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Phonak Infinio Sphere Ultra and BT

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CV, You just made me FALL OUTTA MY CHAIR! I am actually flabbergasted to learn that. It’s like crossing over from behind the Iron Curtain to the West! LOL - just kidding.

Now I eagerly await your thoughts on the Spheres! I am dragging my feet on that upgrade cuz I truly LOVE my colorful 312 Lumity Lifes.

As a veteran I listen to my audiologist and he did give me some options and there wasn’t anything from Oticon that could help me. His comment was that the Spheres was the best for my hearing loss needs at this time. He has been my audiologist for 7 years and has been able to get my speech understanding to the point I feel like I am able to be a part of society again. Or as I have said out of the hermit cave. I trust his opinion.

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

She may have neglected to show or tell you that there should also be a single name (like Phonak L90R) in that same lineup.

This isn’t true after the ultra update to infinios. The third pairing disappears into Ute one marked LE. That one actually does dual duty both classic and le . This happens when you forget the pairings and re-pair in the app. Hope this helps. Confused me initially though.

WH

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

I think she needed to be even clearer: LE = Low Energy. This protocol saves phone and hearing aid battery life at the expense of optimal user experience!

I don’t believe that you have it quite right here. Bluetooth Low Energy is not “in competition” with classic Bluetooth; it’s a different tool for different purposes.

Classic Bluetooth is fundamentally a streaming protocol - meaning that all the time a connection is active, it continues to draw a fair bit of battery power, on the assumption that you want to send a steady stream of high-bitrate data to something like a pair of speakers or headphones. Bluetooth Low Energy, OTOH, is not designed as a streaming protocol; that’s why it’s used for things like Bluetooth keyboards and device control, where you need an on-demand connection but most of the time you aren’t actually exchanging any data (and when you are, it’s typically in small chunks).

The signal strength/stability of Bluetooth Low Energy is not inferior to Bluetooth Classic; in fact, if memory serves, the range is actually greater, if anything.

Bluetooth Low Energy can be used for audio (e.g. by hearing aids that do not support Bluetooth Classic or ) - but it’s basically a hack, using something for a purpose it wasn’t originally designed for. In Phonak hearing aids, Bluetooth Low Energy is used for its intended purpose of device control, including communicating with the MyPhonak app, while the actual streaming (for now) is done through Bluetooth Classic, which really is a streaming technology. This is why Phonaks have 2 (previously 3) Bluetooth connections: One side has just a Low Energy connection for device control, and the other has both Low Energy and Classic connections.

Of course, there’s an elephant in the room… except that for Phonak Infinio users it’s an elephant that’s still outside somewhere munching on acacia bark while we wait for it to show its face: LE Audio. Bluetooth LE Audio is not the same as Bluetooth Low Energy; it’s a streaming protocol that’s built on some of the same technologies as Bluetooth Low Energy, but is designed specifically as a modernized, efficient, stable, and flexible way to provide sound to hearing aids, hi-fi earphones, and so on. It promises better battery life than Bluetooth Classic without sacrificing sound quality (or anything else, supposedly), as well as lower latency (= delay) and broadcast capability (= ). We are all, needless to say, quivering with antici

In reply to @WhiteHat

OK, I think I get it now. It’s like Phonak is combining the capabilities of the low energy with the classic Bluetooth so the benefits of both will be employed in the Infinio Ultra. Best of both worlds: excellent sound quality & streaming + less energy consumption. So in the Bluetooth lineup of “available devices” would this display just a single Phonak IU, as opposed to the LE_RIU and LE_LIU kinda nomenclature?

Hey, if you’re gonna blow a hole in your hat thinking about it, I’m okay with that, too. :laughing:

@1Bluejay said:

So in the Bluetooth lineup of “available devices” would this display just a single Phonak IU, as opposed to the LE_RIU and LE_LIU kinda nomenclature?

In the current implementation (i.e. Ultra, pre-LE-Audio), Phonak Infinios show up as two separate Bluetooth devices on my Android phone: “L-Phonak hearing aid” and “R-Phonak hearing aid”. Of these, “L” displays with just the Bluetooth logo, as it’s “only” a Low Energy connection. “R” is a combined Low Energy/Classic connection, and on my phone it shows up as a car logo - that’s because I configured it on my phone as a car system rather than as a hearing aid. (Supposedly this optimizes the connection to favor musical sound quality when streaming; I’m not sure how much real difference it makes, particularly as I’m using open domes.)

Phonaks come with the right-ear aid set as the master - which means that when you stream, the right side gets a little more battery drain. Some people suggest that it might be a good idea to switch the master side periodically, to even out the battery wear. I’m not sure if it will really make any difference, but I probably will switch twice a year - if nothing else, it will make me feel like I’m getting that much more benefit from setting myself up as a -er. I may be completely wasting my time, but I’ll feel all empowered ‘n’ stuff. :wink:

I get my Phonak Spheres on December 5th. I have sent an email to my audiologist requesting that my left ear be my master. I am lefthanded and if I need to use my phone the normal way my phone will automatically go to my left ear. Also my right is my worst ear of my hearing loss. I have have asked for an acoustic phone program with my left ear being where my phone will go.

In reply to @DonRadlauer

OK, I have pondered your info for a few days now - it’s all so confusing!

My questions are:

  1. For the Phonak Ultra, would you literally pair + connect your aids to BOTH the L-Phonak and the R-Phonak? In which case, which of these shows up when you are streaming a phone call? Does it default to the L-Phonak option (as I’ve been told that is the “low energy” option that saves battery life but is less stable in )? Or do you have to manually select either L- or R- every single time you answer the phone? (That is what happened when I trialed my Oticon Intent aids 1.5 yrs ago.)
  2. For music (or while driving?) do you intentionally connect your aids to the R-Phonak, which would then override the L-Phonak pairing?

Augh. Someone. Somewhere. Do a seminar on this so we can understand our aids’ functionality, cuz my audi is out to sea with me on the range of BT options and how to optimize my settings.

My Spheres are always connected to my Pixel 8 phone via R-Phonak hearing aid. That never changes. I was told by my audi that the only time Spheres you low energy Bluetooth, is to talk to the Phonak app (Android for me).

I have my paired with my Pixel 8 phone, my older Lenovo Yoga tablet, my Phonak TV streamer (uses a proprietary protocol) and my Lenovo laptop via a TP-Link USB dongle. Classic Bluetooth is what gets used in all cases except the Phonak TV streamer v2.

I do not make any configuration changes for phone or streaming. All devices are handled automatically and simultaneously.

Screenshot_20251129-101712

Ah, that is SO interesting!! So the L-Phonak hearing aid is under the “Other devices” available for connecting, but my guess is you’d have to first disconnect from the R-Phonak hearing aid you’re paired + connected to?

Is your Phonak TV streamer V2 the Roger ON IN V2 mic? If so, that’s exactly what I use to stream my TV at home. If that uses the low energy architecture, maybe that’s why the sound is SO harsh and flat! I actually preferred the sound quality when I ran the TV line through Roku and used the Roku phone app to stream TV. But since hubs was not able to also listen, we took all that apart and are back to our previous setup.

When - if ever - do you intentionally connect to L-Phonak hearing aid?

Tossing another stick to the fire: I deleted both the R-Phonak and L-Phonak from my list of “Other devices” the day I picked up these Lumity Life aids. My audi named them “Precious Pink” and “Pirate”, so depending on which pair I’m streaming with, I just make sure that named aid is what I’m connected to in on my Android phone.

Hey, if anyone is ready to jump off the ledge with all this confusion, I’ll join you.

I have emailed my audiologist to set my left Sphere aid as the master. I am lefthanded and my left ear ir my best for hearing. I also asked for acoustic phone program with my left aid being the side I will place the phone receiver to.

In reply to @1Bluejay

My Spheres default to the right side as the master Bluetooth connection, so that is why it will always be that one that gets chosen. I can never connect directly to the left one. Having said that, I could designate the left one as the master, then the connection would be reversed.

The Phonak TV streamer uses a proprietary protocol as noted below..

Screenshot_20251129-120543

OK got it! I also have that very same TV Connector sitting next to my Roger V2 by the TV. I think the sound quality on that older streamer is BETTER than the Roger’s harsh, flat audio. It’s always good to have a backup, too. And the older TV Connector didn’t charge a $2000 license fee to use it.

Yeah, sign of the times. I guess Phonak didn’t want to leave MONEY on the table.

Edited

I’ve got three of them. Two came bundled with and the third my audi just gave to me because another client didn’t want it. I travel with one. It can be used on an airliner.

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

When - if ever - do you intentionally connect to L-Phonak hearing aid?

Given the current state of play, you never “connect” manually to the Bluetooth Low Energy devices - they exist only for “command and control”, and are there whenever the Infinios or MyPhonak need them. The Bluetooth Classic connection (R-Phonak by default) is used for all streaming, and should normally be available all the time you’re wearing your aids and are reasonably near your phone. (I do have to occasionally re-enable the Classic connection, but that’s mostly or entirely because I’m doing stuff with my phone that normal people don’t do.)

What’s slightly confusing here is that there are still effectively three Bluetooth connections: a single Classic connection for streaming, and a Low Energy connection on each side for control messages. But with the Ultra upgrade, the Low Energy connection on one side (typically the right side) is “hidden” behind the Classic streaming connection.

Mostly, this all just works and you don’t have to worry about it unless you’re a compulsive script maniac like me.

In reply to @cvkemp

You LUCKY DUCKY DOG! I could’ve saved $4 grand had this V3 been on the market when I needed it almost 3 yrs ago. Phonak no longer charges $2 grand PER pair of aids to use the device.

I hope you’ll post your journey with this new solution like our man in Canada, JordanK! :smiley:

In reply to @DonRadlauer

@DonRadlauer said:

Mostly, this all just works and you don’t have to worry about it unless you’re a compulsive script maniac like me.

Yes. That’s ME to a “T”. Without the “compulsive script” part. If I don’t understand how something works, I’m like a pit bull tugging at the pants cuffs till someone ‘splains it to me. My brain can’t seem to leap to “don’t worry about it” until I understand what I don’t need to worry about. Drives my hubs NUTS.

And now I thank you for that understandable explanation!

Edited

Interesting problem that. I’ve just had the Ultra software upgrade to my I90R Spheres, and am finding that the myPhonak app “Stay Connected” option is not working as well. I have the latest version of the app. If not using the phone (Samsung Android) for a while, reverting to myPhonak often won’t connect, unless I go through the whole rigmarole turning off everything and starting again.

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