Existing Users: Rate Your Phonak Infinio Spheres

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How do you rate your experience in using the aids in very noisy environments such as restaurants and bars?

  • Disappointing. My previous aids worked better in such environments
  • No better than using my previous aids in such environments.
  • Marginally better.
  • Significantly better
  • Simply wow. Possibly life-changing.

0 voters

How do you rate your overall experience in using these aids in a variety of environments.

  1. Disappointing. My previous aids were better.
  2. No better than my previous aids.
  3. Marginally better.
  4. Significantly better
  5. Simply wow. Possibly life-changing.

0 voters

Poll questions by @d_Wooluf

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As the feedback seems to be very different, it might be useful to differentiate the survey between open-vented domes/moulds users and people that use closed/power domes/moulds.

What do you think?

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Indeed. Effectiveness of Infinio line depends on openness (or “closenness”) of acoustic coupling. So I also propose to add two another questions"

  1. which acoustic coupling you have? (which kind of domes, in earmold - diameter of vent or “I don’t know” answer)

  2. Did you have Real Ear Measurement?

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Right now, I use occlusive Phonak power domes, and I use dome sizes to fit my ear canal sizes: small for the left and medium for the right. I plan to get occlusive molds. I noticed changing the Target Speech Enhancer setting from the default of 14 (moderate) to 16 (higher moderate) seems to improve the sound of my own voice even with occlusion, perhaps because the Speech Enhancer function (only available with the I90s) is picking up the external sound of my own voice and amplifying it enough to overcome the bone conduction booming/frequency-altering effect. I think in Harvey Dillon’s Hearing Aids book, 2nd Ed., it says one pathway only has to be ~2 dB 10 dB louder than another to predominate in CNS perception. (Thanks to @Bimodal_user: Existing Users: Rate Your Phonak Infinio Spheres - #12 by jim_lewis).

I voted that Spheric noise reduction is a simply WOW experience, and the Spheres are significantly better than my Omnias in other regards. Front Focus with the Omnias does enhance the sound of a voice right in front of you ~two-fold but still leaves a lot of the environmental din that the Spheres filter out.

Besides wearing an occlusive fit (which Phonak notes gives the optimum noise reduction), I recommend going to Adjust Program in the MyPhonak app and turning on the SPEECH option. That enhances speech frequencies and really makes speech stand out from any remaining noise. I haven’t yet checked to see if I can make that a default Spheric speech setting via Target.

On the reasons I think Spheres are significantly better than Omnias, Bluetooth streaming is much stronger when carrying my iPhone on a hip holster. With the Omnias, the BT signal might be broken up a bit by my swinging arm as I walked. Perhaps, too, since the Omnia sound is independently streamed to both ears, it’s harder for the BT signal to the left ear to make it past my arm and the front of my body. Carrying the phone on my right hip and having BT streamed inclusively to my right ear with the Spheres probably helps tremendously. It’s paradoxical, though, that in terms of reach distance, the ReSound TV Streamer 2 can stream a bit farther through my house than the Phonak TV Connector, but not by much. They both can penetrate several interior sheetrock walls.

My wife finds the Sphere microphone pickup of my voice in hands-free calling better than the Omnia’s, but that opinion is based on limited testing.

The Speech Enhancer function of the Spheres is great. It’s easy to understand my soft-spoken wife.

The streaming sound of the Spheres when the Car Stereo type is chosen in the R-Phonak Hearing Aid BT connection settings is far better than the Omnias with a deeper base and richer sound. This may be related to Phonak incorporating its Harman curves from Sonova Sennheiser brand headphones into the APD 3.0 fitting algorithm used in the Infinio line. Ditto for live surround music heard through the Sphere external microphones in my truck.

I trialed the Lumitys in early 2023 for about two weeks and thought AutoSense 5.0 changes were too abrupt and noticeable. My memory might not be that good, but I find AutoSense 6.0 changes with the Spheres smoother and less noticeable. I do feel that I hear more real-world sounds with my Omnias, and Phonak emphasizes producing a “calm,” processed environment. Maybe all that’s really happened is that my acceptance of the great Sphere noise processing has flipped my views on processed sound 180°.

As a footnote to @Bimodal_user’s comment on REM, I fitted myself via AudiogramDirect, which creates an audiogram via sounds each hearing aid plays into your ear while wearing them normally. AudiogramDirect differs from REM because it relies on the correct, untested functionality of the HAs you’re wearing, whereas REM machines have to be independently calibrated periodically, IIRC.

I’ve had REM performed several times in the six years I’ve worn HAs. YMMV. I’m probably unusually lucky, but my audiogram’s fit has always been right on the REM measurements, or I needed only a slight adjustment in just one ear at one frequency.

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P.S. @AbramBaileyAuD, I agree with @DamonHill’s and @Bimodal_user’s comments that it would be good to add a fit-openness check box or set of options (e.g., open domes, vented domes, power domes, vented molds, unvented molds) to the poll. Then you might also include a bar chart with your noise reduction satisfaction ratings (average?) plotted against fit openness type.

Perhaps with a bit of programming, you could let those of us who’ve already voted update our poll submission with our fit openness or just start a new poll that is only the degree of satisfaction with Spheric noise reduction vs. fit openness.

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Probably needs to be moved to a multiple question poll that tracks the participant all the way through. Unfortunately there’s no way to see how one person responds to multiple questions in this format. While I agree about open closed having a potentially large effect, there are other variables as well like REMs, the persons hearing loss, the speaker type, their word rec and speech in noise scores, and on and on… I would say, in most cases, we should assume a similar person (audiologically) and a similar acoustic setup to previous aids for the purposes of this survey, given its limitations.

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I would sure like to do THAT if I ever get the Speres. I would bet that simple tweak would beat using a Roger On iN mic any day. HORRIBLE audio quality with the Roger. Shattering, harsh and seems very flat and 2-dimensional.

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Also the respondent’s previous aids, since both questions rate Spheres relative to them.

Incidentally, my audiologist told me that their practice’s experience with Spheres has been extraordinarily positive. Much lower return rate than usual on trials, and much higher proportion of clients opting for the highest technology level.

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As Dr Cliff said i his has video about RogerOn 3, your HCP can adjust Roger + Mic settings in Target software.

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I’m not sure does it 10 dB, but can’t check it now.

Maybe it’s worth to try the full setting - 20 units on slider in Target software.

Anyway, great review!

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I’ve only had my Spheres for 10 days, and have been in noisy (restaurant) environments just three times. Only one of those times was mildly noisy (the other two were not very noisy at all), and the Spheric setting calmed the background talking to make it easier to understand those at my table. I heard speech from an adjacent table until I found the focus setting and set it to the most narrow value. That made a BIG difference; speech from the adjacent table no longer interfered. But, I have yet to experience my Audeo Infinio Spheres in a really noisy restaurant environment, so please understand my mild praise. I have worn closed domes on my KS10s, my Lumitys, and now on my Infinio Spheres. I do not find the Spheres uncomfortable to wear. My main issue is getting the HAs out of the charger because the magnets hold them in so tightly. If I were to have arthritis in my fingers, that would pose a major problem.

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You’re right. I “misspoke.” Here’s a link to a previous post I made on the subject a long time ago. See the text I included describing Figure 5.15 (the last figure at the bottom of the post). Use Closed Fitting in One Ear or Two? - #29 by jim_lewis

So, one path predominates over the other if, at some frequency(ies), it’s >= 10 dB louder.

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Thanks for your answer. Indeed, I read that whole topic you linked two months ago, and your input was exceptional. Much of the useful information and I become strongly motivated to get an occluded closed earmold reaching the bony part of the ear canal, especially when I have a silicone custom stopper for my better ear and I don’t experience much occlusion at all.
I use that stopper to isolate better ear during CI ear rehabilitation.

I’ve read also about 16/4 rule in other topic.

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I think we could have added more questions that might have shed light on factors that impacted the ratings (open vs occluded, wrs scores, previous brand) but we would have needed a hundred responders to get meaningful results.

For a quick and dirty survey, I think the results are pretty interesting. Glad I asked the question!

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I’d say a better evaluation of the effectiveness of the I90 Spheres is Phonak’s “Scientific Poster.” The tested users were all fit with couplings with only a 1 mm vent. At the very least, the survey could have broken down responses according to the type of coupling (mold or dome). So, from my own experience with power domes, I’d say the survey results imply to me that a large number of respondents probably had a much more open fit and weren’t getting the noise reduction possible with a more closed fit. Several Sphere purchasers have mentioned on the forum that they wear an open fit. So, it’s unsurprising that some respondents are not getting the maximum Spheric Speech Clarity effects. I would say that’s the best one can likely conclude from the forum survey results as compared to the carefully controlled experimental results in Phonak’s Scientfic Poster: Phonak Sphere Infino - experience with open domes - #2 by jim_lewis

The best compromise for combining Spheric processing with an open fit would be to get Phonak’s ActiVent receivers, which close the venting in very noisy situations or for streaming and are otherwise open. But this is an expensive, high-maintenance solution. I’d rather just wear a closed fit as I always have to get the best noise reduction and directional speech when needed from my HAs.

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For starters, too, the thread survey does not differentiate whether voters bought the Sphere I90 or the Sphere I70. The DNN noise processing in the Sphere I70 is weaker so those folks, even with the best fit and most occlusive molds, would get inferior results to those wearing the I90s. Perhaps most people getting the Spheres would go for the I90s, but failure to differentiate the two models is another shortcoming of the survey.

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That is what I’d love to have happen. My audi is wonderful, but she is simply not conversant in the Roger accessories (other than transferring the licenses).

I even removed the Roger app cuz it seemed to do no more than change the directionality of the HARSH mic. Good news is that my own aids in “Speech in Loud Noise” do a pretty good job at restaurants.

I still use my Roger mic for speakerphone calls with the in-laws. :grin:

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In lots of background noise I find them marginally better than restaurant mode. But I have open domes, so that may limit the results. At work at a busy coffeetable I do find Spheric mode much better for hearing conversation than restaurant mode. I will try closed domes and see if that improves things.

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Be aware that if you change the dome style (i.e open to closed) then you will also need your fitting parameters to be recalculated by the fitting software - so you may be disappointed if you just change the domes without doing that…

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Indeed, and in ideal conditions - also new REM.

@PeterOo , Have you considered earmolds for your high-frequency hearing loss?

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