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Both Phonak Sphere & Philips 9050

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That is really great! I am happy to hear that, and I will look into the potentiality of being a benefit to me.

Update: I was WRONG about Philips software being better. (I actually only said that I liked it better, I think). Probably I found it more familiar from my experience with Oticon. BUT I have decided to stop considering the Philips aids. Maybe will give them one more test. But I am back to the Spheres. Firstly the Phonaks, are definitely stronger in resolving speech in noise. I can understand persons further from me, both due to clarity of their voice, and the suppression of surrounding noise.
I don’t have the most powerful Sphere speakers, only 3P, and will probably get the molds, as I already have custom impressions made and in my possession.
The Target software for Phonak has more customization/fitting options for streamed sounds. THIS IS A MAJOR DEAL FOR ME.

There are a bunch of annoyances, in both systems. But as I have already paid for both, and can hear the sphere improvement, what I can only consider the true cost in choosing the Phonak now, is that no doubt before their five year service is up - I will be tempted to invest in a next level aid. Times are tough, but hearing should be important enough to keep up with the technology. Figure I should be able to SELL my Phonaks - if a far superior model appears.

If people actually complained to Phonak - maybe it would get results.
The app is so confoundedly annoying as my other thread details… more will be added there.

Finally, Classic is better than the propriety BT Philips has - but with compatible USB dongles and transmitters already being available, and Phonak promoting the instruments as having the needed hardware, maybe we should be more vocal in our irritation that the firmware update not be further delayed and complain every day, that it be released NOW! Complaints can be powerful fixers !

While not directly related to the Phonak and Philips, I have found the Jabra “disconnects” to be the result of both the underlying new bluetooth protocols in the phone (mine was a Galaxy 23 Ultra) and the implementation of those protocols in the . Each time the Jabra engineers upgraded their firmware last year there was a small improvement, but when Samsung did their upgrades towards the end of the year there was a substantial imrovement, yet many problems still remained. I have now upgraded to the S25 ULTRA, currently, the only lineup of Samsung to run their new ONE UI7 operating system, and now my connectivity is near flawless. My conclusion is that there needs to be significantly more colaboration between the engineers at HA firms and the cell phone firmware engineers. Therefore for your connectivity issues, you may also want to test these devices on both the newest Apple and Samsung devices (pixel as well) which appear to have tamed the newest bluetooth protocols.
Thank you for your testing and reports. I look forward to more results.

Edited

In reply to @IGZO

Phonak stated that the Sphere had the necessary hardware. It does need a software upgrade to make work. They have not given any time line when that might happen that I know of.

Note Phonak buries that information deep inside their web site the last time I checked. So it’s not like they wanted folks to know about it the last time I checked.

Personally, I don’t have an issue with the Philips connection on my 9040 with a Pixel 6a phone. I understand that BT works best indoors where there are walls for the signal to bounce off and reach both hearing aids, and that there may be some disconnections between hearing aids when outdoors.

I can see a place for BT classic for folks who what tap to answer with old phones.That may be part of the reason Phonak hasn’t come out with a LE audio hearing aid yet.

Also remember, we are in a LE Audio bubble here. Very few people even know about LE Audio/.

In reply to @Frank_G

Yes! The interaction between devices is very critical. AS IS the interaction between us users, and the manufacturers! Over the last dozen years, as I became more reliant on my and gradually weaned myself from dispenser of all kinds, I have realized that at each station, the end user is the weakest voice! Most HA dispensers are either not the best technicians, or not seriously reliant on their instruments - if they use them at all.
I cannot imagine, having the deep familiarity with these devices, if I was not personally wearing them, interacting with and reliant on them so many hours of each and every day!
My point is that we should be more vocal about complaints.

YESTERDAY I was on the phone - for over thirty minutes with Phonak. I called initially to inquire about when WE could expect Firmware Upgrade - but then got into my complaints about the App, which I detailed in my other topic on this forum. The technician seemed very interested. He had no rationale for the design and agreed with my observations. We are supposed to have a follow up discussion next week. Might very well be just talk. But it is a first step.

I get the impression that the end user has a lot more power, than we think. We should be more vocal. Of course, just complaining, indiscriminately could be counter-productive. But if we could pool both our knowledge, instrument fluency and constructive complaints and suggestions, into a cogent voice that daily inundated the company with pleas for change, I think we could get it.
I say this because in other industries the users of gear are heard and valued. And our voices should be valued by the hearing aid manufacturers!

The TV adapter for Phonak, and the Classic USB connection to my computer with the Phonak, are reasonably stable. Microwave use immediately disrupts the TV adapter signal. The Phonak TV adapter has a much shorter range than the Oticon/Philips TV streamers. But I have decided that the Phonak - currently with classic and hopefully soon with Auracast also known as LE AUDIO is overall a better - more robust, stable system with more potential.

You bring up compatibility between manufacturers and components that involve much hidden technology both in programming and science. As consumers we are asked to value doctors of audiology far above hearing dispensers. Many are worthy of greater respect and pay. But some I have found are simply not great technicians - so while they may have deep theoretical understanding of sound science - and of how we hear/interpret that sound - today’s instruments are such complicated computer type devices with intricacies of operation that are a whole additional area of expertise, and with the multiple programs, the flow of new models yearly, and the daily demands of business - I think that hearing aids are devices that more of the public should take an interest in mastering for ourselves.

The point I want to make here, is that I often get the impression that most DIYers, are doing so for financial reasons. But I want to make it clear that I don’t think one should look at it as a cost saving approach. Rather as someone who has long gone to a variety of HA practitioners and AuDs, I have come to believe that while picking the occasional brain sure could be a wise move, no one can hear what I am hearing, no one can be with me as much as I myself can keep me company, and frankly - very few can probably be expected to CARE as much!

Everyday that I study the software, or read/learn online about the subject of hearing… etc. I am getting stronger. Every day that I go to someone else, it feels like I am buying a lottery ticket. Its a gamble.

In reply to @user990

@user990 said:

Phonak stated that the Sphere had the necessary hardware. It does need a software upgrade to make LE Audio work.

It’s a firmware update, it’s clearly stated the Sphere has on their website, I mean I say it’s “buried” as such, Sonova is just waiting for PC and Phone manufacturers to have LE Audio on all their devices so it’s common and then they’ll release the the new firmware update

Why? Why wait so that it is common?
devices exist now.
Go to Amazon and search for Auracast.
Half a dozen devices.
Why should a person be kept waiting?

Hardware is the circuitry and chips.
Software is the programming that can be used by those chips.
Firmware is the software that determines how the hardware works.
So firmware is software. It is downloadable.

There’s a reason why we call it firmware and software, just because it’s downloadable doesn’t make it the same thing, but getting back to why, I think Sonova doesn’t want any issues at all with their products having some of the issues that some of the other manufacturers are having with , so they want it rock solid like classic is for the new LE Chip, their not gonna update the firmware just because people want it “now” actually I’m sure it’s not going to far away now.

In reply to @IGZO

Folks are often buying Phonak simply because it offers hands free calling with old Android phones and that classic works with a lot of old equipment.

Also most folks don’t live in this hearing aid forum bubble. The haven’t a clue about /.

In addition, I don’t know if LE Audio and classic BT can coexist on the same hearing aid. Plus, they could be working still on an assistant for their app before changing over.

Edited

In reply to @tenkan

Yes, but I see your comment as being nit-picky.

I doubt if you polled a hundred folks on the street and asked what the difference was between firmware and software they could tell you.

As such, I don’t see a good reason to correct folks. I suggest you just leave it by using the correct terms when you comment.

In reply to @user990

@user990 said:

In addition, I don’t know if LE Audio and classic BT can coexist on the same hearing

Uh…of course this is what one of the big releases is about on the Sphere and why is being discussed!

@user990 said:

Yes, but I see your comment as being nit-picky

@user990 said:

As such, I don’t see a good reason to correct folks

Um sorry it’s important to use the correct terminology, for when we talk about a getting an update it’s called “Firmware” when we discuss the HA fitting software getting an update we call that
“Software” so I’ll leave it at that :+1:

Remember not everyone speaks technical. If we want folks to feel welcome, I think it’s best to meet them where they are.

I believe they understand the word software and don’t understand the difference when we use the word firmware, even if you are correct.

Anyhow, keep up the good work in the forum and in this forum.

Okie dokie fair enough, actually all of this holds some real promising results, the next few years will be very interesting indeed to see what the manufacturers can dream up, we’re just scratching this surface.

In reply to @tenkan

Google say:
Firmware is called as such because it is a combination of “firm” and “software” . The “firm” in firmware refers to the fact that it is embedded into hardware and is not intended to be easily changed or modified, making it more “firm” or “fixed” compared to traditional software.

Haha! The point was to address anyone’s mindset that something hard or firm was the hold up at Phonak … and that we needn’t be soft on them!

@IGZO said:

The point was to address anyone’s mindset that something hard or firm was the hold up at Phonak … and that we needn’t be soft on them!

Yes, Hard & Firm, oh, wrong forum… :grin:

I learned to call it mushware from guys who wrote the stuff in Poughkeepsie. I think that’s the most accurate term that’s used for the stuff.

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