2 Different audio outputs through different ears

[acsawall]

Long story short, I have single sided deafness so I am trying to find a way to send my left audio output through the Bluetooth in my hearing aid (which inputs through a normal audio jack), while I want the right audio to go through a set of headphones (connected through USB). I've never been able to hear computer audio or play games in full surround sound audio, so I would really appreciate any things that might help me out here .

Thanks in advance

 

[azaran]

Well that's a pretty new one.

When you say your hearing aid uses a normal audio jack, do you mean a 3.5mm jack?

You could simplify the matter and simply use a splitter (3.5mm male to two 3.5mm female) from the audio source. Then plug a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male cable from one female side of the splitter to your hearing aid and a normal pair of headphones from the other female end of the splitter.

If you already have USB headphones, for simplicity sake, I'd just use a USB to 3.5mm adapter on them. Depending on the quality of the headphones, you may need to get a powered splitter.

Splitting audio sources between two devices is possible but it depends on your audio source. Also by going with Bluetooth, you'd need to make sure you're using a low latency transmitter/receiver, otherwise you'll get latency issues with the two sides matching up.

*update
If you have your heart set on bluetooth, I'd suggest going with this option. Bluetooth low latency transmitter, then a low latency receiver. Then split the receiver with two 3.5mm jacks and use a USB adapter to 3.5mm for the headphones. Then at least all the cables are tethered to you instead of to the computer. These are the low latency bluetooth transmitter/receivers I've used in the past and had no issues with audio/video sync.

Transmitter:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5KKUR0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Receiver: (this one even comes with a 3.5mm splitter)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZRB8HJ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[acsawall]

Well that's a pretty new one.

When you say your hearing aid uses a normal audio jack, do you mean a 3.5mm jack?

You could simplify the matter and simply use a splitter (3.5mm male to two 3.5mm female) from the audio source. Then plug a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male cable from one female side of the splitter to your hearing aid and a normal pair of headphones from the other female end of the splitter.

If you already have USB headphones, for simplicity sake, I'd just use a USB to 3.5mm adapter on them. Depending on the quality of the headphones, you may need to get a powered splitter.

Splitting audio sources between two devices is possible but it depends on your audio source. Also by going with Bluetooth, you'd need to make sure you're using a low latency transmitter/receiver, otherwise you'll get latency issues with the two sides matching up.

*update
If you have your heart set on bluetooth, I'd suggest going with this option. Bluetooth low latency transmitter, then a low latency receiver. Then split the receiver with two 3.5mm jacks and use a USB adapter to 3.5mm for the headphones. Then at least all the cables are tethered to you instead of to the computer. These are the low latency bluetooth transmitter/receivers I've used in the past and had no issues with audio/video sync.

Transmitter:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N5KKUR0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Receiver: (this one even comes with a 3.5mm splitter)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZRB8HJ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thank you so much for your quick response! I'll do some more research based on what you provided and get back to you once I have a better game plan. I would prefer not to use Bluetooth, but it is the only way for my hearing aid to work with this.

UPDATE: I should have mentioned this before but my hearing aid only works with one transmitter that is specially for it. As far as I know, it has ~20ms latency, but I'm not entirely sure. But this would cause some latency issues with whatever setup I would think. I have the setup working just fine with a 3.5mm male to 2 female except for the latency causing an echo. Any ideas on how to fix this?

Hearing aid transmitter:
https://www.cochlear.com/ac9b88e1-ffd8-421a-a23a-40037e0884cd/E82835_Cochlear_Wireless_Mini_Microphone_Datasheet_GB.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CONVERT_TO=url&CACHEID=ac9b88e1-ffd8-421a-a23a-40037e0884cd

 

[azaran]

So potential good news, but a bit of a rework of my original idea.

First, with your hearing aid. I looked a bit in to your transmitter, and I don't think you're going to have to worry about the latency. Since it's using RF signal and not Bluetooth, the 20ms latency shouldn't be a problem. Depending on the (admittedly subjective) study reference, it seems most people come up with about 25ms latency being imperceptible for audio/video sync. From the data sheet and basic guide for your mic it looks like just putting the transmitter next to a TV is enough to work and lists no mention of any sync issues. So unless you manage to induce more latency somehow, I think you'll be well within the acceptable range.

The wrinkle to the setup is now more of an issue with your headphones. USB headphones can't be fed by a analog jack (your onboard 3.5mm). So we can't just split the output. So we're going to tweak things a bit.

Option 1
Use a cable and the built in stereo mixer from your sound card software.

In theory, this should work. Assuming of course your onboard audio has the stereo mixer, and has separate playback devices listed for headphone jacks and your USB headphones. I'd find it odd if you didn't tho with modern systems but it's dependent on audio software.

Step 1. Plug a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male cable from your headphone jack in to your transmitter. I'd recommend keeping the overall cable distance as short as possible just to avoid any lose in signal. Something like this should likely do the trick.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-109564-Coiled-3-Feet-Stereo/dp/B009TFFJ12/ref=sr_1_3?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1525932639&sr=1-3&keywords=3.5mm+male+to+male+cable&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_four_browse-bin%3A7623518011

Step 2. Follow along with this youtube video. Tho obviously you'll want to substitute your headphone device for the speakers. But overall the process should be similar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNhGRSc4oY0


Option 2
Use a 3rd part software solution and a cable. It's the same basic idea, using a mixer software to send the audio output through multiple devices. The downside is you'd need to pay for the software. These guys have a 7 day demo. If Option 1 doesn't work, then this should. Since you can demo it, there's no harm trying both.

Step 1. Plug a 3.5mm male to 3.5mm male cable from your headphone jack in to your transmitter. I'd recommend keeping the overall cable distance as short as possible just to avoid any lose in signal. Something like this should likely do the trick.
https://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-109564-Coiled-3-Feet-Stereo/dp/B009TFFJ12/ref=sr_1_3?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1525932639&sr=1-3&keywords=3.5mm+male+to+male+cable&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_four_browse-bin%3A7623518011

Step 2. http://www.chevolume.com
They sell a mixing software for about $20-$25 depending on if they have a deal. Send the signal to both your headphone 3.5mm jack and to your USB headphones.


When in doubt, it doesn't hurt to contact Cochlear directly and see if they have any solutions. I'm sure it wouldn't be the first time they've been asked that question.

Hopefully one of these ideas works for you.

 

[acsawall]

Thank you so much! I ended up using Voicemeeter banana as a stereo mixer to deal with both outputs. This also allowed me to change the latency on my headset to match my hearing aid. Everything is working fine now.

 

[azaran]

Thank you so much! I ended up using Voicemeeter banana as a stereo mixer to deal with both outputs. This also allowed me to change the latency on my headset to match my hearing aid. Everything is working fine now.

Glad to hear it ended up working out. Also thanks for mentioning Voicemeeter, I'm going to check that out. Being able to adjust latency sounds like a fantastic perk.