So I’m in the process of upgrading my hearing aids. I saw the audiologist the other day and he recommended the Infinio spheres. My insurance covers them so I decided to go for it. Then he called me back and said that phonak says you have to use an ear mold instead of a dome. I don’t see any reviews or demos showing a mold. Everybody’s using a dome. I had another hearing professional tell me that Phonak recommends you not use an ear mold, but rather a vented dome. Phonak won’t talk to you unless you are hearing professional. Can anybody clear this up for me?
Seeing your audiogram would really help (Top of page, click on FORUM and then My hearing tests) If you have a loss that requires an UP receiver it definitely requires a mold. (That’s the only way to get an UP receiver) Otherwise it might be recommended, but it shouldn’t be required.
1 Like
That is exactly what my audi told me when the Phonak Spheres first came out. She knows that - for whatever reason! - I’m HIGHLY allergic to any kind of custom mold material other than the shiny, plastic, flesh-colored ones. I can’t wear any kind of acrylic or the firm silicon molds. However, I’ve never had problems with the smoke topaz colored soft silicone double (power) domes, and they work great with my Phonak Lumity Life 312-battery aids.
I totally GET that the optimal solution for a powerful aid like the Sphere is that custom mold, but my ear canals would be flaming, itching lobster claws by day’s end. So just tell your audi recommendation or not, you want to try the silicone mold. The worse that could happen is that you may end up pushing them IN your ear canals all day long (like pushing eyeglasses up the nose).
You may surprise yourself and your audi if these double domes do the trick for you! Look at my audiogram. If I can wear power domes with the Lumity Life, you could probably wear them with the new Spheres. GO FOR IT!
5 Likes
I have moderate hearing loss. 49 in one ear 51 and the other. Most difficulty is with lower frequency.
Not quite sure what you mean by a loss of 49 in one ear and 51 in another. If that’s the PTA (pure tone average) with most of the loss in lower frequencies you might need UP receivers and custom molds. The audiogram provides a lot more information.
1 Like
I was told I’m 49% deaf in one ear and 51% in the other.
Phonak also offers titanium molds. They’re supposed to be the ultimate solution for ear canal irritation by mold materials. Here is a link to the latest Phonak Custom Product Reference Guide: Custom Product Reference Guide (New!)
Titanium molds are supposed to be the ultimate in durability, too, but, IIRC, they are more expensive and take longer to make based on other forum posts.
1 Like
That’s what he said he was ordering. I was really taken aback when he said titanium. I always thought that the material used for molds was silicone or acrylic. In fact when I googled what they were made of that’s the only thing that came up was acrylic and silicone.
My titanium slimtips came in a couple weeks a few years ago. And we didn’t even use the new digital scanning. So part of that time was sending the impressions to the factory. They are 3D printed. I heard in Vietnam, but that was a few years ago, maybe they make them in the US now.
WH
How was that determined?
Well that = 100%… 
THIS illustration speaks to me BIGGLY!
I have soft silicone double domes on my speakers and EVERY day those matchsticks are rammed against my ear canal. I totally get the illustration. With a custom mold, that speaker is forced into the optimal (hopefully comfortable) position.
My issue with any hardshell mold is that my ears swell UP and go DOWN throughout the day, so I’d start each day with a painful insertion (ouch.) and end with some baggy leaky-squeaky feedback. Allergic reaction may not happen with titanium, but I’ve shied away from going this route due to the cost + fit issue.
2 Likes
I have the Spheres with a closed dome and have been wearing them approximately 3 weeks now. I’m curious if anyone can tell me what an approximate cost would be for silicone and for titanium custom molds. I may discuss with my audiologist at my 6 month checkup.