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Phonak UP vs SP Dilemma

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Hi. I have had a moderate cookie-bite bilateral sensorineural loss since I was a child. I’mnow in my early 40s. It is progressive and I’ve lost around 15db in the low and mids in the past 2 years.
I previously had a pair of Beltone Rely but they broke and now I am trialing ones from Phonak. This is the first time in my life I’m in a position to buy privately and choose.

I did trial the Phonak Naida L90 UP with custom earmolds along with the Roger On V2 for 3 weeks. They said that the SP model would be a better fit and since now they have in stock the trial SP model I am trying the L70 version of these.

However I prefer the UPs! I don’t understand why, if they said the SP is better fit? Am I being lazy? It seems with the UP, speech was easier. With the SP in the car and at meetings I have everything on max plus the Roger On.

I’m struggling to make a decision on which to purchase. Is it merely a fitting problem? Also this is a considerable expense and would like to be fairly future proof. Any help or advice would be so much appreciated!

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I have been wearing aids for 20 years. 15 years I wore Oticon aids. And the first of December I got the Phonak Spheres. I have had the cookie bite hearing loss my audiologist believes my whole life. I am a veteran and my aids are provided to me by the . I really like the Spheres. Most specially if you have issues with speech in noisy environments.

Are you using the same molds with the SPs as you did with the UPs?

The issue may be that you stepped down to a 70 level. The 90 level UP has a few features that would make it better in noise

Lastly looks like there’s an option for slim tubes on the SPs. Fitting range would be marginal with slim tubes

On the flip side if you like the UPs and the size isn’t an issue, there’s no reason not to use them. You’d get great battery life!

Thank you. Yes I am using the same custom full shell skeletons with both. I find with the SP one I use the Roger On V2 more.

If you go off of Phonak’s published fitting ranges, the SP should be sufficient. However, if I was your audiologist, I would believe you at your word about your experience, and I would not lose any sleep over manufacturer-recommended fitting ranges.

At any rate, the two variables changing are technology level and power. The 90 technology level does have more AutoSense programs (e.g. “Speech In Car”), and it is not as clear how, if at all, SP versus UP contributed to your outcomes. My best guess is that the difference is due to the technology level.

As far as “future proof”, the Infinio is the latest Phonak platform, but as such it does have its limitations insofar as offerings. Lumity is still the way to go if you need a Naida model i.e. traditional or power , or if you need a disposable battery BTE/ hearing aid.

I moved from Kirkland signature 9s with a UP receiver, to iSpheres with SPs because my audiologist believed that they deliver a more rounded listening experience, but it was a mistake. I experienced clipping. I very quickly went back and got them to order the UPs.

@eachtraisine said:

However I prefer the UPs! I don’t understand why, if they said the SP is better fit? Am I being lazy? It seems with the UP, speech was easier. With the SP in the car and at meetings I have everything on max plus the Roger On.

You are probably definitely right. Fitting range in marketing or technical meterialis a rule of thumb, about average ear canal volume etc., nothing engraved in stone.

These are articles who has written about benefits from more powerful receivers with more , especially in speech in noise:

New to hearing aids and this forum questions on Phonak receivers, domes
Additional thoughts: These articles emphasize the important role of a sufficiently high MPO, especially when hearing in noise. Note that theemphasize the important role of a sufficiently high MPO, especially when hearing in noise. Note that the first article presents a situation with an SNR of +15 dB speech in noise, so quite favorable, but with too weak receiver intelligibity can be poor.

There is also useful professional opinion:

Phonak Bluetooth voice rattle
The MPO (maximum power output) puts a soft limit on the output. If the aid is going into saturation - full output - with over amplified speech, it’s either hitting a hard limit (the physical output of the receiver) or a software limit from the output limiting compression on the chip/feedback manager. Whichever way, it’s going to sound rubbish.

I changed from P receiver to UP for Phonak Audeo Lumity 90 and it’s better despite my doesn’t theoretically fit into UP fitting range.

A few other takes:

  1. Have you considered trying Audeo Infinio Sphere 90 with UP receivers with no vents or maximum 0.5-0.8mm diameter?

  2. Phonak will probably release the newest Naida Sphere in a few months. My assumption is based on the Naida Lumity release in Spring 2024, which was two years ago.

There will be new platform release (newest - Audeo) probably in August 2026.

Edited

Thanks all for your replies. It’s giving a lot to think about. Currently I’m living in a country with limited options hearing aid wise. They have Beltone, Oticon and Phonak available here.

I chose Phonak as I’ve had Oticon before, but they sound tinny to me, and I was always upping the bass.

As far as I’m aware, they do not have the Spheres in the Phonak shop. They only stock the more affordable aids. Even with the Roger On V2 I’m trialing, the audiologist didn’t know how to set it up and I had to work it out and show them. However the aids are a little cheaper here despite the apparent lack of expertise.

These are probably the best aids I’ve ever had, they have Bluetooth classic which is great for work. Also with the UPs I was hearing with clarity rather than just hearing speech but not be able to tell you what they actually said. However some voices in quiet they sounded ‘grainy’ or ‘crunchy’ and this has made me second guess because I’m worried maybe they are too strong. But now I have the SP to trial I’m really finding it difficult in noise and also just listening in a quiet situation, it’s like I’m hearing sound through a frosted window and I just can’t quite figure out what’s being said exactly. Maybe I need to trial the L90 in the SP to be sure? But I read somewhere that there’s not really much difference between the L90 and L70 and that the fitting matters more? In that case what do I tell the audiologist I need for fitting?

You are getting some great advice.

If you are able to try the Audio Sphere I would sure do it. Members with severe/profound losses have had great experiences with them. They just might be good for you too.

Good luck with finding the best aids for you.

In reply to @eachtraisine

@eachtraisine said:

I chose Phonak as I’ve had Oticon before, but they sound tinny to me

How long have you used the hearing aid? The tinny sound is from high-frequency amplification, which is key to understanding consonants, especially in noisy environments. That may sound awful in the beginning, but with time it is possible to get used to it and at the end sound absolutely doesn’t sound tinny.

I suppose that you are probably underamplified in the highs and this is why Phonak doesn’t sound tinny.

I think you should insist about Audeo Infinio Spheres 90. You can also order from the sites like Wholesalehearing.co.uk4, but it requires some expertise in or a collaborative audiologist who would agree for pay per service (earmolds, etc.)

What diameter of vents yor earmolds have?

L90 have Speech Enhancer (L70 not)which is worth to maximise to “20” value, because of its value in hearing soft speech in quiet environments.

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