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Upgraded to Phonak Sphere and it sucks...help needed!

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Edited

Hello all,
I have upgraded to Sphere from my Marvel and i am profoundly dissapointed to the point that i barely wear it. I cannot return it so i’m stuck with a 3000eur device that doesn’t help at all.
I am unsure what the issue is…can it be that simply Sphere is not delivering as well as Marvel, 2 generations behind?!
My Marvel has fitting while my Sphere doens’t, perhaps that’s also an issue.

I have a hard time putting into words what’s the issue, i simply hear worse less clear with it. And maybe the only moment it shines is when it gets into Sphere mode but thats not often…

So does anyone have any advice?
Also can i list it on ebay or are there other sites where ppl sell their hearing aids?

Thanks!

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Most likely they were not programmed correctly. The best programmed incorrectly is worse than a poor HA programmed correctly. Why didn’t you get ?

Any chance you can get them programmed by a different specialist ? It would be interesting to compare the program you had with the marvels to what you have now.

I am surprised why the professional simply didn’t copy the fitting from Marvel, assuming the same acoustic coupling as in the Marvel.

Which acoustic coupling do you have in Marvel and in Sphere? Domes? Earmold/cShell?

Your hearing loss is definitely for earmold or cShell. Some I don’t feel confident when doing ear impressions, so they offer only domes even when it is definitely suboptimal.

@OcramSagev is definitely right. Poor/older generation properly fitted is most often better than newest poorly fitted.

can they do that!?
My audi said she cannot copy the setting from marvel to the sphere. maybe they can though? I’m taking the marvel to them monday to see if it is possible!

i bought the marvel from a different country where they had , they don’t have it here.
The marvel has domes but the sphere has earmold and tbh it fits pretty well i cannot complain…

Thanks!

The Phonak Marvel generation used AutoSense 3.0. The Phonak Infinio Sphere uses AutoSense 6.0. That may or may not be a reason wny you old fitting can’t be copied and used into your new hearing aids.

Prior to purchase, the Otolaryngology department at a hospital in Chicago told me that with my level of loss, I still may need to rely on my Roger On even if I upgraded to Infinio Sphere. I’ve had mine for two weeks, and I’m still performing some tweeking. I use Phonak cShells.

Wen it come to computer programs usually new edition reads the older.
Why it doesnt work here? I think Phonak may have a solution so it would be worth contacting them. Perhaps servicing person dont know how.

As long as the underlying parameters are unchanged then yes.

However if your newer hearing aids have 24 channels and the previous version had 20; then the software might quite reasonably not transfer seamlessly. Also if the programming platform has been upgraded, they aren’t always retrospectively compatible: sometimes that’s due to steps in the underlying coding like 32 to 64bit.

In case your clinician needs a bit more guidance, they need to save the Marvel settings to their system first, and then they can connect to the sphere and go to file>transfer settings and load the Marvel settings. It’s not always perfect when the devices aren’t identical.

It probably is the lack of , yes, if the issue is clarity.

No, I don’t think you can simply adopt the earlier configuration automatically. But what your audi can, and should do, is print out your Marvel’s amplification curves, and tweak manually those for your Spheres so until they look the same.
Pretty sure this will make your Spheres sound exactly as your Marvels did.

Edited

The Phonak Target software has a migration tool (it’s called transfer fitting ) that allows you to transfer the fitting/settings from a previous model to a newer one as @Neville said.

The software will ask you to re-run things like the feedback test (I don’t remember the details). Also, Phonak changed the fitting model from Phonak Adaptive Digital 2.0 to Phonak Adaptive Digital 3.0. I don’t remember if the SW will retain the previous fitting curve or force to use the latest fitting model – but that 's an easy fix

Below is a pic

https://imgur.com/a/ngnLInL25

This could be as simple as the Marvels are using a different fitting formula. For example, the Marvels may be using , and the Infinio, Adaptive Phonak Digital?? Toe, that would make a huge difference

In reply to @OcramSagev

@OcramSagev said:

The Phonak Target software has a migration tool (it’s called transfer fitting ) that allows you to transfer the fitting/settings from a previous model to a newer one as @Neville said.

From my DIYing experience I don’t recommend transfer in that way.

I accidentally found better/more accurate way to transfer fitting from my old Paradise P90-RT.

  1. New fitting session with Paradise in Target software.
  2. Connect with Paradise and download original fitting from it.
  3. Save fitting appointment and close it.

Then:

  1. Turn Paradise off and wear the Infinio Sphere.
  2. Start the saved appointment with Paradise fitting.
  3. Connect with Spheres and choose uploading fitting from that fitting appointment saved in PC.
  4. Adjust fitting more, check whether Target detected changing model or change it manually.

What’s the difference in the results ? Pro/cons of each workflow? I’ve done both but I don’t recall the differences, it’s been a while

Edited

Transfer from the file exported from the fitting of older weren’t that accurate, for example in mirroring gain handles and I feel there was much more work with minor adjustments compared to the way described in my previous post. I’ve done that 2 months ago and abandoned Target software temporarily, because I was exhausted from seeking for the “sweet spots”.

Today I’ve got SMS from my with info that my new titanium cShells with pressure vent (for old Paradise and new Sphere) will come soon. So, I must come back to the Target, do new AudiogramDirect, feedback tests, etc.

I will be looking for -based fitting later.

I wait for cShell remade 3 months! Counting with primary imperfect cShell - 3,5 months.

As mentioned, sometimes the fitting transfer doesn’t work well.

But when you go into an old session and load new hearing aids of a different type it just first fits? I’m second guessing myself now and will have to go check, but I swear it just first fits. I suppose it maintains the target rule and programs and acoustics.

From what I recall , it keeps the fitting and it gives you a warning. I’m not sure, is been a while since I did it .

Bottom line: it’s doable and the OP should ask the audiologist to do it ( or at least do a comparison)

I’m sorry to hear about your experiences with Sphere and I wish I had something positive to say about them. I am using them myself and am not too impressed with them and like you I also have a problem with clarity etc. I see that perhaps your aids may not have been programmed correctly. Could you ask your audiologist to carry out a fitting for the Sphere? I wish I had some advice but I just wanted to offer some support.

Edited

In reply to @sickbay

Definitely, do the transfer as Bimodal_user said, then you need to do AudiogramDirect and “Feedback & real ear” test in target. This will leave you with the closest setting for the new devices.
My audi and I myself have done this procedure several times between my Phonak Marvel and Paradise. The AudiogramDirect and Feedback test steps will adjust for different venting and receiver power/sizes.
However, the acoustics can change significantly between domes and earmolds, so a new would be likely necessary.

EDIT: Since you mention the price in euros, I guess you are in the EU. Are you sure that no audi in your area can do REM for you ? If that is really the case, you can just go to another EU country (hint: my audi is in another country…)

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