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Oticon Reveal 1 vs. Phonak Audéo EON Sphere 90: Which is better for mild high-frequency hearing loss?

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Hi everyone,

I'm 54 and have mild high-frequency hearing loss. I'm currently testing the Oticon Reveal 1 with open domes and am considering whether I should also try the new Phonak Audéo EON Sphere 90.

So far, I'm actually quite happy with the Oticon. Speech understanding in background noise has improved, music and TV sound excellent, and I've become so comfortable with the hearing aids that I often forget I'm wearing them.

I'm particularly interested in the different sound processing philosophies of the two manufacturers.

Oticon seems to focus on preserving a more natural, open sound environment, while Phonak's Sphere technology emphasizes -based speech separation and noise reduction.

My main questions:

  • For someone with mild high-frequency hearing loss, does Oticon's more open approach make more sense?
  • How well does Phonak's Spheric Speech Clarity work with open domes? Does the open fitting limit its benefits?
  • Has anyone with a similar hearing loss tried both devices? Which felt more natural and less tiring during everyday use?

I'm wondering whether the Phonak would offer a meaningful improvement in noisy environments or whether I'd be better off staying with the Oticon, which already works very well for me.

I'd really appreciate any personal experiences, especially from people using open fittings.

Thanks!

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In reply to @Silke1972

@Silke1972 said:

So far, I'm actually quite happy with the Oticon. Speech understanding in background noise has improved, music and TV sound excellent, and I've become so comfortable with the hearing aids that I often forget I'm wearing them.

If you like them and you're meeting all of you hearing goals, why switch? A lot of the differences between modern hearing aids are very small, particularly for milder losses.

In reply to @Silke1972

If you're wanting to make a comparison to be sure you're picking the right device, consider Widex Allure instead. It offers potential benefits to users with your kind of hearing loss that neither Oticon nor Phonak devices can match. If you strongly prefer Oticon then you know you've made the right choice.

If you are considering the Allure, b aware that Widex has just released the Allure that adds a on demand speech in noise capability

When I'm fitting moderate high-frequency hearing loss, it wouldn't be uncommon for me to choose the Reveal from Oticon OR the Phonak EON. The patient's reaction when demoing the different hearing aids is most telling. If we do an Oticon demo and I'm unable to program the hearing aid close to the computer-recommended targets without the patient telling me it's way too tinny, then the Phonak is going to have a better success rate with this sort of patient. Phonak hearing aids, in general, apply more compression within the high frequencies and are perceived as less harsh, especially by someone new to hearing aids. However, if we are able to set the Oticon Reveal near the recommended starting point and the patient doesn't complain about the amplification being too tinny or shrill, then I'd stick with the Oticon. Oticon tends to be more precise with its fitting formula, even if it seems tinny to some. Phonak works best for someone who has a hard time dealing with sounds that are too harsh and tinny, such as a new user who has high-frequency hearing loss.

This is why it's so important to demo both hearing aids in the office before you decide. Once both products are programmed correctly for the individual's hearing loss, I generally recommend the hearing aid that applies the most usable gain in the high frequencies without causing the patient to feel uncomfortable. In other words, if we program both aids for the patient's loss, we would see which fitting formula sounds best when programmed correctly. If Oticon isn't too harsh, then they'd likely hear better with that device. If the Oticon has to be turned way down and still seems tinny, then the Phonak will end up being the better fit. Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Brad Wagner , -HIS

A number of people like the Sphere for handling speech in noise, but also like a more lively soundstage, especially outdoors. Would using a (adult) or or 3 instead of the Phonak proprietary fitting software possible make the Phonak Eon sound more natural or lively?

Thank you, that really helps. I will test the new Phonak Eon Sphere next week and then just compare.

What a long journey. At the same time I'm not willing to make a lot of compromises since my new hearing aids will accompany every day...

Potentially. I personally haven't has much success applying different fitting formulas with the newer hearing aids. Maybe if your dealing with someone who has severe recruitment, you might consider . This is more of an outdated way of thought IMO as i was using NAL-NL2 almost 20 years ago.

Truthfully I haven't had enough time to evaluate the newer NAL-NL3 fitting formula. I've tried it a few times with Resound hearing aids with limited success.

It seems that these newer devices are so jam packed with auto features that the proprietary fitting formulas seems to work the best. I tend to finetune by hand using the default fitting formula. Most fitting modules now will have a feature where you describe the problem and the software will apply a recommended adjustment. For someone newer to programming hearing aids, this would be the most effective approach.

The reason why the Phonak doesn't sound as "natural" or "lively" as say, a Widex, is because of the latency in the chip. Currently Widex is best in class for natural sound quality. Their chip has the lowest delay of all the manufacturers and this makes the difference. Phonak is best for background noise augmentation. I usually recommend this for patients that have loudness issues or lower discrimination.

I wrote a blog a few weeks back that covered a lot of this. If your interested, he is the link:

https://www.clarityhearingcare.com/post/best-hearing-aid-2026-reveal-eon-max-sensia13

In reply to @Silke1972

That's the correct approach. YOUR the one who has to wear them 10-15 hours a day, so you need to be happy with your selection. I can tell someone what I think or what I've experienced with other patients however each individual has preference.

You may find that the Oticon does better in quiet environments and the Phonak is superior in a crowded situation because of its denoising capabilities. It's what's most important to you.

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