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My Phonak Sphere vs Virto, Paradise and Marvel

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Arrived today my new Spheres

Very eager to try them out asap and I hope to become as positive as the other recent owners.
Have to try them with my Rogers also, first step will be adding the licenses.( Edit: Roger’s installed.)
Hope to report back soon.

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The Amplifon is the Paradise P90 with thin tubes, then upwarts the Spere i90, the Marvel90, the Virto P90 upper one.

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Okaaaaay … and we’re OFF TO THE RACES! I will be eager to see what your findings are. I’m assuming that you own the other models, and will be trying out the Phonak Sphere?

You could rob a bank and go buy the Roger V3 mic! Supposedly that allows infinite number of licenses so multiple pairs of aids could use the device. Can you “expense” it somehow?

We need to start a SLUSH FUND here at the Forum and then somehow get this slew of new products out to an A-team for trial. :smirk:

I volunteer to do the Sphere.

@1Bluejay said:

you own the other models, and will be trying out the Phonak Sphere?

@1Bluejay
My findings are coming up soon. Because I “own” them all and programmed them, except for the Spheres, to my liking’s it makes the evaluation a bit difficult. (Next to these ones I also own some other brands).

Putting the licenses in from my Roger In device was easy and working immediately.

My first struggle starts with the app on my apple devices and the app on my Android devices… Mostly I change the settings in different environments and look at the information giving in my apps.

Got them connected without problems to my phone and my TV connector and to my Rogers.
But the MyPhonak app on Android stops as soon as I will look at the info. Only thing I can see is the right ’s are coupled. The IOS app doesn’t connect with the Spheres, don’t know why.
The Ampliphon app (which also works for my Phonak P90) on Android doesn’t connect either.
So work to do to find out what happens here.
Already forgot connection and reinstalled the apps didn’t solve the problem. I was used to open the apps to see my battery % and get some information about what the automatic program choose in difficult situations. My Virto P90 has a push- button and a turn- wheel, which is very handsome as these Spheres only have a push- switch. Work in progress for the apps unfortunately.

Setup was done by Whole Sale Hearing on behalf of my I send them. So now I stored their settings on my Target to have the clean installation to play with.

From the start the Spheres are amazing clear in speech for now at home. The initial settings seem not to be very good. I suffer now and than a little bit from feedback though if I screw the volume up to match.

Starting up the HA’s takes a bit longer on these ones.
Connecting to Bluetooth is a bit faster and the reach is much better for sure.
Streaming from the phone, is great for speech. But I miss a bit my low frequencies in music streaming. Maybe it would be better to have the automatic domes as for now I have the delivered attached. Unfortunately I will not be able to compare with my other custom molds and other receivers as they are not SDS6.0 The automatic domes are not yet available in the new pin version at the moment as far as I know.

Streaming picked up from my Roger On is ok, but that was not a problem on my other Phonak’s either. Tap functionality is working smooth as it did on the Paradise also.

First thing to do for me now is looking at the Target settings applied. I will initially not change them as I first want to get used to the settings as pre- programmed.
This will make the comparance a bit difficult as I don’t know where to start now as my other HA’s are fitted at my own corrections. It will take a long time to exactly know where the differences will be in this way.

I miss my custom molds at the moment as the domes do not have a comparable nice fit and my low frequencies are a bit tiny. My closed custom moulds I use for the BTA gave a premium bass which I will mis either.

The HA are a bit heavy on my ears but but that’s where the $ are in. Should not let me decide for the Infinity without Sphere as I think the extra weight is worth it. And after all I am glad to see that they actually are not that big at all. Don’t care that much about size as hearing is more important to me.

Even wearing my glasses doesn’t feel problematic at the moment. I wonder how it will feel with my newly ordered Even Realities G1 glasses which will be here today or maybe Saturday I hope. They have more bulkier handles at the back of my ears. They are ment to be able to read what people say and in my opinion the first normal glasses look glasses available on the market without camera snick snack etc. But that’s another topic.

So for now I’m very content with the overall sound and size of the Spheres.
Have to go on the street to get more information about the functionality today.

@Emile030 said:

I miss my custom molds at the moment as the domes do not have a comparable nice fit and my low frequencies are a bit tiny. My closed custom moulds I use for the BTA gave a premium bass which I will mis either.

Thanks for your DETAILED post on the new Spheres! Why can’t you put the speaker into your custom molds? I totally get that a better fit would give you more bass and a richer sound. Any plan to get a custom mold on the Spheres?

Also! I was impressed on how relatively easy it was for you to get the Roger license on to these Spheres. But I’m puzzled as to why myPhonak seems to “freeze” on your Android phone? I also have Android, and myPhonak was VERY stable.

However!!! I seem to be experiencing instability streaming TV using either the Roger ON iN V2 or the old TV Connector IF Bluetooth is turned ON on my cell phone. No idea why that should be the case?!? And it wasn’t always like this, but recently, if is ON, (so I can take phone calls any time) while I stream TV, the audio is horrific! Lots of echo, and turning up the volume on my aids seems to make no difference at all.

So now, when I stream TV, I turn BT OFF on my cell phone - literally OFF. So if a call comes in, I wouldn’t be streaming. Annoying. Then I have to remember to turn BT back ON the phone at the end of the day when I’m done streaming TV.

Keep us posted on your programs & setups, cuz it sounds like a challenge. Can’t you just copy/paste settings from your Lumity Life aids over to the Spheres in Target?

You are brave to have all these aids, Roger mics, Apple, Android - ow. That’s a lot of PAIN to deal with. Just sayin’! :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

Why can’t you put the speaker into your custom molds?

You’re totally right, why not? I was overwhelmed by the many variables I had to deal with. But finally I must only evaluate if the Spheres bring me more then I was used to have apart from having used other components or different software adjustments. Only the total results counts here. In the medical world you are not allowed to change and have to keep all variables the same otherwise you cannot prove anything. Thanks for bringing me back on earth again Bluejay.

IMG_0977
Apart from no visual difference (the older one is the upper)

@1Bluejay said:

… how relatively easy it was for you to get the Roger license on to these Spheres.

Thanks but it IS really simple. Done within a minute.
Start the Roger In and stop your ’s both.
Now push with a thin pin the small connect hole under the back- clip of your Roger In and turn on one of the HA’s again. Lay the Roger and the HA immediately next to each other and see how the display of your Roger shows the ‘V’ mark as the two are successfully hand shaking. Done!
Then turn off the first HA and start the procedure for the next aid you want the license to be in.

IMG_0976

@1Bluejay said:

I also have Android, and myPhonak was VERY stable.

So your phone app does function normally?
Maybe it has to do with my big list of available but not connected HA’s conflicting with each other.

@1Bluejay said:

… while I stream TV, the audio is horrific! Lots of echo, and turning up the volume on my aids seems to make no difference at all.

Could it have something to do with your phone settings for as the Phonak’s have more protocols for connecting. It sounds a bit like if the microphone of your phone is taking up sound too. Annoying problem indeed.

@1Bluejay said:

Can’t you just copy/paste settings from your Lumity Life aids over to the Spheres in Target?

Good advice also thanks. ((although no Lumity Life but the P90’s in and P90’s behind the ears).

As I changed the molds now for my custom molds, aware that I had to do new adaption settings and feedback tests also. So another ToDo on my list for tomorrow. Half a day gone by not wearing the Spheres as the hurt my left smaller earcanal. But the custom mould fits without any problem and gives back low tones. Therefore ambient sounds got louder and of course occlusion became worse too because of the dome changing. To be solved later on…

I weighted my pairs of HA’s with receiver and batteries. M90 only 3gr, P90 7gr, Virto P90 7gr and Sphere’s I90 just 7gr. So the Spheres weight less then I thought and are even smaller then the P90’s.

As an early adapter I was not able to get the Sphere BTE and didn’t want to go for the Infino Virto variant without Sphere which also is not available ar the moment.

In reply to @AlexE

@AlexE said:

Very keen to hear how you get on with the G1 glasses.

@AlexE
DHL delivery should have been here latest two hours ago… as usual I’m awaiting their report that my address is not existing or that I was not at home. The building I’m living in exists since 1975 and I didn’t get out of the door today! But I’m used to it. Will change the delivery to a DHL service point for tomorrow.
And for the glasses I’ll make another topic. They catch speech in written text projected on the glasses. Furthermore translate on the go and are able to show messages warnings etc.

The joys of Drop it, Hide it, Lose it.

I’m tempted by these glasses or trying more of the focused ones that replicate a monitor/phone scree.

In reply to @Emile030

@Emile030 said:

Apart from wax filters no visual difference (the older one is the upper)

OK, so far so good! I’m glad that it appears the Sphere uses the same speakers as what you’ve currently been using, so with a few adjustments, you can just swap on the custom molds and GO! You may have your total solution right there: power, enhanced speech comprehension AND comfort.

Yes, I DO wonder if I have too many things listed under on my Android Phone. If anyone here can comment … here’s the LIST of just Phonak devices on my Android phone in BT:

BT Android list

I seem to have REDUNDANT names for my aids. Why do I see
LE_R-Precious Pink
LE+L-Precious Pink
when I already have Precious Pink in the list closer to the top? Can I just remove these? Did they appear when I downloaded (but then REMOVED) myPhonak app?

I wondered something similar on mine… From my research the LE_R-Precious Pk are the LE bluetooth connections for the phonak app and need to be there running the background so you can control the hearing aids from the app. the other Precious Pink is your call/streaming connection using the “classic” bluetooth. I hope that makes sense.

Yes it makes perfect sense. Hum. I deleted myPhonak app ages ago. Perhaps if I delete these two LE_ R/L from the list I’d be ok. Then, if I ever re-install myPhonak, it’d likely add the LEs right back again.

I seem to be getting the audio interference just recently, despite this long list of devices in on my phone. I could also remove the Marvels (my backup battery aids) and even ONE of the rechargeables … as soon as my Precious Pinks come back from Phonak.

Thanks for your insights!

I changed my for my un- vented custom silicon molds. It sounded much better although I also got some more disturbing occlusion effect. So into Target I did a feedback test and changed the dome adaption in the fitting to closed . Thank you @1Bluejay :wink:

Yesterday afternoon my new Even Realities G1 glasses arrived at the DHL service point and I wanted to test these out immediately. Having a look if these text capturing and streaming capable glasses would give me what the advertising was promising ,the missing details in my hearing. I made a short visit to the shop in the crowdy city on Saturday afternoon to pick them up.

I had a pretty good understanding of what the people around me in the shopping area where talking about. In the shop I could hear the staff talking to me without me having to ask if they could repeat what they were saying.

Same thing in a second trip to the optical store to have my glasses testing because I wasn’t content about the vision of the new glasses. It seemed they had a vision correction I hadn’t asked for. Could understand the staff and other people in the shop, great!

Yesterday night I visited a social of salsa dancing with workshop to try out really noisy conditions.
As myPhonak app doesn’t work on my phone anymore I am not able to see which automatic program is running. That’s very annoying…

For changing ambient sound and loudness I have to push the switch button on my new ’s as I also did with my Audeo P90’s. But that doesn’t work as easy as the turn wheel of my Virto P90’s unfortunately. So I miss a turn wheel for easy handling of volume and ambient sound correction.

I opened my Target this morning to get some information in my Sphere’s logging file.
I saw that I streamed for more than 40% battery usage and the other 60% was on automatic program.

Battery rest capacity after 20,5 hours of use on left side 18% on right side 10%. My coupling is set on the right side so that will be the reason for the difference. So that’s excellent, my Phonak Audeo’s rechargeables don’t last so many hours.

Could not find in the logging file data about use of the Sphere program as I wonder if it was used yesterday evening in the loud social event.

I could hear clearly what different people were talking to each other during the lesson and understood what they were talking about. That’s not possible with my Virto P90 and also not with my Audeo P90 using the same soft silicone custom molds. So I assume the Spheres give me clearly a better speach understanding in loud crowded areas when people on my left, right behind and in front of me are talking at the same time.

So at the moment I am glad I bought these Spheres. Will see what it brings me these following days…

Dr Cliff Saïd that there was a problem with the inner size of the new charger for Infinio’s custom moulds….
Today I had to try out the charger for the first time and thought about that being said when I put my big moulds into the case.
No problem at all for me as you can see on these pictures. And great there is a small battery in the charger included also. My other Phonak chargers are much bigger, I like this small one.

IMG_0985
IMG_0984

The Sphere is one of the new Phonak Audeo Infinio and specifically is the one with the new chip, Deepsonic (Deep Sound Optimised Neural Integrated Chip).

There are basically 3 new models:

Audeo R Infinio
Audeo Infinio Sphere
Audeo Infinio Cros.

The Sphere is the one people are getting excited about as it removes background noise. The other 2 models do not have the AI chip

In reply to @Aster

@Aster said:

talk about Spheres? Is this a device that you use along with your H

@Aster
Can imagine your question haha. Here’s the answer.
Phonak brought their newest ’s on the market. All their series get a name, as former Marvel, Paradise, Lumity and now recently the Infinio. This last one gets two versions one with 1 processor the plain Infinio and an other bulkier and more expensive with 2 processors called the Sphere.
The Sphere is their top of the line with a build in separat processor for speech in noise. They promise us now to have the best HA ever made with exceptional hearing capabilities.
And some weirdies under the bad of hearings are now coming with their reviews. That’s all…

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