Auracast review: Does the Creative BT-W6 work with hearing aids?

The Creative BT-W6 is a USB-C dongle that claims to have Auracast functionality built-in. It might do, but it won’t connect to hearing aids, which means they are useless for people who want to turn their computer into a Bluetooth LE Audio transmitter.

Creative’s webpage for the BT-W6 says the gadget has both Bluetooth LE Audio and Bluetooth 5.4 codecs built in. This means it can stream audio at 24-bits and 96kHz, which would be really impressive if the sound could work with hearing aids.

Its Bluetooth LE Audio profiles include GMAP, TMAP, GATT and PBP, and the range is up to 50m, although walls and other barriers will reduce this.

It offers Snapdragon Sound and Qualcomms aptX Voice and Qualcomm aptX Adaptive.

Which operating systems will the Creative BT-W6 work with?

To work, it requires Windows 10 v1903 or higher, so it will work with most Windows 11 devices … as long as they have a USB-C port.

It will also work with Macs with MacOS 10.5 or higher, PS4/PS5 with an available USB-C port and the firmware is up to date.

Those with a Nintendo Switch with OS 5.0 will be able to plug and play.

What is the Creative BT-W6 like?

With a RRP of £64.99 (it is less on Amazon – affiliate link), it is cheap compared to buying dedicated streamers or having to buy a new laptop with Bluetooth LE Audio built-in. If it were to work with hearing aids, it would be brilliant as it is portable and easily be switched between machines.

It comes in a box about A6 size with a small instruction booklet. However, to get the most from the Creative BT-W6, downloading the app from Creative’s website is a must.

Unfortunately, while downloading the app is easy, it requires a few restarts and seems to be stuck in firmwave update hell. Despite updating and rebooting several times, it wants to reinstall it. Frustrating.

The dongle itself is about the size of a thumbnail. Truly a thumbnail drive.

It has a small LED light that displays in a different colour depending on the mode it is assigned to. You can assign the modes by pressing a button on the side, and these are detailed in the instructions.

From the app, you get the chance to pair devices and the dongle’s lights will flash to indicate this is happening.

It failed to pair with our Starkey Edge AI hearing aids, and also our Samsung S25 phone. It did pair with an Oticon ConnectClip, but this does not have Auracast built in as it is a much older Bluetooth codec.

It didn’t matter which audio output setting we chose, it just refused to see, or be seen, by the other gadgets.

Disappointing.

So what will the Creative BT-W6 pair with?

We contacted Creative’s help desk to find out more about the dongle’s connection capability, especially as its own website states: “The Creative BT-W6 is able to pair and connect with receivers that support either Classic Bluetooth, LE audio or dual mode.”

While its online help is only available during select hours, they do respond quickly to emails – within 10 hours in our case, which is really good.

Unfortunately, they said: “We regret to inform you that we are unable to confirm compatibility and support to hearing aids. It is compatible with Bluetooth speakers and headphones.”

Creative also warns: “BT-W6 also requires to be connected to classic Bluetooth first then switch to LE Audio to support the Auracast.”

To be fair, they do publish a list of compatible devices as part of its comprehensive knowledge base.

But the compatible products tend to be Creative products, meaning this isn’t a true Auracast experience – the aim of Auracast is to allow anyone with an Auracast-compatible device to hear the broadcast.

As it stands, and if Creative’s support team are right, the Creative BT-W6 fails on this, and therefore it is not helpful to hearing aid users looking to connect their ears to their computers or games consoles.

What’s the verdict on the Creative BT-W6

Unless you have a Creative sound system, avoid the BT-W6 right now. While some older streaming devices such as the non-Auracast enabled Oticon ConnectClip work with it, that defeats the object of the exercise.

Why would you buy a gadget to allow you to connect old tech, when the streaming devices already connect to an existing Bluetooth connection?

The whole point of Bluetooth LE Audio/Auracast is that it allows hearing aid users to ditch having to carry additional boxes that act as a go-between from the device they want to hear and their hearing aids.

As the Creative BT-W6 currently doesn’t work as an Auracast transmitter to hearing aids, it means it is £65 wasted. Fingers crossed a firmware update is released that changes this, but for now, we cannot recommend it.

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