Phonak Spice

@RonnieG said:

Hello there everyone.
I’m new to this forum (just joined) and I’m delighted to find that it exists. I’ve read many threads and I really appreciate everyone’s input.
I’ve been wearing HA’s since childhood. I have moderately severe hearing loss bilaterally - 60 to 85 dB loss across the board. I’ll post my audiogram later.
I’ve been wearing Phonak MicroPowers for the past 3-4 years and I love them. I use the Watchpilot with excellent results - 2 modes only - auto and another program with sound suppression turned off.
I’ve been in the market for new hearing aids for the past 6 months or so…after sending my phonaks in for repair and realizing that my old Starkey hearing aids were not cutting it as back-ups.

I tried the Phonak Audeo Smarts IX’s 3 months ago and I hated them. Sound was muffled, HA’s kept switching programs, and I just could not hear well at all. My Micropowers were much better aids. Multiple visits to the audiologist failed to resolve my issues and I eventually returned them at the end of my 6 week trial.

I just got a new pair of Audeo S Smart IX’s today and I must say that, after 5 hours of use, the new Spice chip is a big improvement. Sound is more clear and voices are not muffled. When I first inserted the HA’s there was a significant amount of background humming - like listening to sea shell oceanside. The audiologist made some adjustments and mostly resolved this. I chose to try the aids without any further adjustment to see how Phonak’s recommended settings will work. So far, I would say that speech clarity is almost as good as my micropowers - not sure if I am biased toward the micorpowers after 3 years of use and “brain training” or not.

Some issues that I have so far with the new HA’s from my limited 5 hour trial.

1. Too much sound processing. Auto program has too many options to cycle through and although program shifting is subtle, I notice it and It’s irritating. Maybe I’m just not used to it. Example…I’m in the Suburban with the kids. Music is on and I can’t hear it except randomly - hearing aids will occasionally pick up base and I will hear more of a rumble like humming than any music. I’m sitting at my Mac and my wife is watching TV in the background - I hear the audio from the TV intermittently and it is overwrought with a low sea-shell like rumble.
2. Wind Block feature is subpar - wind noise is too loud when compared to my old micropowers.
   3 I’m wearing the soft Power Domes and boy are they uncomfortable. My custom shells should be available in about a week or so.
3. My voice sounds different by the minute. I can’t judge the volume of my voice at times because I have an occluded feeling with certain programs.
4. I can be in the same environment - quit room, TV in the backround, limited talking to wife and kids - and the HA will cycle through multiple different auto modes - this is very irritating and confusing.

I know that many of readers are closely monitoring other’s experience with these aids - as I have been. I can honestly say that they are much better than the regular (non-spice chip) Audeo Smart IX’s “out of the box.” I am a very finicky user and I think I drove my Audiologist insane over these past few months. I will continue to post my experiences with these new HA’s and hopefully I can get them to work for me over the next few weeks.

RonnieG - I am getting fitted in a couple of weeks time with the Audeo S Smarts with super xreceiver. My current aids are the Micropowers same as you, so I will be following what you say with interest. It may help me greatly when I get fitted. My Audie is not familar at all with the Aids (I am the first one she has fitted and she has had no other enquiries - in fact I had to show her where there was a super xreceiver for my hearing loss
as she kept telling me they were not suitable for my hearing loss)

Great comments RonnieG!! Keep posting your impressions…

@RonnieG said:

Some issues that I have so far with the new HA’s from my limited 5 hour trial.

1. Too much sound processing. Auto program has too many options to cycle through and although program shifting is subtle, I notice it and It’s irritating. Maybe I’m just not used to it. Example…I’m in the Suburban with the kids. Music is on and I can’t hear it except randomly - hearing aids will occasionally pick up base and I will hear more of a rumble like humming than any music. I’m sitting at my Mac and my wife is watching TV in the background - I hear the audio from the TV intermittently and it is overwrought with a low sea-shell like rumble.

I do agree with this point. The soundflow switching does help to smooth out the transition when the hearing aids switch programs but I do agree that it switches too much. This tends to happen in very noisy/busy environments. I think the best solution here is to switch to one of the manual programs when you get into a busy/noisy situation. Many of the hearing aids that I have owned over the years didn’t have an automatic mode and you were always switching programs. Having an automatic program is a huge bonus but it doesn’t always get it right.

@RonnieG said:

2. Wind Block feature is subpar - wind noise is too loud when compared to my old micropowers.

I have no issues with windblock at all. Perhaps this feature was turned off by mistake.

@RonnieG said:

3 I’m wearing the soft Power Domes and boy are they uncomfortable. My custom shells should be available in about a week or so.

Interested to hear what you ordered. The user guide for the Smart IXs shows both a shell and something called a “Slimtip” Was wondering if someone could tell me what the difference is.

@RonnieG said:

4. My voice sounds different by the minute. I can’t judge the volume of my voice at times because I have an occluded feeling with certain programs.

Same thing happens to me but I don’t find it bothersome. I think you get this when you the hearing aid picks a program with heavy noise reduction. The base typically gets cut out and this makes it feel occluded…

@RonnieG said:

. I can be in the same environment - quit room, TV in the backround, limited talking to wife and kids - and the HA will cycle through multiple different auto modes - this is very irritating and confusing.

Think you can adjust this in the settings. I seem to remember the audiologist saying that you can alter the logic that the hearing aid uses to switch programs. Perhaps its too sensitive. Great comments. I’m hoping that Phonak is lurking on this discussion board and can address these things in an update. These are great hearing aids that will probably continue to improve.

JordanK.

@German said:

I could test the Spice YES yesterday and today in very noisy situations.

Situation 1:
Noisy restaurant, loud noise out of the kitchen and the bar.
The HA had difficulties with the noise. It was hard to understand speech
clear, because the HA concentrated on the noise beside. But it was possible. Some pumping and changing of the focus (zoom). Oticons (agil pro) are better in this situation but have a higher tone. My Phonaks are more natural. The Spice Phonaks reached 60% of my expectations.

Situation 2:
50 people in a hall, standing on small tables and very loud speeking.
No kitchen noise. Only the speeking of all the people.
The Spice aids did a great job. I could understand speech in front, on the left and on the right. No pumping and no change of the sound. Program was speech in noise but with lowered loudness. The domes had a good placement, lowering the loudness seems to work better. The spice aids reached 90% of my expectations.

So it was a great day for the new phonaks. May be they learn.

Hi again German,

Siutation 1 looks like it would have benefitted more from StereoZoom than Automatic. You could have also turned up the flexControl whihc is designed to improve speech clarity while keeping noise down.

I am however happy to see you are doing better. Have you been back to the audi for some adjustments since you were fitted?

@SuJaDon said:

RonnieG - I am getting fitted in a couple of weeks time with the Audeo S Smarts with super xreceiver. My current aids are the Micropowers same as you, so I will be following what you say with interest. It may help me greatly when I get fitted. My Audie is not familar at all with the Aids (I am the first one she has fitted and she has had no other enquiries - in fact I had to show her where there was a super xreceiver for my hearing loss
as she kept telling me they were not suitable for my hearing loss)

Seeing that your audi is new to the Spice, just make sure she enters the acoustic parameters of the aids before starting a fitting. She might also receive an earmould code from Phonak which she needs to enter. She HAS to run the feedback manager as it also estimated RECD which seems to improve first fit dramatically. Also make sure you let her know if anything is not as expected as you probably know more about what to expect by reading this forum than she does.

The software is much more simple than iPFG once you know your way around, so I am sure she’ll be ok.

Good luck

@JordanK said:

Interested to hear what you ordered. The user guide for the Smart IXs shows both a shell and something called a “Slimtip” Was wondering if someone could tell me what the difference is.
JordanK.

Basically they scan the impression that is made by your Fitter, digitize the impression, file it under your info then manufacture the hollow soft shells to the digital information of your impression.
Web search:
SlimTip Soft - Better sealing, retention and wearing comfort
With SlimTip Soft, Phonak introduces the first custom earpieces that are produced with digital UV soft shell material. Compared to standard hard acrylic shells, the flexible material helps minimize the pressure for sensitive ear canals and provides maximum wearing comfort, especially for long wearing periods. The innovative digital UV technology used in the manufacturing process, developed by Phonak, delivers high precision and offers easy replication of identical parts in case of remake, damage or loss. Digital 3D modelling of the earpieces allows Phonak to offer the highly acclaimed AOV (Acoustically Optimized Venting) technology for the first time to be used with micro BTE and CRT instruments. AOV technology designs the right-sized vent into each earpiece, customized to the patient’s hearing profile, minimizing occlusion while providing the necessary benefit.
The innovative SlimTip Soft earpieces are available as hollow SlimTips

and…
The C-Shell is a hard or soft material like a custom in- the -ear mold… hollow for placement of receiver and venting.
Hope this helps

@SuJaDon said:

Its a pity you weren’t in Melbourne hearnow Could really do with someone knowing what they were doing especially with all the $$'s I’m paying.

I share your frustration (albeit from the other side of the world!)

I’m still waiting for a pair of Ambra in-the-ear aids.

Today was supposed to be the day when I was fitted, but my audi had ordered the wrong model…

@SuJaDon said:

Its a pity you weren’t in Melbourne hearnow Could really do with someone knowing what they were doing especially with all the $$'s I’m paying.

How much are you paying if I may ask?

Ronnie G

You describe exactly my feeling after 4 weeks

Yesterday was a good day. I had also days like you describe:
The stereo feeling, the own voice difficult, the left aid with more occlusion
and the changing.

One point in Target was the reaction time. Audio got it to slow. She wanted to stop the changing. But: the changing got worse. So we went back to a faster reaction time.

The good feeling I had yesterday was only in the “speech in noise” program and in one fixed situation. That was good, but the first day in 4 weeks.

I can share your experience.

Hearnow - I am paying $9,000.00 which includes the remote and the icom.

Wow … I am clearly undercharging over here in the UK … my current price is nearer $4500 for 2 x top-end SMART S IX plus icom & mypilot.

@SuJaDon said:

Hearnow - I am paying $9,000.00 which includes the remote and the icom. These are for the top of the range Audeo S Smarts with the superpower x receiver. What’s your thoughts? Would love to hear them.

that is pricey…

@EnglishDispenser said:

Wow … I am clearly undercharging over here in the UK … my current price is nearer $4500 for 2 x top-end SMART S IX plus icom & mypilot.

Glad to hear what your prices are. I also have unlimited visits for tweaks for the life of the hearing aids.

@xbulder said:

that is pricey…

so what is the current charging price in the US ?

I also have unlimited visits for tweaks for the life of the hearing aids.

Let’s say 10 visits of 1-hour.

At the US price mentioned that works out at $450 per hour. Not bad!

@SuJaDon said:

Hearnow - I am paying $9,000.00 which includes the remote and the icom. These are for the top of the range Audeo S Smarts with the superpower x receiver. What’s your thoughts? Would love to hear them.

I think my audiologist is charging approximately $6K for the new Smart IXs with iCom, myPilot and unlimited visits. The provincial government here in Ontario, Canada kicks in $1,000 grant (every 3 years) and my company medical insurance pays another $500. The Canadian tax department then lets you write off the rest as a medical expense deduction on your income tax return so you get the tax you paid on this amount back as a refund.

So…

Smart IXs: $6,000
Prov Grant: -$1,000
Med Ins: -$500
Tax Refund: -$1,000

So…the net cost to me is about $3,500. If I keep them 3 years then its about $100 per month to hear properly. Not a bad deal all things considered.

JordanK.