Phonak Lumity 90 case

The power bank I used isn’t sending the right power signal. The case will charge for about 10 seconds then shut off. I actually think the power bank doesn’t sense enough of a draw and so it is what actually shuts off. Have to do some testing.

Here’s what really irritates me about Phonak now.

Lumity devices including the newest:
Audeo, Audeo Life, Audeo Slim, Naida, Sky.

Most of these use unique chargers that I don’t believe to be interchangeable (but I would love to be wrong). The Audeo and Slim don’t have travel/on-the-go charging options. Both points make no sense to me.

And then the Naida UP device uses a disposable battery.

I have the original Audeo, wanted telecoil so the even more expense Life device was not an option. So no Phonak-designed travel charger, no disposable battery option.

If I didn’t want Bluetooth Classic and integrated Roger receivers I’d kick Phonak to the curb. This is my 6th pair of Phonak devices over decades, they’ve made plenty of money off of me as it is though.

Take the charger to the shop that sells power bank. Test it out whether the power bank is powerful enough to charge your HA charger. I am able to use a power bank (50000mAh) to charge the Oticon smart charger during traveling.

Are you looking for options cuz you plan a trip to a place with no power outlets? I think the battery pack is intriguing IF it works, and if the trip is short, the charger is good for 3 full charges … but, um, er, that is to say … I wouldn’t want to put it to the test with MY cinderblock ears far from home.

That is the whole RUB of these infernal “rechargeables”. We can’t just take a month’s supply of batteries in our pocket and be safe. We are now vulnerable to the aids needing to be charged up EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I used to love tent camping … Now if only I could find a power outlet in that tree trunk where I’m hanging my bear bag.

@1Bluejay said:

Are you looking for options cuz you plan a trip to a place with no power outlets? I think the battery pack is intriguing IF it works, and if the trip is short, the charger is good for 3 full charges … but, um, er, that is to say … I wouldn’t want to put it to the test with MY cinderblock ears far from home.

16 to 18 hours a day is what I get. It’s merely a nuisance if I’m home and have to stop for 15-20 minutes to plug them in and get a little boost in that time. Weekends, or when traveling, is another matter entirely. I’m frequently out and about for over 18 hours before I’m done for the day. Needing to stop near an outlet randomly found is aggravating.

Whole thing is now even more aggravating that before since as mentioned Naida gets a portable battery and a disposable option.

Thanks for your input, but I misstated what I wanted. I was hoping for a case with its own battery that could charge my hearing aids when I went on a short trip. I wanted to be able to unplug my case and take it with me without an electrical cord. It seems that I have to take a half dozen cords to fit all the devices I use. I was looking for ways to cut back on a few cords and plugs.

@menglxs said:

You need a power bank that support low-current charging，most power bank will turn off the output when the output current is low, and hearing aids are charged at low currents.

Thanks. I’m aware of this. Unfortunately this still won’t permit the NiteCore brand battery (with a physical button for this explicit purpose) to power the Phonak charging case. I still haven’t given my Anker devices a try yet, mostly as they’re much larger capacity (read: heavier) and haven’t wanted to lug them out.

@1Bluejay said:

You are LIVING my life, that’s for sure! I probably get 17.5 hrs of use from my Lumity Life aids per day. But like you, when I travel and am up 8am to 2am, it’s a problem. I now travel with two pairs of backup aids: one is the identical Lumity Life, the other is the older, battery-powered Marvel aids.

I know this sounds extreme, but in these days of climate change and Nature doing it’s thing, you never know, so gotta be prepared. I travel to fire/earthquake zones, live in a flood/hurricane zone, and do international travel to places of civil unrest. Yeah, I don’t want to be bargaining cigars for hearing aid batteries if I can help it …

I don’t disagree with you at all. I always have my prior devices and often the ones before that until I get around to donating them. I’m seriously considering a second set of Lumity devices but at this point now I want the Naida UP ones. One ear is way past 100-110 in the high frequencies and speech discrimination is awful in this ear too. I’ve had several older Naida (Naida 3, Quest, Belong) devices and they’ve served me well. SoundRecover and SoundRecover2 now in Lumity seems to cover this just fine for me though, shifting high frequency sound to a lower frequency.

Anyway, if you don’t mind my asking: Did you simply buy a second set of Lumity devices wholesale somewhere and program yourself, or did you pay “full” price from an audiologist?

@AZTravelGuy said:

Did you simply buy a second set of Lumity devices wholesale somewhere and program yourself, or did you pay “full” price from an audiologist?

I browbeat my audi into offering me the 2nd pair of Lumity Life aids for a 30% discount - down from orig price of $6400 to $5800. It was a splurge, but this was the first time in my long life I have identical backups. The older Marvels didn’t have the same programs, so the program lineup would’ve been different, and the audio quality was also different.

I’ve ALWAYS had to use backup aids on occasion - mainly as repairs were needed on my primary aids. Now with rechargeable aids, the backup is even MORE critical cuz we need to charge them up every single day forever. No more coasting a week on a pair of batteries. If I didn’t charge the aids up, or if there was an issue with the charger (yet another layer of complication added), I’d need to put the backup aids on.

Luckily, these are now IDENTICAL to the ones I wear every day, so my weary brain doesn’t have to re-learn how to hear and what the program lineup is.

@1Bluejay said:

I have to ask: what is the listening experience with the Roger ON in? Does audio stream to the aids like a phone call or using the TV streamer? Or is it more ambient but focused? I go in on 9/5 for a demo, but would like to know what it’s like from someone who uses it daily.

The audio is outstanding. It’s the same Roger proprietary protocol (I forget the name) based on Bluetooth LE. I’m not sure what you are describing as a difference between a phone call vs a TV streamer. I have the current TV streamer, a first generation Roger On iN (and a second Roger On I got for $100 off Ebay), and they all sound excellent. I generally can’t tell the difference if I didn’t know which one was doing the streaming.

Keep in mind the original Roger On devices don’t do two way audio for Teams/Zoom meetings, but that’s fine for me as I use the built-in mic in my webcam or my standalone USB mic.

I’d just use Bluetooth directly but as we all know for long periods of use that will drain the Lumity batteries quickly.

Also, “I’ve never once made it 4-5 years without needing a repair, much less a Lithium battery swap now - will come about.”

That’s me for sure! It’s usually at the 3-yr mark that both receivers fail within a month or two of each other. The rechargeable battery is another pitfall of these RECHARGEABLES. My audi said just turn the aids in before the 3-yr warranty is up and Phonak will swap in new batteries. So I could coast on my backup pair during the 3 weeks that the others go back to Phonak. It’s these kind of necessities that DICTATE a very good backup pair of aids. I just got tired of backups that had a different program lineup AND sound quality. It’s like driving a tractor to work when you car’s in the shop.
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As for switching to backup hearing aids that are different, I explain it to normal hearing folks as switching stereos, speakers, amps, or all of the above: it’s the same but different audio and you have to get used to it. It’s frustrating.

I have Phonak Lumity Life 90s rechargeables and my case has a built in battery in it.

I just got the Lumity 70-R, I so wish the charger had a battery pack in it :-/

Also, as an aside, I don’t get why these chargers are so ridiculously expensive.

@AZTravelGuy said:

I’m not sure what you are describing as a difference between a phone call vs a TV streamer.

Sorry for the confusion! What I meant was that streaming audio through my cell phone OR using the TV Connector sounds exactly the same cuz audio is streamed directly to the aids. But if I use “Acoustic Phone” that gives me stereophonic hearing but does NOT stream audio directly to the aids. Hope that makes sense?

So I’m wondering if Roger ON in streams audio directly into the aids - hence the “outstanding” sound? HOPE SO!