Phonak released Eon Sphere and Eon R a few weeks ago. Has anyone here looked closely enough to have an opinion on at what point it is worth it to upgrade? For comparison, I am currently wearing Sonite R from Costco. Any thoughts on how much of an improvement this is over the Infinio Ultra and whatever the Sonite Rise matches to? Of course, the next question is when Costco will get this new tech. My assumption is sometime after the first of the year.
I may be a useful early data point, although this is very preliminary. I received a pair of Audéo EON Sphere E90s on August 28, so I’ve only had them nine days.
I tend to upgrade when there is a real generational change in technology I already own. My previous aids were Audéo Sphere Infinio i90s, and that was basically my reason for trying EON rather than waiting.
On paper there have been several steps since the original Sphere Infinio. The original Sphere used AutoSense OS 6.0; Infinio Ultra moved to AutoSense OS 7.0 and Spheric Speech Clarity 2.0; EON moves to AutoSense OS 8.0, Spheric Speech Clarity 3.0 and 4.0. EON Sphere is also physically quite different — about 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the preceding Sphere design.
So far, though, I would describe the hearing improvement as more sideways than revolutionary. I have not yet had the kind of test that matters most to me — several family members talking in a genuinely noisy restaurant — so I’m nowhere near ready to say how much better EON is at its headline job of speech in difficult noise.
What I am beginning to notice is that the automatic behavior may be smoother and less conspicuous. For example, I was in a market today, an environment where my i90s sometimes produced a noticeable “digital/noise-reduction” character that made me conscious of what the hearing aids were doing. Today the EONs simply moved into Comfort in Noise and I essentially forgot about them. They never invoked Spheric Speech in Loud Noise because the situation apparently didn’t warrant it, which was fine. One trip proves nothing, but that was encouraging.
There is also a clear tradeoff. The EON Sphere is noticeably smaller and lighter, but Phonak quotes up to 38 hours of battery life, less than the previous Sphere generation. My suspicion — and this is only speculation — is that a major engineering goal of EON was to shrink the case while still fitting enough battery capacity for a full day and accommodating the processing hardware required for the newer AI platform. What remains to be seen is how much the new AutoSense 8.0 / Spheric Speech Clarity 3.0 / APD 4.0 numbering translates into a meaningful improvement in actual hearing performance, rather than refinement around a smaller package. Phonak's launch emphasis seems much heavier on reduced size and weight than on dramatic new claims, and after nine days my own experience certainly hasn't produced a “wow, this is a different level” reaction.
At nine days my verdict is therefore: promising, but so far more refinement than transformation. I’m particularly interested in whether AutoSense 8.0/Spheric 3.0 proves materially better when I finally get it into a difficult restaurant situation.
I’d be very interested to hear from anyone who has had EON Sphere and Infinio Ultra side by side, especially in real restaurant/group-conversation use. That comparison would probably be more useful than the specifications.
In your case, the improvement would be moving from the non-Sphere model (Sennheiser) to the Sphere model (Phonak). The Eon improvements appear to be more focused on enhancing efficiency and reducing size for the Sphere. It’s not a groundbreaking upgrade like the Sphere was compared to the Lumity.
Sonova keeps the Sphere as a Phonak exclusive and it is unlikely that Sonova will release the Sphere to other brands (Unitron, Sennheiser etc) anytime soon.
I don't think the non-Sphere Eon is significantly different than the non-Sphere Infinio (which, at the same time, I don't think is significantly different than the Lumity/Sonite R). This means I don't see a huge upgrade from your Sonite R to the non-Sphere Eon.
I thought much the same thing initially — that EON might mainly be an engineering redesign to make Sphere smaller and lighter. After nine days I’m less sure. I came from the Sphere i90, so Spheric processing itself isn’t new to me. Yet I’m beginning to get better results in situations where Spheric Speech in Loud Noise isn’t even active. Tonight I had a roughly 20-minute kitchen conversation with two family members, including one person I normally have considerable difficulty understanding, and heard virtually every word. Earlier today, Comfort in Noise also behaved noticeably more naturally than it typically did for me on the i90.
Still preliminary, but I’m starting to think AutoSense 8/ 4 and the underlying EON platform may amount to more than the specifications initially suggested.
With Sennheiser stepping off the bus, I could see a ‘new’ entrant from Sonova coming into Costco. Sonova owns a lot of trade marks and already recycle brands for different product lines/channels. For example, Boots Hearingcare sells a lower cost hearing aid from AudioNova (a Sonova brand) which I think is the trading name for a chain of audiology stores run by Sonova. Or they might dust off a better known name like Hansaton?
Tonight I had a roughly 20-minute kitchen conversation with two family members, including one person I normally have considerable difficulty understanding, and heard virtually every word.
That was with Spheric program?
Do you use APD4.0 or NAL-NL3? I wonder what's your and necessity for high frequency amplification.
No — or at least I don’t know that it was Spheric Speech in Loud Noise. I was simply using the EONs in Automatic. I wasn’t watching the app during the conversation, so I can’t say which AutoSense program was active or whether Spheric had engaged.
I’m using 4.0. I did try NAL-NL3 for a while but preferred APD4 and went back to it.
I had taken my down a few weeks ago, but your question about high-frequency amplification is a fair one, so I’ll repost it.
For reference, my AudiogramDirect thresholds at 3/4/6 kHz are R 75/75/90 and L 75/75/75 dB HL, so yes, I have substantial high-frequency loss.
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