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My Phonak Sphere Infinio I90 vs Lumity L90 Shootout

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In reply to @Milkshake

If you have not yet committed, you may want to check Zip Hearing on line… I was referred to them by someone in a hearing forum and bought the phonak sphere for under $5k… You buy the direct from them and they connect you to a local audiologist. I get 3 year warranty and one year of adjustments with local audiologist. After that the tune-ups will be between $35-65. I am picking mine up tomorrow. I will teport back.

In reply to @Mimi53

This is exactly what I did as well. I had gone to HearUSA (my Medicare Advantage pays a partial benefit there), but they weren’t able to get the Phonak Spheres. I called ZipHearing, who referred me to another local audiologist (which I like MUCH more than HearUSA). They ordered the Sphere 90’s and I had them in under 3 weeks. I paid $4598, and have 3 year warranty with one year of adjustments. I really like the Spheres. I have just ordered ActiveVent receivers, which I expect to receive in a week or so. I started with vented domes, then switched to power domes for greater background noise reduction in loud restaurants, etc. After the initial fitting appointment, I’ve been making adjustments on my own, and find the Spheres much more customizable than my previous Oticon More aids, as well as the Signia Pure Charge and Go’s which I trialed before getting the Phonaks.

In reply to @sterei

I don’t think checking Target is a reliable way to check warranty. I bought a new PartnerMic online and when I put serial number in Target it said it had a 3 year warranty. When I went to an audiologist that sold Phonak, they contacted Phonak and got told it was not a warrantable item. (My suspicion is that it was essentially “Grey Market”) Warranty is always going to be a little sketchy when dealing online and even in person can be sketchy if the business closes because finding somebody else to submit it for warranty work can be challenging.

In reply to @Ron_Downs

are the new active vents with the new pin connection out for the Spheres? I was at my audiologist yesterday and she first didn’t realize the connection was different, then looked wherever she orders from and said she couldn’t order active vents for me to try. She said she has a training with a Phonak Rep in 2 weeks and would inquire about it ahead my my next follow up in 3 weeks.

In reply to @MDB

I donno, did you check the first two digits, this should tell you year of manufacture, so possibly they were saying it’s one year international warranty, I’d ask for more clarification on what “not a warrantable item” actually means, but yeah if you buy used, open box of from overseas seller then one might expect something like this to happen.

In reply to @Gerren_V

I don’t know for sure, but I assume they must be, as my audi called Phonak directly this morning to run my by them and to discuss c-shell vs slim tips. This is an excerpt from her email to me: “I just spoke with PHONAK and the receiver you are looking for is the Titanium Slim Tip AV.”
Phonak are shipping them out today. Hopefully they’ll be the right ones!

In reply to @tenkan

It’s not an issue anymore because I had an extended warranty and got full refund. To me the key issue is that just popping a serial number into Target is no guarantee of a valid warranty. I was pretty suspicious of the claimed 3 year warranty as everybody else I’d talked to only offered one year warranty on accessories.

In reply to @jim_lewis

I also ordered mine from directhearing.com7. I just received my order yesterday with an assortment of domes, pack of , cleaning tool and the tv connector. So far my experience with direct hearing has been good, they called me today to setup my first adjustment next week.

I haven’t had a chance yet to test the spheres out in the wild, but my initial impressions are that I really like these aids and the robustness of the app and the Bluetooth classic connectivity has been great so far.

@Abarsanti, @jeffpa, how long after you placed your order did the Spheres ship? I ordered the Graphite Gray, which I thought would be a common color choice, but I wonder if color choice affects order time.

My audi was very understanding about ordering online and my financial reasons for doing so: insurance coverage not renewed yet, my wife, an MD, essentially paying for my splurge (and grudgingly so!). My audi is happy to make molds for me but prefers I send the back to Direct Hearing for warranty issues.

From my Lumity trial in early 2023, I have some experience with Phonak. Still, I found the following two free Audiology Online courses very helpful in getting me up to speed now. I recommend the courses for even ordinary users of the Spheres or Infinios as well as DIYers to help understand your hearing options and what can be controlled in the MyPhonak app vs. what you need to ask your to change. Yes, there is the usual self-promotion you find in any Audiology Online course from any HA OEM about how great their particular brand of HA is, but there is A LOT of really useful information in both courses.
For example, some people have claimed that Stereo Zoom went away with the Spheres. No, it hasn’t. Even in Spheric Speech in Loud Noise, there is directionality, and the default value can be set in Target, but the user can also control the amount of directionality and the amount of noise reduction in the MyPhonak app.

You must register for a free account at Audiology Online to take courses. You don’t have to be a professional HCP and you only pay for a course if you are and want Continuing Education credit (CEUs). To register, click the JOIN NOW button in the upper right at the following web page: https://www.audiologyonline.com/19

Audiology Online courses that have been previously given will be available for ON DEMAND viewing (a recorded video with PDF course handout downloads). You may find the same course listed under different numbers representing for instance, the most recent past time it was offered and some near future time it is to be offered again. If you want to search for all the courses that Phonak has to offer, you can start with this URL: Audiology CEUs | All Courses | AudiologyOnline12. For other OEMs, substitute their name for phonak in the URL, e.g., put in oticon, starkey, resound, signia, etc. Or go to the following Audiology Online URL and pick the OEM from the dropdown (or start typing the name in the dropdown box): Audiology CEUs | All Courses | AudiologyOnline.

I tried to input the above URLs as plain text so any reader could see what they are, but the HT Discourse web software on this forum reads the page title and substitutes that. If you copy the links into a plain text editor like Notepad in Windows, you can read the straight URL (or just paste the link into your browser URL locator and don’t hit ENTER).

The first course is a little obsolete in that it only covers Phonak development up through the Lumity. However, it’s still very relevant in discussing the various AutoSense programs and the adjustable features in each and whether the user can control any feature in MyPhonak or needs their HCP to do so. Hopefully, an updated version to cover the Spheres and Target 10.0 will be released soon.

Phonak Target Software: Flexibility Meets Expertise | 42918 | Hearing (audiologyonline.com)20
(although the course date is 10/28/24, it’s already been given before and available for ON DEMAND viewing to registered folks. Although it discusses how Target fitting software works, it reviews important aspects of the different AutoSense programs, what’s only controlled in Target and what the user can control in MyPhonak: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and still very relevant to the Infinio line and the Spheres).

The second course is more of a promo for the Infinio line and the Sphere in particular, but it brings the user up to date on what’s changed between the Lumity and the Infinio lines. In particular, it discusses the controls for Spheric Speech in Loud Noise and the control options.

Welcome to a New ERA | 39815 | Hearing Aids - (audiologyonline.com)14

Taking both courses strongly boosted my enthusiasm for buying the Spheres. There’s a lot of power and options built into Phonak HAs. (can’t find the right words here; take the courses and see for yourself).

I ordered mine before they were even available, so I got the first batch of them in. So my experience wouldnt matter

In reply to @JordanK

Hi @JordanK, you referred me to Jeff and I don’t think he mentioned anything to me about P receivers. I have tremendous difficulty understanding my wife (but not many other people) when we are talking quietly. Is this some kind of a receiver for Spheres only? I’m still on the L90.

Also, have you noticed any better stability of Bluetooth connection for the Spheres over the L90s?

Edited

In reply to @idontwantha

@idontwantha said:

I have tremendous difficulty understanding my wife (but not many other people) when we are talking quietly. I

Ask your audi to check if Speech Enhancer is turned on. It specifically amplifies soft speech and not environmental sounds in quiet situations (but not in loud, noisy situations). When I trialed the Lumitys in early 2023, it did wonders for my wife’s soft voice (I even thought she was raising her voice at me!). Your audio can adjust the amount of soft speech amplification, too. Since I don’t have Phonak hearing aids just yet (but will have Spheres soon), I can’t check to see if there is any control over Speech Enhancer in the MyPhonak app

Edit_Update: IIRC, if your audi creates your user profile as a first-time inexperienced user, Speech Enhancer is automatically turned off for you. If your audi creates your profile as a user of greater than 12-months experience, Speech Enhancer is automatically turned on. When I trialed the Lumitys, I was already an experienced user of ReSound . My audi just fired up her fitting software, and the default profile she uses for that was Inexperienced User. So, it’s not always safe to assume your has you down for what your real experience is, and for that reason, it’s worth asking if Speech Enhancer is turned on.

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