Phonak Spice

I have spent the last 5 days working my way through this thread. I have learned a LOT. Thank you to everyone who has contributed through your journeys to get to this point.

At my audi appointment today, she was having trouble getting my icom, mypilot, and Audeo S IX to play nicely together. She got Phonak on the phone and found out that they just released “an update” today. I’m not sure if it was software or firmware, but I think it may have been both. It was a huge download and took just about forever, but it’s installed, for what it’s worth.

It appears Target 2.0 came out today. I have not read any summary information or anything yet.

As for them playing nice together, I would have to say that for me, it is like 70% Automated. Its the fine tweaking and getting familiar with all of the various options and more importantly what works for the HA user. IMHO…

WHEN IN DOUBT GET THE PHONAK LOCAL REP INVOLVED…

I’ll have to see if the download is available…

It is here! Very large as stated

@bledbet705 said:

I have severe hearing loss due to hydrops. After 6 years with $6000 Sonic Inovations Inova digital, I just picked up a set of Phonak Smart IX’s from my aud. She has not turned on all the software yet. However, I find amazing performance compared to the SI’s. I am getting 95% of speech even on BBC programs. However, the compression in the high range as set by the factory is too hot. So hot that it distorts if the high sound has any volume. Caveat: Focusing on one person in a room full of talking hasn’t been adjusted yet I hope. If those two things can improve for me, I will swear by Phonak.

if not you will be swearing AT Phonak!!!

@MatthewJones said:

I guess their sites are getting pounded… Must have crashed before as it was unavailable.
557 megs – Coming down VERY SLOWLY!! Just about 1/2 way… C’mon baby… You can do it…

Well, at least they have listened and acted. Pity it wasn’t done BEFORE they released the Spice chips! It might have saved me 3 months of agro!!!

@pbs said:

Well, at least they have listened and acted. Pity it wasn’t done BEFORE they released the Spice chips! It might have saved me 3 months of agro!!!

The update is to include the new products that they just launched, not as a repair for the previous Target version. The new products are water-resistant BTE/CRT’s part of their Spice platform.

Doc,
If you read these post and I know you do, you will see quite a few people’s Audi’s called the rep for help and they didn’t know what to do to fix the problems either, so I think the blame is both the Audi’s and squarely on the shoulders of Phonak.

Not knowing how to navigate/use the software isn’t Phonak’s fault…if you can’t navigate the software…well that’s the audiologists/fitters problem. It’s their job to become familiar with the fitting software…not Phonak’s job to babysit them and hold their hand throughout the process.

QC issues with the product themselves…that’s entirely possible however it’s not software related…PBS’s statement was that the professional couldn’t get them properly programmed…I don’t see that as a software issue.

@DocAudio said:

To be blunt…the audiologists that are having problems programming should get off their duffs and go to a training course or have their rep come in and show them how to use it and all the features within it.

The problem isn’t in the software…it’s the end-user not owning up to the idea that they aren’t as familiar with the software as they should be and getting the training they need.

The software is really great, IMHO. Much easier to navigate and has a lot of features in it to assist with patient issues. If the audiologist can’t find them/doesn’t know what to do…it’s the Audiologists’ fault…not Phonak’s.

I don’t agree Doc. The product has Phonak’s name and reputation on it and therefore it is Phonak’s responsibility to make sure that they have audis that do know how to set up their products. Even more important, they should ensure that their direct employees - the reps FULLY understand the product. From my own experience, on two occasions, this has definitely not been the case. Ford Motor Company, as an example, clears out hundreds of distributors each your for not keeping up with training.

@Razno said:

There is new Target 2.0.0

I wonder if they did some optimizations to make it harder to make fundamentaly errors beside suports for new aid’s and accessories.

No, it’s to include their new water-resistent products and their new Naida S RIC product int he product line-up. There might be a few minor changes in the features within the software but my guess is if there is, it won’t be anything major.

@DocAudio said:

Well I will have to respectfully disagree with you regarding who is responsible for making sure that the professional is competent at doing their job…I don’t hold Phonak responsible for making sure I know how to use their software. I am the one responsible for my knowledge base…no one else. Yes it’s Phonak’s job to provide support but it’s my responsibility to seek it out if I am unsure of what I am doing.

As far as the Phonak employee’s being knowledgeable…the reps I have are very well versed in the software and feature set of the new products. All the audiologists I have spoken with in Phonak’s audiology department have also had an extremely high level of knowledge about their products/software. Perhaps the reps in the area you are located have not done their job in making sure they are as knowledgeable about the products they sell as they should be. If they are lacking in this area it is Phonak’s job to train them further. That is where Phonak’s responsibility in all of this stops…IMHO.

Maybe I’m in the minority of people that assume responsibility for my own education and training…I just don’t feel like I should be sitting around waiting for someone to come and hold my hand throughout all this. Phonak rolled out their first software change in >13 years…I don’t think it’s a stretch for any logically-thinking adult/professional to realize that maybe they needed a little tutorial on it.

Hi Doc,
I don’t think that it is a question of you assuming responsibility for your own education. You are obviously a dedicated professional. However, from my own experience, there are audis out there wha are allowed to sell Phonak products wh do not know how to set up the newer products. It is these people who waste the clients time and who besmirch the name and reputation of Phonak. It is therefore up to Phonack to ensure that the people to whom they sell their products are fully conversant with the setting up procedure. The rush to box shift the product should be tempered with a tinge of responsibility. After all, we are not talking about a cheap throw away product when a pair of HAs and the accessories can come close to the cost of a small family car.
As you can see from the posts on this forum, it doesn’t take much to lose a product’s reputation and it can take a lot of box shifting to regain it.
Best regards,

It is also Phonak’s responsibility to insure that their programming software is intuitive to use. they write the software for their aids and features, so it is their responsibility.

@pbs said:

Hi Doc,
I don’t think that it is a question of you assuming responsibility for your own education. You are obviously a dedicated professional. However, from my own experience, there are audis out there wha are allowed to sell Phonak products wh do not know how to set up the newer products. It is these people who waste the clients time and who besmirch the name and reputation of Phonak. It is therefore up to Phonack to ensure that the people to whom they sell their products are fully conversant with the setting up procedure. The rush to box shift the product should be tempered with a tinge of responsibility. After all, we are not talking about a cheap throw away product when a pair of HAs and the accessories can come close to the cost of a small family car.
As you can see from the posts on this forum, it doesn’t take much to lose a product’s reputation and it can take a lot of box shifting to regain it.
Best regards,

Ah, I see your point. Yes…I guess that is a point that Phonak should take into account.

While I still believe the responsibility to be knowledgeable lies squarely with the professional, Phonak should take an interest in making sure the people dispensing their product are doing so in an effective way.Reps are usually the person responsible for that so perhaps they are slacking in their duties in some areas? This would definitely be an issue for Phonak to deal with if that is the case.