellation -- and thus they lack truly effective background noise suppression.

The features that should be controllable by the ear buds themselves should be:

1. Volume
2. Bypass (i.e. no ANC)
3. Skip forward and back
4. Phone control / Siri
5. Sound presets

[ST - Hearphones]

Hi, Everybody!

Thank you for participating in this vibrant discussion.  While we may not respond to every comment here,  we're following along closely.

It's wonderful to hear your thoughts and we really appreciate that you're time to talk to us.

ST