My Phonak Sphere Infinio I90 vs Lumity L90 Shootout

Sphere battery update: On the 2nd full day with the Sphere 90s, I wore them for 19 hours, 18 minutes. I did no streaming, and spent no time in the ‘Spheric speech in loud noise’ program. When I put them on the charger after 19+ hours, I still had 61% and 62% charge remaining.

If one looks at settings for “Spheric Speech in Loud Noise” in Target (see screenshot below), it says that the clarity strength can be adjusted via the mobile app. However, I cant see where to do this. It just has the usual stuff. Does anyone know what they are referring to?

you must be in a environment with speech in loud noise that the hearing aids get automatically into the programm “Spheric speech in loud noise”. Then you can adjust the Clarity strenght setting.

Whatch this video

I have the Sphere in Loud Noise as a separate program but when adjusting program, the options I see are Volume, Noise Reduction, Speech Focus, Dynamic and the Equaliser. Clarity is one of the Equaliser presets, so maybe they are referring to that? I would have expected something more explicit to allow changing the strength of the “Spheric Speech clarity” to optimise the SNR.

I agree with most everything JordanK has said here. I’m only on day 5 with my Sphere 90’s, but I love them already. Battery life has been nothing short of incredible. I will also reiterate that the size of these aids has been an absolute non-issue.

I use vented domes, and while I don’t get the degree of background noise suppression that others seem to be getting, the increased clarity and separation of voices from the background noise are miles beyond the Signia Pure Charge ‘n’ Go aids I was testing, the Oticon More aids I’ve been wearing for the last 3.5 years, and the Phonak Marvel 90’s I’ve had for 6 years. Incidentally I returned the Signias today. I’m definitely keeping the Phonak Spheres.

I’ve begun making some adjustments in Phonak Target software. In my initial fitting, the provider didn’t do the feedback test, and as a result I was getting transient feedback on occasion. It was like the Spheres were teetering right on the edge of feedback, and it would fade in faintly on occasion, and quickly fade out. I did the feedback test, and the fitting software made some minor adjustments. No more feedback. Period.

I added the Speech in Car program, which my provider hadn’t set up. I haven’t had a chance to test it yet. I also edited my original fitting to use my actual audiogram results from this September, rather than the ‘audiogram direct’ originally programmed. I believe the audiogram direct is generated internally in the Target software, based on the results of either the feedback test or the internal REM test. My September audiogram indicated about 5db greater hearing loss in the 4k-8k frequency range than what the audiogram direct setting indicates. I suspect the difference is due to my tinnitus (which is right around 6k) blocking out those frequencies, which would be more obvious in an actual hearing test vs the REM-style test generated by the Target fitting software. Also, I bumped up my gain setting to 95% from the 90% my provider had set. I’ll continue tweaking and testing…trying to limit it to one or two setting changes at a time, followed by testing to gauge the results.

Tonight I set up my old Phonak TV adapter which I’d had from my Marvel 90 days, and I’m happy to report it works flawlessly with the Spheres.

I’ve ordered some power domes from Amazon, and plan to do some comparisons between those and the vented domes to see if I get greater background noise suppression in Sphere mode.

Next week I have two group dinners in a very noisy restaurant, expected to last about 3.5 hours each night (we’re hosting seminars with dinner after), so I’ll have a great opportunity for testing & experimentation.

Well it’s normal that new hearing aids are better than the older ones.

I have tested them all, from Oticon Real, Starkey Evolv, Phonak Naida Lumity, Signia IX Charge&Go, Bernafon Alpha, Resound Nexia, Starkey Genesis, Oticon Intent and now, since last wednesday, Phonak Infinio Sphere.

I am glad that Sphere helps for some people, my self so far could not test them in loud noise, at home with children they are not better than the Oticon Intent, on the contrary the make me more aggressive because the speech is sharper and comes louder at the beginning. (Like Phonak Naida, Siginia IX and Starkey Genesis) Fun fact ist that the Intent is set up louder but is more pleasant.

Battery life is better than Intent, way better, should be then they are bigger and have more capacity. (Intent 22h runtime, Sphere 30+h)
I also noticed like some of the testing people here, that in calm situation they are not special, I did not have problems during the meeting, but I neither had this with the Intent.

What do I like so far on the Sphere?
Batterylife
Charger (pretty small, maybe to small for my bigger earmolds)
BT, I like the possibility to separate call/audio because otherwise I would be in streaming all the time when I am playing on my phone, other than with Intent you feel the difference of the programms.
App is way better than Oticon, but anyhow I usually forget to use it to test different options.

Streaming directly from PC is cool, but I have situations where they just turn off and remains off, I need then to reconnect BT to get the sound back, that’s the only negative so far along with the sharpness/starting sound. With the first one I can life not really with the second one.

Anyway two more weeks to test, maybe I can eliminate or reduce at least my biggest problem. I will then decide if I test them another week after some adjustment from my acoustician or if I take it or Oticon.

It was a nice time to test them all but things have to come to an end and so far Oticon Intent 2 is my favorit.

The more I read, the more tempted I’m getting! This could cost me

@JordanK said:

I also still think the Calm program in Autosense is messed up. Phonak needs to deep dive on the speech clarity when Autosense picks this program. Too much compression or something.

Easily adjusted in Target, so not such a big thing. Some of the noise reduction sliders take away clarity .
Peter

@Ureout said:

is there a way to be hooked to iphone without a constant drain even when not using phone…

Open the app and click on go to the Connection Management page:

Make sure this is turned off and see if that helps with iPhone battery drain.

Jordan

@JordanK

You really really help me when you post these.

First off, your Lumity hearing aids are a newer model than my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s. It’s incredible that the new hearing aids are even better than the Lumity.
Second, we all are critical of older hearing aids performance understanding speech in noisy environments. The new ones are so much better in your reports
The battery life…I was very critical. Mine were awful. Phonak fixed that when they replaced my hearing aids, and charger.
A personal story…heart procedure in Trillium Hospital Mississauga. My P90R’s were terrible. I couldn’t understand a word lying in the ward waiting for prep for my procedure. I could hear 30 feet behind me. Couldn’t understand a word the nurses or cardiologist said facing me. Then they kept me overnight. Rechargeable batteries. Forget-about-it. Paradise? Nah. I blamed Phonak. And my awful hearing aids that let let me down. I’d used them for a year or so. Setup…grrrrr…Later that night I flat-lined. Sleep apnea without a cpap machine. So I got even. Wonderful staff there. Custodian and nurses.

So my batteries are better now for everyday use. But replacement batteries are still better for my life.

edit:
My hearing aids are provided by Ontario Workman’s Compensation. I’ve very grateful.
However, they do not provide the top rated hearing aids. Under the program I can’t pay to upgrade the hearing aids to the top model. And they provide them every 5 years (my HA’s are 3 years old. So I have two more years. with the Paradise hearing aids.)

So I need to focus on the features provided in each model to ensure that I get the best performance from my next hearing aids. My P90R’s were not adequate at all the way the dispensing audi set them up. I had to find someone skilled to do the setup; it’s adequate now, but not great.

Jordan, thx… I just changed setting to off… will let you know if it helps

@tph said:

So wish my luck on my first hearing aids.

Welcome! You can include your audiogram in your profile by going to the very top of any thread, clicking on the FORUM menu item, and then choosing My Hearing Tests. If you didn’t get your audiogram from your hearing care provider (HCP), just ask them for a copy of your hearing test results. In the U.S., IIRC, states require HCPs to provide that information free of charge to their patients, same as doctors are required to provide medical tests results.

Posting your audiogram helps others on the forum interpret your experience with your HAs and allows them to offer helpful advice at times. Good Luck with the Spheres! From other users’ experience, the Spheres will probably be fabulous for you.

You can click on my audiogram by my avatar in my post here to see what I mean about making your hearing profile visible. If you’d prefer not to, that’s OK, too.

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on taking the plunge with getting hearing aids. I started wearing them in my early fifties (I’m 65 now), and the quality wasn’t nearly as good as it is now. I was also completely ignorant as to how the system is designed to work regarding follow up appointments for fine-tuning your hearing aids. Please stay in close contact with your audiologist or fitter and make sure they continue to make adjustments as needed. There are numerous customization options in the software, and trying lots of different adjustments can make a huge difference in your long-term satisfaction level.

It will take a while for your ears to adjust to your ‘new normal’ of hearing with aids. Your brain will have to get used to interpreting the sounds a little differently, so don’t get frustrated if you don’t parse everything correctly right away. You do get used to them.

There’s no need to feel self-conscious about wearing hearing aids. Most people will never notice them, and those few who do are generally more curious than critical.

You’ve made a good choice going with the Phonak Spheres, rather than cheaper aids. There are also other excellent brands & models available. It’s a very personal choice, so don’t be afraid to ask about trying different brands so you have a basis for comparison.

Jordan, just 3/4 of a day trial but i think turning off the “stay connected” switch worked … battery life on Iphone seemed much better… thx again

I made an appointment in Lille, I still wonder how the price difference is possible (Belgium vs France)