Roger Touchscreen Mic vs Roger Select: A Comparison

Noisy environments can be challenging even for people without a hearing impairment. So what about those of us with a hearing device? Although these do provide access to sound, there are still situations where understanding speech clearly is hard, especially when there is a lot of background noise or when the person speaking is further away.

That’s where Roger equipment saves the day!

I personally use two types of Roger microphones based on the situation: the Roger Touchscreen Mic and the Roger Select. Yes, both can send someone’s voice directly to my cochlear implants, but that doesn’t mean they are both suited for the same task. Therefore, I don’t necessarily take them everywhere I go.

So, What Actually Is Roger?

Before I start comparing the two, I should probably explain what Roger actually is!

Roger is a range of wireless microphones made by Phonak which can be used alongside hearing aids and cochlear implants. Instead of relying on the microphones on my cochlear implants to pick up someone’s voice, Roger allows me to put a microphone much closer to the person speaking. Their voice is then sent directly to my cochlear implants.

For me, this is particularly useful when there is distance or background noise involved. If someone is sitting on the other side of a table, standing at the front of a room or we are somewhere particularly noisy, their voice can easily get mixed in with everything else going on around me. Roger helps bring their voice directly to me.

There are quite a few different devices within the Roger range, but the two I use are the Roger Touchscreen Mic and Roger Select.

Roger Touchscreen Mic

The Roger Touchscreen Mic is probably the more traditional microphone of the two. It can be worn around someone’s neck using a lanyard, held by the person speaking or placed down on a table.

I mainly use mine when I want to hear one particular person.

For example, if I am listening to someone giving a presentation, they can wear the Touchscreen Mic around their neck. This means the microphone stays close to them even if they move around the room, while I can sit wherever is most convenient for me.

This is also useful because distance suddenly matters a lot less. They don't have to stand directly in front of me or make sure they stay close enough for my cochlear implants to pick them up clearly.

The touchscreen itself also makes it fairly easy to change how the microphone is being used. There are different microphone modes depending on whether it is being worn, placed on a table or being pointed towards someone.

However, this is also where the Touchscreen Mic starts to differ from my Roger Select. While it can be used on a table and pick up multiple people, that isn't necessarily what I find it best at.

Roger Select

The Roger Select is the one I tend to reach for when there are multiple people involved.

Rather than being designed primarily to stay with one person, the Select can sit in the middle of a table and pick up voices from different directions. This makes it particularly useful for things like meals, meetings or other group conversations.

If several people are sitting around a table, I don't have to keep passing a microphone from person to person every time somebody different starts talking.

One of my favourite features is being able to choose which direction I want it to listen to. If there are several conversations happening at once, I can select the direction of the person I actually want to hear rather than having everything coming through at the same time.

For me, that makes the Select much better suited to group situations.

It can also be worn by one person if needed, so there is definitely some crossover between the two devices. But just because both can do something doesn't necessarily mean I find them equally good at it.

And that's really the biggest difference between the two for me.

Which One Do I Use Where?

This is probably easier to explain with actual situations rather than just listing features.

One-to-one conversations:

I would normally choose the Touchscreen Mic. I can give it to the person I'm talking to and have their voice sent directly to my cochlear implants.

Presentations or talks:

Again, Touchscreen Mic. The speaker can wear it on the lanyard and pretty much forget about it while they are talking.

Meals around a table:

Roger Select wins this one. I can put it in the middle of the table and it can pick up the different people around it.

Group discussions:

Usually the Select, particularly when everyone is sitting around the same table. I don't want to have to keep working out who needs to have the Touchscreen Mic next.

Watching TV:

The Select has another trick here because I also have the docking station for it. This allows the sound from the TV to be sent through the Select and directly to my cochlear implants.

Really noisy environments:

This one isn't quite as simple. Which microphone I choose depends much more on who I am trying to listen to and what we are doing.

If I only need to hear one person, having the Touchscreen Mic close to them can work really well. If I'm trying to follow a conversation between several people sitting around a table, I am much more likely to use the Select.

So there isn't really one Roger microphone that I automatically grab whenever somewhere is noisy. The situation matters just as much as the amount of background noise.

So, Which One Is Better?

Honestly, I don't think there is a winner!

Although the Roger Touchscreen Mic and Roger Select do very similar things, I use them for completely different situations. If I want to hear one person, particularly if they are moving around or speaking from a distance, I am much more likely to reach for my Touchscreen Mic. If I am sitting with a group of people around a table, the Select is usually my first choice.

For me, having both isn't about owning two devices that do the same thing. It's about being able to choose the one that works best for where I am and who I am trying to hear.

And sometimes that little bit of extra help can make joining in with a conversation so much easier!