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Phonak timeline for new power aid roll-out

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So Phonak Audeo Lumity was released in August 2022. Then Naida followed, Correct me if I’m wrong but it appears Phonak rolls out new aids every two to three years. So if that two to three year gap holds, one would assume in 2025 (late 2025) Phonak would have a replacement for the Lumity Naida.

Since there’s very little difference between the Phonak Paradise Naida Up and the Lumity Naida Up, let’s hope the next new power aid from Phonak has some real changes. Worth the cost of a new aid.

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How often do users notice much difference from one generation to the next? In sound processing, setting aside big additions like direct Bluetooth streaming. It’s not regularly the case that there’s a huge difference, and I suspect in a lot of cases when someone does notice a huge change it often has more to do with the status of their old hearing aids (e.g. they haven’t been readjusted for changes in hearing or they are malfunctioning in some maybe subtle way).

We have a group of patients under a particular insurance who come in for service twice a year and get upgraded every five years. We are screening their hearing regularly and running on-ear or testbox measures to confirm function at least twice a year, so their hearing aids are working well consistently. Five years (2-3 generations) seems to be enough time that they are happy with the improvements from new devices, but it’s seldom a huge change. I can’t imagining pushing someone to upgrade from a fully functioning hearing aid to the same hearing aid the next generation up. I think the excitement over new devices on this forum kind of over-hypes the differences.

I think they are going to make a big leap soon. But they have no real incentive to focus on the Naida Up they aren’t really a lot of competition there … this one they prob try to wait and extend the life cicle as much a sposible

In reply to @Neville

@Neville said:

We have a group of patients under a particular insurance who come in for service twice a year and get upgraded every five years.

Now that sounds like a GREAT idea! I doubt Medicare would spring for it … but in terms of having a competitive advantage as provider, I’d be selling that option a LOT to patients. :slight_smile:

It really keeps them on the straight and narrow if they come in twice a year to check HA performance and see if any adjustments are needed. I think 5 yrs between aids is pretty good, but I always JUMP at the new ones, which seem to be released about every 3-4 years. It’s my quest for the Holy Grail: near-perfect hearing in any environment.

@1Bluejay said:

but I always JUMP at the new ones, which seem to be released about every 3-4 years.

To each his own but that’s some what of a sucker’s game buying new aids that come out that don’t offer much beyond what last year’s aid offered, Especially if your current aid is only three, four years old. Since in most cases the difference between outgoing model and its new replacement is thin air. When you read that “such and such” new HA "gets 13% better hearing in noise, or you might be able to hear someone behind you better - that’s a clue to hold off buying the “hype”. Because all it is speculation and hype.

The true way to play the game is buy your new aid when ever, take care of it, have it periodically adjusted by Audi if needed and then a month or two before three or four year warranty expires, send aid in to manufacturer for inspection and free rebuild. After HA has been re-serviced your good to go for another three plus years or longer and then can keep an eye out for any “significant” technology changes in up coming aids. Bottom line if you can keep an aid working to your level of satisfaction five, six, seven plus years your saving serious money while also not buying the “hype” year in year out.

Yes! I hope to get my Phonak Lumity Life aids in for battery replacement before the 3-yr warranty is up. As for the re-build … well now I’ll have to ask my audi if Phonak does that, cuz I’d sure take advantage of that.

I admit, I was utterly SEDUCED by the Lumity Life promise of about 10% better speech understanding. And you’re right, mostly these claims are like thin air. But in this case, I would’ve given it maybe a 12-15% improvement over my Phonak Marvel aids. I thought, “MEH!”

But over the many months I’ve used these aids, that comprehension seems to have grown to more like a 20% improvement. Weirdly, the more I actually comprehend someone in a challenging situation (talking to my back, in noisy place, speaks with accent, soft voice, etc.,) the more my confidence grew. My hubs can talk in our echo-y house halfway up the stairs and I’ll know what he’s saying.

So I’m guessing if someone came out with a marketing message of improved speech clarity (or hey, how about truly waterproof aids!) I’d want to snap 'em up. And hope for the best! :slight_smile:

so does anyone know any rumor or something?
I am testing lumity life right now and I donnt wanna jump right away to spend good money :slight_smile:

Oticon is certainly teasing something. I’ve heard rumors of new receivers but don’t know whether that also means new platform. We get our news a bit later up here though.

In reply to @Neville

In terms of musical fidelity, my very old Phonak Naida S pair do better than my more recent M70. The latter, nicely finessed by my audiologist, and not much different in overall ‘tone’ and dynamics, nevertheless have a relatively granular sound on complex live musical texture. It’s a bit like comparison between wav and mp3.
I wonder if the increased complexity now crammed into a tiny package has led to compromises in basic quality of the audio algorithms? While there are some great steps evident recently, live (or loudspeakered) music is still the poor relation in audiology, in my lay opinion.

In reply to @WhiteHat

I thought xmems receivers were only good up to certain levels of hearing loss? I am like WAY WAY down there in the basement.

I’m no techie, but wouldn’t amplification be an issue for someone like me? More at this article here9.

Or is it also a battery life issue … and for the dogone rechargeables I’m forced to wear, I’d probably have to plug 'em in every 15 min, LOL. :neutral_face:

Not sure how this will play out, but the current power level is sufficient for most, I would think. From your link:
"Today, at 20 Hz to 1 kHz, our speakers can support between 110 to 120 . Above 1 kHz the linear gain increase of our speakers can achieve above 130-140 dB.

Future generation speakers will be capable of achieving much higher SPL."

I guess we have to wait to see if the future generations live up to the hype?

WH

@WhiteHat said:

I guess we have to wait to see if the future generations live up to the hype?

LOL! That’s the waiting game, alright! And in a different post, I read that Phonak will likely come out with a size 13 battery for Lumity Life. Sweet. I wonder if I could trade in my rechargeable Lifes for these IF they ever come out.

In reply to @1Bluejay

This xmems release9 says >140 db spl down to 20 hz. Since the audeo UP receiver is 132 db spl, I think, you should be good to go if they base it on something like this. Battery time will be 6 hours, and it won’t fit in your ear, of course, (I’m half joking, R & D be like that in the beginning) but they will sound amazing.

They are ip58, and I doubt that water will be an issue for these receivers if they coat wire leads etc appropriately, but dust may be an issue?

WH

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