Dear Phonak, your Lumity battery isn't good enough

Hearing Aids
#83

I am impressed by the length of this thread in only 5 days!

Also very happy to have trialed both the rechargeable Phonak L90’s and Oticon Real 1’s with 312 batteries. It is such a luxury to not have to recharge every day. And when I do after 5-7 days depending on streaming: It takes all of 10 seconds per aid. :slight_smile:

I drive an electrical car. I repair my gadgets when they break. I recharge all AAA and AA and Li-ion 18650 cells every time they get empty. So with hearing aids, I am very glad to to use lead-free Zink-Oxide batteries. I don’t even throw them away: We use them as counters for playing games. Great product!

Only for those people who can’t handle the button cells anymore it’s a real improvement. Not there yet, though.

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#84

Just in case someone comes to the wrong conclusion from this…there’s no correlation between battery type and hearing quality.

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#85

I’m not sure. ~4 days? Less with streaming? The Marvel 312 does about 4-5 days.

Yes, any Unitron device that is Roger Direct compatible. So definitely the Vivantes, but I think also the Blus (oh yes, I see Baltazard hit that already). With the Marvel/Paradise era chargers, the matching Unitron devices were really difficult to pull out of the charger so we didn’t fit many of them. Historically I like Unitron, though. Their flex trials were nice before demos became more standard. The localization considerations in the Tempus line were really nice. And as I said earlier, they used to be better at keeping more advanced features down in “lower” tech levels (like wind noise management), particularly back when they had a five level line-up rather than four.

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#86

I agree. I have Lumity 90s and the battery life definitely leaves much to be desired.

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#87

On a normal day I’m wearing aids for 18 hours so was ending day with under 5% battery consistently and often hitting zero even on days of light/no streaming. Add on top of that the battery low prompts it made for a stressful ongoing experience leaving no room for wiggle for life. And that was with brand new aids which will probably decay 5-15% over 5+ years.

To each their own if you’re willing to change your lifestyle or be deaf for part of the day as you top up but for me it’s a non-negotiable for a medical device not to perform at a high standard especially at that price point.

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#88

I wish Phonak was still at Costco. Such a great brand and I wouldn’t mind slightly older tech if getting at such a cheap rate.

Re: overnight. I’m have you considered a baby monitor? What I’ve used when home alone when wife is traveling. Vibrates me awake and I can put my ear to the speaker to work out if someone is calling me etc. Now training my young boys to wait a moment whilst I put aids in if they wake me in middle of the night.

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#89

I was not trying to imply that. Simply that I prefer the KS10 to phonak

#90

Yes I do use a baby monitor but I still use the hearing aids because I worry I won’t hear the monitor. But I appreciate the recommendation. Love to hear ideas

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#91

Yes and no. If you need an UP BTE, it’s going to use disposable 675 batteries because rechargeables just don’t have enough power. And if you want some of the latest technology that requires higher voltage, then you’re going to find it only in rechargeable hearing aids. So there is some correlation between battery type and hearing aid features. However I’d agree that one is not going to sound inherently better because of the battery type.

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#92

In my experience @MDB , a BTE UP will always sound richer & fuller than any sound scope produced via a RIC aid… But as always, YMMV… Cheers Kev :wink:

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#93

Umm, there was a long discussion about this a while back. I researched the tiny accelerometers that are used for tap detection and such. Didn’t just look at spec sheets myself, also consulted a friend who designs and manufactures consumer electronics. Bottom line is they are available to work at zinc-air voltage. Are you referring to a different technology, and a technology relevant to hearing quality vs. auxiliary features?

#94

“Hearing quality” and features seem really hard to separate. I’d agree one could define a difference but when I look at discussions on this forum many revolve around the quality of the app or streaming. I’m not an engineer, but I believe @Um_bongo (who has an engineering background) stated that some newer features (I’m not sure if that’s right word) require higher voltages. Phonak had different features on their rechargeables vs disposables, but I guess depending on one’s perspective that’s part of their grand plot to eliminate disposables.
Found the post I was thinking of: Continuing the discussion from Oticon More: Rechargeable vs. disposable batteries::

#95

It’s an engineering issue: more volts and more amps equals more functions in your current chip and more transmission ability with your aerial circuits.

Or you have to redesign the chip to do the same stuff more frugally on less energy. (Hello Starkey Genesis)

I’m not sure if we’re there yet, but I did read about Hybridised Analogue/Digital processing that basically leaves the analogue stream alone while side processing the digital signal and just ‘tuning’ the output with the digital enhancements. This seems to relieve the digital side of the heavy lifting wrt amplifying the signal while still offering the extra benefit of a bit of machine learned tuning.

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#96

Where did you get this information from? I hope it happens!

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#97

Interesting peek back in time. I don’t think I was active on the forum right then. The discussion about accelerometers came much later. From that research it’s clear to me that Phonak didn’t omit accelerometer-based functions (motion sensor and tap) from the Paradise RIC because of voltage or power constraints. Did they do it for another technical reason, or was it for business reasons? Your guess is as good as mine.

From the current thread:

Zinc-air batteries have the highest energy density, by mass and by volume. Energy in the smallest and lightest possible package is what hearing aids need. It’s true that current draw (power) limits in disposable batteries have been a limiting factor in HA design. But the battery industry came out with higher-current 675 batteries to meet the needs of implant processors. So it seems that the current draw limits aren’t a fundamental feature of the chemistry, rather a design and construction issue.

#98

Sounds like a good idea Kev. I checked with my local hearing aid guy today and he said the new Naida Lumity is now available in the Toronto area too so I ordered one and will get it in 2 weeks also. Not worried about the 675 battery - I use those every day in my Cochlear implant in the other ear which takes 2 batteries at a time. I currently use the Zenipower brand. I also will be able to connect with my Roger ON as my earlier Naida does. Thanks for the info.

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#99

You are welcome @rsinclair123… Hopefully all goes well, and please let us know how you get on with the Naida Lumity… Cheers Kev :smile:

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#100

I’m using the Lumity with a cros receiver. So far 12 hours is the max I can get with it. I can get through a day at work but if I’m out after work on a Friday I am now using my old hearing aids part way through the day and then swapping to the Lumity.

Feels like these will be going back within the 90 day trial.

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#101

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#102

This is fresh. I never heard this before. Phonak do this? they defeature on 312 battery version because of this?

What about Oticon/Dermant brands? They both have 312 and rechargeable.

I know some chips and technology need some voltage and power to operate. But I never really thought about this.

This means I want cutting-edge technology and better sound. I will need a rechargeable version.

But 16 hours of daily use is still not enough. Let’s alone battery life degradation and holding charge at 80% after XXXX charges. Expect to hold charge for 10–12 hours after 2 or 3 years. This is actually awful.

Some may argue “Hey, you can charge your smartphone every night; why not hearing aids?”.

Came from a 312 battery that was able to be used for 3-4 days straight… that still awful.

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