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Phonak Audeo i90 sphere Bluetooth distortion

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Hello, I’m a first-time user of aids with loss in both ears at higher frequencies (>2k)

I hear distortion noise / buzzing when streaming through Bluetooth, not so much pop or rock, but pure piano, guitar or melodic electronic ambient notes become truly awful, to the point where I refuse to use this aspect of the devices other than for phone calls! How many other users experience this please?

This has previously been raised by more than one user. Link to a good discussion involving persons with technical qualifications: Parasite sounds on Phonak Audeo bluetooth

Just to clarify, this fault is not encountered when listening to music though my hifi, in fact I have a dedicated program I select for that that turns-off all of the sophisticated stuff to simply restore my failing upper frequencies. I have tested and ruled-out connections to different Bluetooth sources, either Spotify or Qobuz, high or low quality streaming, fixed or adaptive bandwidth, a brand new M receiver so it is not a faulty unit.

My audiologist said we need to make our complaints known to the manufacturer to resolve what is merely a software coding fault in what is otherwise an expensive but accomplished pair of hearing aids. I hope a future firmware upgrade would fix this issue.

Thanks for reading . Rob

Edited

What have you/your audiologist done to try to fix this?

Several factors could be causing this issue, such as SoundRecover2 being enabled in the streaming function, mic volume during streaming, or the dome types. Phonak Target (programming software) offers numerous tuning options for streaming, more than any other hearing aid software I’ve come across. My audiologist’s initial setup for streaming was terrible, and she simply said, “you will get used to it.”

I experienced this problem and managed to resolve it using the programming software for my Infinios. If the distortion is happening at higher frequencies, SoundRecover may have been enabled in the software (which doesn’t surprise me as the Phonak programming software defaults to frequency shifting).

Honestly, I think your audiologist’s response is disappointing and unacceptable. It’s their responsibility to make sure those aids work for you. Suggesting you seek help or complain elsewhere after you’ve spent so much money is, in my opinion, not okay. It’s like buying a car, taking it to the dealership for a repair, and the dealer responding with, “Go complain to Ford headquarters.”

For sure the Spheres do not create this kind of distortion by default. As written above, most likely a check in the fitting software could reveal the cause. Or else it is really a faulty device. Interesting could be to ask your audio to change the default connection side and to see if this problem still persists, because then it could also be your phone.

Just trying to bump this thread up as my audiologist has tried numerous solutions suggested to no avail. Today I discovered that having disposable foam ear protectors in removed the buzzing effect, suggesting a cause and effect related to vented domes?

Please see other post also just updated with more information

Hmmm.. I was intrigued by the advice of OcramSagev above. What about that SoundRecover2 default? Noise Management? Frequency tinkering? Is this a sound “compression” issue that your aids are defaulting to when you listen to music with more dynamic range?

I have a “Dumb Ears” Music program that I use at concerts or to listen to our hifi at home, but yes, that is NOT going to work when I’m streaming music through RoonArc or Quboz. Even so, the combination of my Phonak Lumity Life 312 aids + Android Samsung Flip7 phone delivers excellent sound quality for all types of music: vocal, classical, jazz, etc.

That said, maybe your speaker TIPS should be swapped out. I just transitioned from the squishy silicone power domes to custom molded roughed-up titanium tips on my speakers. HUGE improvement not only in consistent sound quality, but also the speakers staying PUT in the ear canal.

If your speakers are working their way out of the canal, distortion is gonna creep up till you jam them back into the ear canal. I lived that hassle for 15 yrs before trying the titanium custom molds.

Don’t give up. And BTW, next time you get in to see your audi tell him you’ll need extra time so THEY can get on the gaddang phone with PHONAK and figure out what they need to do in Target to make your world hear the way YOU (the customer!) want it. Yeah. PUSH BACK.

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