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Trialing Phonak I70, should I consider I90 or even Sphere instead?

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“For me, it’s Phonak Sphere or nothing. The only real alternative might be Oticon Intent, which gives you a more natural, ambient listening experience—but with far less involvement. That’s great for some, but I prefer the intelligence and adaptability of Sphere, even if it occasionally sounds a bit ‘processed.’ It just works—especially in complex environments. If you’re looking for a hearing aid that thinks ahead for you , Sphere’s the one.” (I don’t like fiddling with apps I want the hearing to happen automatically.)

Edited
@hearingMac said:

Injoy is a certified Phonak dealer. They had a much lower price than ZipHearing and I’m VERY happy with the product and services.

That’s great if you don’t want or need an in person fitting and are comfortable with remote fittings. Being a person I also purchased from an online dealer at a lesser price because I was comfortable with not having a local audiologist. ZipHearing is a great alternative for folks who do want a local audiologist rather than just remote fittings.

In reply to @Bimodal_user

Hello, I tried the Audeo Infinio I70 non sphere for just under one month. I experienced difficulties with hearing speech in loud noise environments and soft speech even close to me. I decided to upgrade to the Audeo Infinio I90 non sphere. The improvement is very impressive. I have not been experiencing difficulties with speech in loud noise or with hearing soft speech. The difference is amazing. I am happy with the investment for this upgrade. I had considered the Sphere model, but decided against this due to the increase in size. The Audeo I90 non sphere was the solution for me. I have mild to moderate hearing loss mostly in the higher frequency ranges. Also some low frequency loss in one ear due to Sudden Loud Noise Damage.
I would definitely recommend this upgrade.

@JOvermeyer said:

I have not been experiencing difficulties with speech in loud noise or with hearing soft speech.

Do you have bilaterally? If so, I’m glad you got the benefits of StereoZoom 2.0 (probably in automatic program) and soft speech audibility from Speech Enhancer (it isn’t bilateral feature) , which is only in 90 models, IIRC.

@JOvermeyer said:

Also some low frequency loss in one ear due to Sudden Loud Noise Damage.

What kind of noise was that?

Edited

I’m going to be brutally honest here, there is no reason to buy a non-sphere Phonak, the price differences I’ve seen are small ( unless you are going for the lowest technology i30).
The only advantage of the non-sphere is the size (according to some people) If you want a non-sphere , you may as well get the sonite R at Costco ( which is a Lumity model). As I said in other posts , the differences between the non-Sphere and the Lumity are incremental.
Do a google for non-sphere infinio, there are almost none

@OcramSagev said:

The only advantage of the non-sphere is the size.

Nobody should be worried about the size of the Sphere hearing aids. I’ve been wearing them since last October and I rarely even think about the size…and I wear glasses too. You stop noticing it after the first day and almost nobody even notices that I wear hearing aids.

Jordan

Edited

Sympathize. I recently read that instantaneous sound power levels during a shoot are even 165 !

There is interesting article about that. Although it is in Polish, but you can load it into Google Translate or DeepL:

Title: “Impulsive noise generated when firing firearms – a serious threat to the hearing of its users and observers”

Kwartalnik-PSPS-nr4.-Ewa-Skrodzka.-Impulsowy-halas-generowany-podczas-strzelania-z-broni-palnej-–-powazne-zagrozenie-dla-sluchu-jej-uzytkownikow-i-obserwatorow.pdf (552.6 KB)

Source:
http://kwartalnik.psps.pl/2020-2/

In reply to @JordanK

@JordanK said:

Nobody should be worried about the size of the Sphere hearing aids

I’m hesitant to make such statements. Maybe don’t be afraid until you’ve tried it and they didn’t work. They could be even bigger for me, and I wouldn’t care. They aren’t noticeably bigger/heavier than my audeo p90r’s were. But the speech in noise is on a different level for sure.

WH

When I went in for my “counseling” where I picked out the aids with the audiologist, they were so new (to ) she didn’t didn’t yet have dummy aids to put on my ears. Even the color examples were from old aids. But they should have a unit you can put on your ears with the glasses and see. I understand and believe concern. The only time it was an issue for me was when I got whacked in the head by the top corner of a Benz car door. Ripped the receiver wire out of the aid. Little pin nowhere to be found. I wasn’t bleeding but I was a bit swollen!

Best wishes for your fitting!

WH

In reply to @Seeker4

@Seeker4

Interesting I’ve asked many times. Glasses on first then hearing aids outboard of the temples

I was a client of an optician who was measuring me for Progressive Lenses on my glasses. She had measured me for the previous ones. I asked for details. She responded that my temples were sitting on the top of my hearing aids, and she had set the previous glasses that way years before. Wrong. I had less distortion in the new glasses; but they weren’t great.

So for me still:

  • glasses on first
  • then hearing aids between the eyeglass temple and the flesh of my ear.
    I changed opticians. I see better now.

DaveL
Toronto

I have three different glasses that I change frequently and I don’t want to be popping my aids in and out. I try to slide the temple in between the hearing aid and my ear. Works some of the time; other times I have to fiddle with the positioning.

High frequency loss can impair the ability to understand speech in noisy environments. Your hf loss is almost as severe as mine. Infinio 90 includes the Speech in Loud Noise program in AutoSense 6.0 which is what the Restaurant program is based on. Your audi can even adjust the setpoint or threshold at which Speech in Loud Noise is activated. However there are times when Speech in Loud Noise or Restaurant doesn’t work for me, and I have to resort to my Roger On microphone.

When I upgraded from Marvel 70 to Lumity 90 I thought the difference was significant since Speech in Loud Noise was included. I would never go back to anything less than the 90 line. My Sphere Infinio 90s are on order.

If you are on a trial basis, I would give the Spheres a try.

In reply to @Seeker4

I’ve had a couple of pair for the last 5 years or so. I’ve had issues.

So I changed opticians. Changed lens make. My new glasses are darn good. I have a “tint” A brown coour. I find that I see much more clearly. My eyes focus quicker. My posture is even better. And the lenses change colour in the sun.

I left Zeiss. Went to Nikon progressive. I particularly was concerned about the measurements taken with my chosen frames. I like these better.

I had watched countless videos. Final thought was that the preparaton and measurements were not well done. and that had adverse affects.

DaveL

In reply to @raylock1

I’m a Product Specialist at Injoy Hearing. We understand not everyone is comfortable taking the plunge into tele-audiology and some may still feel more comfortable seeing a provider in person.

That’s why we do not lock our hearing aids. This means anyone wanting to save a couple thousand $$, but still wants in-person service is free to take our hearing aids to a local provider and pay either per visit or purchase a service plan from them. We’re still here anytime they need us, of course :slight_smile:

Finding a local audiologist willing to program aids purchased on line can sometimes be problematic.

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