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Phonak introduces Marvel platform and Audéo M hearing aids

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I was just fitted with M90-312T’s yesterday. When I turn on the Phonak Remote app, the AutoSense 3.0 slider comes up. Are the various features of AutoSense like “Speech in Noise,” “Speech in Loud Noise,” etc automatically enabled in the M90? How do I know which features have been programmed into the aids or does only the audiologist know this?

Edited

Dan,
In answer to your question the automatic program uses one of several modes or a blend of them, and will automatically switch to one or blend according to the situation. So yes, they are automatically enabled.

What the app should tell you are the manual prograns added by your audiologist, which are normally 4 or more, up to 6 I think on the 90.

Edited

In reply to @mde89651

I would recommend music as a manual mode. My M90’s get it right most of the time, but there’s times like when watching movies it slips in and out of it. I would think that with your surround sound system, music would be best here.

AutoSense 3.0 does a very good job for me with when to use speech in loud noise program. I currently have the “loud” sensitivity set to higher than normal, 16 out of 20. Used AutoSense yesterday at a very loud and crowded restaurant, and AutoSense knew to slip into this mode. The people I was conversing with said what more than I did. :slight_smile:

That being said, I personally have:

  1. Speech in noise (set to be more aggressive in cutting noise than the AutoSense speech in noise, I use this in the operating room and when AutoSense activates speech in loud noise when I don’t want it to)
  2. T coil (for Roger MyLink tcoil until Roger direct is activated)
  3. Comfort in Echo (use it for church with terrible acoustics)

When RogerDirect is activated, I plan to replace tcoil with music for the reasons I mentioned above. I don’t feel I have a need for speech in loud noise as a program. I initially had it, but never used the manual program since AutoSense would slip into it by itself. Like I said, there are times I wish I wasn’t in it (but still in noise), so I use speech in noise program there. The key for speech in loud noise, for me, was to also make it more aggressive in cutting noise than the original setting offers.

Thank you glucas and focus. That helps. AutoSense 3.0 seems to be the only program. I believe the audiologist will add more at my next visit.
When in AutoSense, how do you know what AutoSense is switching to? By the sound you hear or is there an indication on the phone as well?

Hi Dan,

I can tell usually tell what mode the hearing aids are in if I think about it, but I don’t notice it switching, and no, the app will not tell you (at least it does not on the previous model). The modes I tend to recognise are the
calm situation, speech in noise and music, and to a lesser extent comfort in noise. This is because they tend to kick in when you are in the appropriate situations that require them. Very rarely actually, do I feel the hearing aid is in the wrong mode, so I leave the default, automatic program switched on all the time.

Had Phonak Marvels fitted a fortnight ago. They are working well as hearing aids. However, this week the Bluetooth functionality has caused some problems. On Tuesday and again on Thursday when I went to stream downloaded music from my iPhone the connection stuttered continuously. The only solution was to unpair the aids from the phone and then repair them. This restored the streaming. However, to reconnect to the remote app I had to again unpair and repair. One poster on the forum wrote that simply turning Bluetooth on his phone off and then back on did the trick for him; unfortunately it didn’t for me.
I know this is a bit of a first-world problem, but I use streaming quite a bit: listening to a podcast for my dogs’ thirty minute early morning walk and again for their ninety minute afternoon walk. Finding that the streaming isn’t working means having to spend ten minutes sorting the problem out before I can start the walk.
I have read that Phonak acknowledged there was a problem with the Bluetooth connection to the iPhone XS and released a firmware update to resolve the problem. Although my phone is an older model - a 6 plus - I wonder (a) whether the update might help and (b) if it might whether my audiologist would be able to install it via the MyPhonak app.

Phonak has made zero attempt to address the pairing - unpairing issue. If you want to connect to anything other then your phone - have fun with the on and off game. And “no” its not your iPhone 6 Plus problem.

We’ve both gotten the latest firmware update.

Using my LG V20, I get some intermittent connections in Bluetooth streaming of music from my phone to my Marvel 50R while outdoors, but nothing to the extent that others report.

My wife has an apple 6S and hasn’t had any issue connecting her same ’s with her phone. BUT, she does have issues when connecting her HA’s to her IPAD.

I’ve sent message to Phonak via email as well as sent them feedback via the APP.

They’ve acknowledged / responded that they are aware of the issue and are working on a “fix” for the connection complaints… But did not give me any time frame for rolling out the solution.

Dave

I have searched but found no answer to this. How does one know what firmware version is installed in their Marvels? By going to the audiologist? Is Target software and Noah the only way to find out if your units are out of date?

To answer your earlier question, I can sometimes tell when AutoSense is making a change. For instance, last night we heard James Comey speak in a large auditorium. When the audience was clapping loudly and shouting comments, it would switch to a mode (probably Speech In Loud Noise) that somewhat suppressed the loud clapping. When they stopped and he resumed speaking, after a very slight delay, it switched back to a clearer hearing mode (not sure which one). There are I believe 11 different “programs” built into AutoSense 3.0 and it works quite well in most situations. You can have your audiologist add up to three additional programs which he/she can adjust to your preferences. My three are “Speech In Loud Noise”, “Music”, and “Speech In Car”. The “Streaming” program will also be added automatically to your App listing when you begin streaming and if you purchase a TV Connector that will also show up on your remote app when you power it up.

In regard to the firmware version, there has only been the one firmware update thus far to my knowledge. Your audiologist will most likely do the firmware update as needed at your next visit.

In reply to @jn.richards

Hi, I do not have any trouble with streaming music or phone calls inside or outside from my Nexus 5X phone but occasionally the app has trouble connecting. When this happens I restart the phone and typically the app connects easily. Something you can try which is definitely easier than unpair/repair. Good luck.

hi all. very excited to say that I turned in my Quattros today. I had been trialing the Quattros and Marvels side by side, and I have officially landed on the Marvels for superior speech in noise abilities throughout my tests and overall easier, richer listening experience! A full write up comparing the two to come soon.

In reply to @youbgone

You have to hope that Phonak is trying to fix the bluetooth problems, but it’s hard not to get that impression.

When my audiologist asked Phonak about the bluetooth problems, their response wasn’t very encouraging.

From what I read the problem is having multiple devices paired to the Marvel.

It is a limitation, but at this point the Marvel can only pair to one device.
I understand his frustration. The hearing aids have been thoroughly tested, but it is still a hearing aid and at this point in time it doesn’t have all the capacity that a Bluetooth headset device can do due the complexity of sound processing for hearing loss. We are working with a very small chip to fit in a discreet housing that patients will accept to wear as a hearing aid, while trying to provide the best sound quality for different hearing losses, keep the power consumption low, and offer Bluetooth compatibility to facilitate communication. We are still facing some technological challenges when it comes to multiple bluetooth connections.

He is right that in order to pair to another device, you have to forget it from the first device you paired it to.

I asked again if they were going to fix the bluetooth problems (not only the single-pairing issue, but also the frequent disconnections). I told them I would return the Marvels unless they committed to fixing the bluetooth problems. There was no commitment, not even “we are working on it”, so I returned them. At the risk of being accused again of shilling for Oticon, I don’t have any of the same problems with the Opns. I use them as a headset with Skype for upwards of 5 hours per day and I haven’t had a single disconnection.

Just to clarify again, the single bluetooth pairing isn’t a problem or an issue. It is not a mistake. Phonak made a hearing aid that would only pair to one bluetooth device. They likely had a bunch of limitations that they were working with. I’m sure they would have made something that could pair to multiple devices if they hadn’t run up against whatever limitations they did, but they accepted that they couldn’t do that at this time and brought out an android compatible device anyway. But it’s not like they had intended it to pair to multiple devices and are now surprised that it doesn’t. They knew from the get-go that it would only connect to one at a time.

So for people looking for Phonak to “fix” it: They might, but likely not in this hearing aid. The fix would probably be in a new hearing aid after some R&D.

FWIW… There are a few sellers on E bay offering the battery pack add on for the Phonak Marvel Chargers at $39… I’ve inquired with them and these are all the real deal.

One seller is accepting “make an offer”… I picked up one for $20 plus $3 shipping.

Dave

In reply to @Neville

This is the age-old debate in software engineering, is it a bug or a feature?

There is nothing fundamental to bluetooth that prevents any bluetooth device from pairing and connecting with multiple devices. In fact, it’s the opposite. Yet, single-pairing was an implementation decision made by Phonak, for whatever reasons, which they are keeping to themselves. I have owned multiple bluetooth headsets over the years. Even going back years, I can’t remember any of them having pairing limitations and the newer ones, such as the plantronics voyager edge can be simultaneously connected to two or more devices. If you get a call on either, the call will go to the headset. This is not rocket science. It’s how the people who wrote the bluetooth standards intended the technology to be used. I would be very surprised if a current bluetooth product from a reputable company would have a single pairing limitation.

So when Phonak comes to the market touting the Marvels as the greatest thing in multi-device connectivity since sliced bread, while not mentioning this glaring limitation, they should not be surprised when people with multiple devices are underwhelmed.

Here are some examples of the hype on this website:

Phonak knocked it out of the park with Marvel. The hearing aid delivers every single one of the blockbuster features consumers have come to expect, with some noteworthy industry-firsts (keep reading).

  • Stereo Bluetooth streaming - Streaming from iPhone, iPad, MacOS, Android, Windows, and any other Bluetooth-enabled audio device.
  • Hands-free calling in stereo - True hands-free calling from Bluetooth-enabled phones and VOIP services like Skype.

Like the Phonak Audéo B Direct (a predecessor), Marvel can stream audio to and from any device capable of streaming audio via Bluetooth . This includes any of the following:

  • iPhone and iPad
  • Android, Windows, Blackberry, and other Bluetooth-enabled phones and tablets
  • Mac, Windows, Linux, and other Bluetooth-enabled computers
  • Any other device with Bluetooth audio streaming

So what’s new here?

  1. To date, Phonak is the only hearing aid manufacturer to allow direct audio streaming to and from all Bluetooth devices . Direct streaming in other hearing aids is currently limited to iOS devices, with the one exception of ReSound (who has promised future support for Android).

The only thing that’s actually new in the above is direct streaming. Everything else is done by other products. And there is not a single mention that the Marvels can only be paired with a single device at a time. Someone made the point that anyone who can drop the money that these hearing aids cost will have multiple devices, so why the lack of transparency about this? All this and I’m being accused by people on this website of shilling for Oticon. When I read this hype I can’t help but ask who’s doing the shilling.

I understand you were not happy with the Marvels and you are now very happy with the OPN aids. What I don’t understand is why you are spending so much of your time on this Phonak Marvel discussion?? The vast majority of Marvel users posting here are very happy with these aids. Some have trialed multiple manufacturers and have determined the Marvels are their aid of choice. Yes there is an unpairing/repairing process to connect to other Bluetooth devices, but as mentioned by others here it only takes about a minute or two and with the rechargeable version, you don’t even have to take them off your ears. So why keep bringing this up over and over. I am glad you are satisfied with your OPN aids. I for one am very happy with my Phonak M90R. To each his own and let’s move on please.

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