Thought I would post another ongoing update on my Infinio Sphere’s. Thank you everyone for all your kind comments and feedback. As I have mentioned many times, I don’t work for Phonak and the only reason I post all these detailed comments on this forum is to try and help other people by sharing my experiences, etc.

I’ve read through all of the other threads people have posted on this forum regarding the new Phonak Infinio Sphere’s. Some of the comments are kinda odd IMHO. There seems to be two camps of people. One group (like me), is finding that the new Sphere AI chip is giving them breakthrough hearing in very noisy settings. The other group doesn’t seem to notice any kind of difference. I can’t understand this at all. I’m almost wondering if a portion of the second group has their Sphere’s setup incorrectly, or has the wrong power of receiver/domes installed or maybe the Sphere AI only works well with people with more closed fittings. The other thing it could be is that people with certain types of losses or poor word recognition scores don’t benefit as much. I guess we will know more over time.

I just spent six days in Florida with the Sphere’s. Once again, they were awesome at the airport and on the airplane. They performed extremely well in a whole bunch of very noisy restaurants. I took them swimming in the pool (obviously I didn’t dunk my head) and I had no issues chatting with other people in the pool. Battery life is fantastic. I almost never end the day below 50% so the whole battery anxiety issue that I had with Lumity has completely gone away. The only issues that seem to come regularly are:

1. For the first time in my life, I can hear better than other people with normal hearing in a very noisy restaurant. Sounds like a good problem to have but the net effect is that after the Sphere AI chip removes 10db of noise, the restaurant sounds less noisy than it really is (for me only). I end up talking too quietly (because deaf people tend to worry about talking too loud) and other people can’t understand me. Silly issue but just throwing it out there.

2. The one scenario that seems to mix up the Sphere’s is sitting in a very noisy restaurant where there is a speaker mounted on the ceiling directly above you blasting music. Whenever there is noise and music, the AutoSense tends to get confused and switches back and forth between the Sphere program and the Music program. Solution is to force the hearing aids into either the manual Sphere or Music program depending on whether you want to enjoy the music or talk to someone at the table. It’s not really a big issue but it’s important to have these two programs setup as manual programs. Bear in mind that music will sound like crap in the Spheric program and speech will sound like crap in the Music program. I guess life is full of choices.

3. My wife and I like to exercise at night by walking along the beach on the Hollywood Broadwalk. It’s a pedestrian only walkway in the Fort Lauderdale area that has the beach on one side and restaurants on the other. It was very windy last week and AutoSense was very quick to activate the wind reduction program to counteract the wind coming off the ocean. Wind reduction aggressively gets rid of the noise from the wind blowing across your hearing aids but it really cuts down on speech comprehension. No issue if you are walking alone but it really messes with conversation when you are walking along the beach with someone. In retrospect, I should have opened the app and played around with the program settings when this happened but I will ask my audiologist for his advice on this issue during my appointment on Monday.

I’m going to end my trial and buy these hearing aids next week. The Spheric AI program and improved battery life compared to Lumity are game changing (IMHO). As others have mentioned, the Sphere’s are still a tiny bit buggy. I’ve noticed they do restart on their own from time to time, you do get the occasional Bluetooth drop off (which I think is caused by surrounding radio interference from other devices) and the Phonak app still has the occasional weird behaviour. That being said, these hearing aids work for me and most importantly, I no longer have to stress when heading to a noisy restaurant or other venue.

And…apologies to the person who keeps asking me about using the Sphere’s in a movie theatre. Still hasn’t happened. Will get to it soon.

That’s my update.

Jordan

@JordanK

I’m thinking. I got my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90Rs when they were brand new.

They didn’t work for first year and a half. I blamed Phonak. Shouldn’t have.

Hearing aids were just released. Strike one
Most important part—skill of the person doing setup. Strike two

Rechargeable batteries had too little charge! Minuscule wax guards. Strike 3

I figure the nice man that got them knew squat. For a year and a half

So I’m wondering if some people with bad results got setup pros who didn’t know how? Or needed to spend little time because that’s their business plan.

I’m very grateful you spend the time to show us how well your new hearing aids work

I eagerly read each review you issue

I’m 78. I’m desperate to find the time and money to retire. Heck my Father died at 76. I’m. On borrowed time

Workman’s compensation. Please help.

Someone asked me via a PM about my experience with DirectHearing buying the I90 Spheres. I thought I’d recount it here so anyone else interested can benefit, too.

First, I had a great experience and was very satisfied with my purchase. But I’d only recommend going this route if you’re into DIY fitting and know what you’re doing. I’ll put my review of DirectHearing submitted to TrustPilot at the end of this post. My hearing loss is not too far beyond the realm that the FDA allows to be fit by OTC HAs. The Spheres with M power receivers are just a little bit beyond the amplification power that the FDA allows for OTC HAs, but with my loss using Phonak’s APD 3.0 fitting algorithm, I will never exceed OTC HA amplification limits. So, the way I look at it <<<joke>>>, I’m just using a very complicated program (Target) to fit my OTC HAs.

A couple things about buying them I didn’t mention in the TrustPilot review. If you don’t have an audiogram to provide, they will offer you an online hearing test. That might not be very accurate. The best thing would be to go somewhere like Costco and get a free hearing test and ask for a copy of the hearing test results. Direct Hearing will put the audiogram you provide into their fitting program, apply the default fit for your audiogram, and probably equip your receivers with domes appropriate for your low-frequency hearing profile (mine came with open domes because of my good low-frequency hearing). I fit myself after receiving the Spheres using Audiogram Direct in Target (an in situ audiogram where the HAs, as you wear them, play pure frequency tones into your ear canals, and you tell Target the lowest volume of each tone you can hear). The Audiogram Direct result agreed very well with an audiogram done by my audiologist recently. But I had trouble finding a quiet enough time and place near my computer to test my hearing at home (not an audiologist’s soundproof booth!).

I was worried that while inputting my hearing audiogram into the Spheres, Direct Hearing would charge them up to 100% along with the Sphere ChargerGo case. So, I asked them to ship the HAs not fully charged, and they obligingly did so because things can get quite hot inside a UPS truck in Texas during the day, even in October. The Spheres were received ~37% charged, and the ChargerGo case was in its factory box, never used and also at the modest state of charge Li-ion devices are usually shipped at.

I was also worried that the excellent price and the free TV Connector were because they were reselling someone else’s open box returns. However, my Spheres, although programmed with my audiogram, came in the factory box, and the box showed that they were manufactured only two weeks before I placed my order. The TV Connector was in factory-fresh condition, with the USB charging cable and the Toslink cable undisturbed. When I connected each Sphere to Target, Target automatically showed the serial numbers and correct date of purchase, indicating the sale to me was a kosher deal.

I asked Direct Hearing whether I could take the Spheres to my audiologist for any warranty work They said yes. For my ReSound hearing aids, the audi never charged me, saying ReSound compensated her for all expenses related to shipping HAs and their replacements back and forth, fitting, etc. So, I thought the same would work for her with my Spheres. Although she agreed to fit me for Phonak molds, she suggested I continue with Direct Hearing for warranty work. When I see her for new molds, I’ll ask her why she feels that way.

After I received my Spheres, a Direct Hearing admin assistant contacted me and wanted to make an OTA fitting appointment with one of their specialists. Since I didn’t think that person would be able to do anything I couldn’t do myself (and I provided some evidence I knew what I was doing), I declined their fitting help. I said my wife is a board-certified internist, and I have her examine my ear canals ~once a month with her otoscope. I see an ENT PA at least once a year to have my ear canals examined and cleaned. And I have an audiologist that I will go to if I have any hearing problems that I can’t solve (and find another if she can’t provide a la carte service).

Here’s my TrustPilot review of Direct Hearing. The main thing I had a problem with was the online ordering options. They don’t say anything about receiver power or wire length. Presumably, if I hadn’t told them what I wanted in that department, they would have contacted me and would have decided receiver powers based on my audiogram. But then the completed order didn’t list what I was getting in my order either besides two I90 Sphere Infinios and a free Phonak TV Connector for $3,549.

TrustPilot Review

Extremely Satisfied with Phonak Sphere Infinios From Direct Hearing

I ordered a pair of Phonak Sphere Infinio I90s and got a free TV Connector as part of my order. Service was great: courteous and helpful. It did take a little over 2 weeks to get the product. The Spheres and the TV Connector both work flawlessly. The web ordering process could be improved. The receiver power and the wire length are to be indicated in Special Notes, but that’s not obvious. Also, there is no description of what else comes with the order (dome selection, ChargerGo RICSPH I, Cerustop wax filters), and even the order confirmation doesn’t describe that. I thought the shipping notification formatting could have also made the tracking information more prominent. My latter comments are just helpful suggestions; the shopping experience and product received were great (the Spheres came boxed with a manufacture date ~2 weeks before my order), and I wouldn’t hesitate to order again from Direct Hearing.

Date of experience: October 14, 2024

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Reply from Direct Hearing

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear you’re enjoying your Phonak Sphere Infinio I90s and the TV Connector, and that your experience with our service was positive. We truly appreciate your constructive suggestions regarding the web ordering process, and we will take them into consideration as we work to improve the user experience. We’re also glad to hear that the products arrived in great condition. If you need anything in the future or have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Thank you again for your support and for choosing Direct Hearing!

Thanks and very grateful for this very informative thread (especially to JordanK, and jim_lewis repeated and detailed input). Some ?s/info I am not sure have been addressed:

1. For those who have Spheres and provided their review, is frequency lowering via Sound Recover being used? {Attempting to understand a reviewer’s hearing challenges and “strategy” for compensation and then their review, for me is in part informed by the their audiogram, but how the sound is processed including the interactive impact of SR.}

2. If you have custom molds, what kind, and have you had any problem fitting the HAs in the supplied charger? {Dr. Cliff’s review complained about the even smaller cavity in charger for the receiver than the charger for the Lumity, and since I have silicone moderate sized molds it is a bit of a concern.}

3. Benefit of Sphere i90 vs Lumity L90 audio quality when NOT automatically in Sphere mode?? While my read of most of this thread especially of JordanK, (and Dr. Cliff) is that it is Speech in loud Noise where the most noticeable (for some even remarkable) benefit comes, it also seems A) from the extensive excerpts from audiology online Phonak courses shared by jim_lewis that Phonak at least claims across the board benefits from processing power etc. This’d perhaps be fairly evident to me coming from KS10/Paradise and
   B) One thread contributor (@firenzel who has tinnitus) gives extensive video review and indicated for him significant improvement in manually triggering Sphere processing in lower noise situations e.g.iirc, at drive up window ordering food with some traffic noise and order taker’s voice coming through a small speaker; hearing a passerby when walking his dog on a pretty windy day; and I believe talking with someone in a kitchen when a vent hood exhaust fan was on. Are others finding these types of benefit for Sphere i90 when speech clarity is improved (even if it also results in JordanK’s experience of background noise just sounding very “weird/odd”)?

For those like myself considering ordering online via directhearing the Sphere i90 is about $3,450USA and this is about $1,050 more than their price on the Lumity L90. While the greatly improved battery life, BT range, might be enough benefit to warrant the additional cost, if one is only rarely using the Spheric processing as they are infrequently in >70DB noise the extra expense might not be worth it, and perhaps are better off saving that money, or investing part of it in custom molds with its benefit of more controlled and consistent placement of receiver relative to ear drum.

@Edma said:

if one is only rarely using the Spheric processing as they are infrequently in >70DB noise

The threshold for turning on Spheric processing can be turned down to only a moderate noise level and/or you can have it made a manual program. When you switch to the manual Spheric Speech program, AFAIK, Spheric processing will come on regardless of the noise level.

As I remarked before, the quality of the voice you want to listen to is an important part of the outcome. But the other day, while waiting in line at a Walmart pharmacy, one of the pharmacy techs helping customers had a strong voice. I could hear the sound of his voice but not his words through the background din. I turned on Spheric noise reduction manually and could then hear his words clearly even though he was more than 10 feet away, and I was first or second in line at the Wait Here sign (I couldn’t hear the customers he was talking to at the counter, who were facing away from me). When my turn to pick up my prescription came, I had Spheric processing turned on to help me hear the female clerk. I only had Spheric processing on for 5 or 10 minutes, so it was hardly a big battery hit for the day. I’m not shy about telling someone, “I’m hard of hearing. Could you repeat what you said? I missed it.” I can get by without the Spheres or even hearing aids (I did for quite a while). It’s just nice to have a secret weapon that you can turn on if needed to avoid a few “please repeats.” Everyone has to decide whether they’re inconvenienced by noise enough to be worth the Sphere price and whether they want to wait for something even better. It’s too bad Phonak doesn’t have a smartwatch app where you could just tap a widget (complication) to turn Spheric processing on or off as you wanted.

Thanks @jim: I’d missed reading your Walmart example; agree it’s nice to have multiple tools for coping/compensating with hearing challenges. Is Sound Recover being used in your own fitting?

@JordanK, so you finally decided on Sphere? Have you considered trying the Starkey Edge AI yet, with its SNR improvement to +13 dB?

No, I don’t use Sound Recover. APD 3.0 also makes high frequencies taper down a lot more than NAL-NL2. But since I like the sound of APD 3.0 (perhaps because of Phonak adapting Sennheiser headphone Harman curves to the fitting algorithm), I’m not sure if I want to switch to NAL-NL2, which I used for the six years I wore ReSound HAs.

I visited Walmart twice last week, before and after seeing my PCP. Here’s my BEFORE experience: My Phonak Sphere Infinio I90 vs Lumity L90 Shootout - #555 by jim_lewis

Thanks again jim … Since my lifestyle doesn’t create much concern about battery life, as you had written having a secret tool that you can manually trigger has payoff. Coincidentally you posted as I was writing in my Word doc summarizing my hoped for/expected benefits of Sphere i90, and my strategy for doing a trial. It makes sense to me that with all of the additional processing power; the Phonak research; and forum user experience and self programmed Target tweaks and learnings that it is reasonable to guess that over time there might be even greater refinement in strategy for using these HAs. I’ll see if this is good timing for me to undertake some keen observation and learning curve - thanks for cutting everyone else’s learning curve.

@Edma , regarding your WRS score - is it for binaural hearing in sound booth? If so - what is WRS for your each ear separately? I am asking because if there is poor speech recognition (below 60%), it is recommended to consider a CI evaluation.

Proceeding with this does not obligate you to have surgery and would give you much useful information.

Sorry for asking, but I want to make sure you wouldn’t spend much money inefficiently, because even the best HA rarely increases WRS scores.

@JordanK said:

I headed over to the Apple Store this afternoon at the local shopping mall to pickup a new iPhone case for the iPhone 16 Pro Max I pre-ordered. The Apple Store has always been a horribly noisy place for hearing aid users as there are typically hundreds of people milling around, tons of different conversations going on and the whole store is tile floors, glass doors, wooden tables, etc.

@JordanK nailed one of the best places to test Spheric noise reduction. Today, my wife wanted to get a new iPhone. The Apple Store was just as Jordan described the one he visited. I’ve reduced my Spheric noise processing trigger threshold to a moderate noise level, but other places I’ve visited haven’t been noisy enough, apparently, to automatically trigger Spheric processing. Today in the Apple Store, Spheric noise reduction came on automatically the whole time I was in the store, and it worked great. Using the Adjust Program tab, I could change speech focus to narrow and better hear the rep helping us by looking at him and thus hearing less of all the other people close by carrying on their own separate conversations.

@jim_lewis said:

Using the Adjust Program tab, I could change speech focus to narrow and better hear the rep helping us by looking at him and thus hearing less of all the other people close by carrying on their own separate conversations.

So even with the Spere mode, you’d still need to adjust settings with the app?

@gsl said:

So even with the Spere mode, you’d still need to adjust settings with the app?

I don’t think any hearing aid is so “artificially intelligent” that it always knows the best settings or even the user’s preferences (as if that should matter! ). The first image in the following post shows that within Target fitting software, there is wide latitude in the Sphere I90s for how much directionality they will employ and how aggressive Sphere noise reduction will be. Both the bubble (I) information tooltip and a Phonak Audiology Online course on the Infinio line (focusing on the Spheres) say that the fitter need not worry too much about the exact directionality setting or the strength of Spheric noise reduction, that the user can vary those to some degree in the MyPhonak app. If you click on that first image to enlarge it to full-screen and zoom in on the icon at the right end of the top line, you can see it favors hearing what’s straight in front of the user. That preference is maintained to some degree whether you’re in more all-around listening mode with the slider placed all the way to the left and just much more accentuated when you’re in Ultra-Zoom mode with the slider all the way to the right. Most humans look in the direction of what they want to hear best - as well as the natural social instinct to look to show the talker you’re paying attention. The natural pinna effect of those with normal hearing amplifies sounds in front of the listener in mid to high frequencies 4 to 10 dB more than sounds behind the listener. Just as I experienced in the Apple Store on 11/23, hearing conversations to your side or behind you can be distracting in some situations, and in others, it can be beneficial. So why not have the ability to have some control over that in the MyPhonak app? When several people talk simultaneously close by, it’s hard for even a normal-hearing person to sort things out. It’s great to have help from one’s HAs if one wants.

See first image in the following post: Phonak Sphere l90 versus l70 - #44 by jim_lewis
Link to actual image: /uploads/original/b8fd7b30bbca6460d0fc788c78086768a7186f52.png

Here are the corresponding sliders 1 and 2 in MyPhonak under Adjust Program options (click on the image to enlarge):

Settings in MyPhonak for Sphere Speech and others

[image] https://forum.hearingtracker.com/t/my-phonak-sphere-infinio-i90-vs-lumity-l90-shootout/92545/502?u=bimodal_user I recommend courses from AudiologyOnline. You need to register for a free account and find the Phonak courses.

Here is another post about the issue @jim_lewis was talking about. Expand to see the screenshot.