Going to try Phonak Lumity aids .. receiver question

Hearing Aids
#1

After nearly 5 years with Phonak Marvels (M90-RT), I have decided to give Lumities a trial … L90-RT or L90-RL (need to decide whether I need the telecoil with I currently have, or go for the water-resistance). I didn’t think the Paradise was a big enough step up, but Lumity seems to be a definite improvement according to users’ reviews.

I have the UP receivers in custom moulds which are excellent (I bought a spare pair which I have swapped over when there have been problems with the ones in place - just twice). Is it possible to use my receivers with the Lumities? I think the receivers are compatible, but not sure about the physical connection to the aids themselves.

Thanks in advance.
Mike,

#2

Mike,
I have almost identical audiogram - maybe all pushed up 5db across the board. I also have m90-ks9 for 3+ years and just got lumity life90. I have slim tip with power receivers and they are plug and play. I got a second set of molds when I got the life aids at costco as they are only $80 and phonak duplicated as they keep mold records. If you have c shell the pin connectors should fit into the aid body but the receiver tip is in the mold- sure you know this.
I went life and never considered telecoil as it is no use to me. Regular 90’s or life. I am concerned about recharges vs battery but was not going to lose my insurance benefit.
After a needed first adjustment my fitter mirrored my settings from my ks9 based on slight change in audiogram. Went from phonak algo to NAL2. I really have not had much WOW and may need tweak, adjust rem or start DIY chaanges. But KS9 was the best improvement I had ever had in 30+ yrs of wearing aids. Good luck.

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#3

As for the “LIFE” hearing aids, which are advertised as waterproof, they will survive swimming, but the receiver will not survive swimming, because there is still no receiver that can withstand it.

But if your goal is to protect the hearing aid from rain or from the shower, I mean jets of water, the hearing aid will withstand that even if it is not the life version.

If you use a T-coil and are often in places where it is used, I would go with that over the LIFE hearing aid. Because it will be much more useful to you than the water resistance offered by the life hearing aid.

I see that you have chosen rechargeable hearing aids, do you know that Luminity does not yet have a version that uses disposable batteries. If this is important to you, then the option is to switch to Paradise.

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#4

@smeltjr and @markoo355 … thanks for your replies. Yes, it was just the connection of the wire to the aid body I was wondering about. I think they will be compatible.

Regarding water-resistance, I wouldn’t go swimming with any aids in, but wanted some form of protection if I get rained on when I’m out walking, running or cycling. I think the ordinary Lumities would provide that.

I rarely use the telecoil, but it has come in useful in the past. The prices I have been quoted are very similar for both.

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#5

Don’t know about the Lumity for sure, but I’ve seen lots of other devices that claim IP68 rating where the 8 is a STATIC water immersion test at not a very great depth, and the OEMs warn users that the device with such a rating is not made to withstand strong streams of water. I vaguely remember Apple Watches in the past that had far better depth immersion resistance than IP68, with Apple warning not to subject them to water streams. The Apple Watch 6 was such a device and whenever I went out to work on my sprinkler system when it was running, I’d either take off the watch or put a slit plastic bag over my wrist to protect it from direct spray from the sprinkler system (think of it as just a much bigger than normal shower! :slightly_smiling_face: ). With rain, the impact of the water depends on the size of the droplets. A drizzle, not much. A gentle rain, more. A torrential rain, there’s considerable droplet impact from the large drop size. Here’s Bing/ChatGPT’s answer on drop velocity - and the answer notes that wind speed and direction can also impact droplet velocity (on your hearing aids!):

The average velocity of rain droplets depends on their size and shape, which are influenced by the type and intensity of precipitation. According to the search results, drizzle is a light precipitation consisting of liquid water drops smaller than 0.5 mm (0.02 in) in diameter⁶⁷, rain is a moderate to heavy precipitation with drops ranging from 0.5 mm to 4 mm (0.02 to 0.16 in) in diameter¹³¹⁴, and downpour is a very heavy rainfall with large drops that can exceed 4 mm (0.16 in) in diameter¹³.

The terminal velocity of a raindrop is the speed at which the downward force of gravity is balanced by the upward force of air resistance. The terminal velocity of a raindrop increases with its size, but it also depends on the shape and drag coefficient of the drop. A typical raindrop has a terminal velocity of about 9 meters per second or 20 mph¹³⁵, a smaller raindrop of radius 0.15 cm has a terminal velocity of about 7 meters per second or 16 mph¹², and a larger raindrop of radius 0.4 cm has a terminal velocity of about 14 meters per second or 31 mph⁵.

Therefore, based on these estimates, the average velocity of rain droplets in a drizzle would be around 7 meters per second or 16 mph, in regular rain would be around 9 meters per second or 20 mph, and in a large downpour would be around 14 meters per second or 31 mph. However, these values may vary depending on the actual size and shape distribution of the rain droplets, as well as the wind speed and direction.

Source: Conversation with Bing, 2/15/2023(1) Drizzle - Wikipedia. Drizzle - Wikipedia. Accessed 2/15/2023.
(2) Drizzle | SKYbrary Aviation Safety. Drizzle | SKYbrary Aviation Safety Accessed 2/15/2023.
(3) Raindrops are Different Sizes | U.S. Geological Survey. Raindrops are Different Sizes | U.S. Geological Survey Accessed 2/15/2023.
(4) How big can a raindrop get? - NASA. How big can a raindrop get? | NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Accessed 2/15/2023.
(5) What is the speed of falling raindrops? | Science Guys | Union … What is the speed of falling raindrops? | Science Guys | Union University, a Christian College in Tennessee. Accessed 2/15/2023.
(6) What is the speed of falling raindrops? | Science Guys | Union … What is the speed of falling raindrops? | Science Guys | Union University, a Christian College in Tennessee Accessed 2/15/2023.
(7) How Fast Is Falling Rain? | WIRED. https://www.wired.com/2011/08/how-fast-is-falling-rain/ Accessed 2/15/2023.
(8) How fast does rain fall? | BBC Science Focus Magazine. https://www.sciencefocus.com/planet-earth/how-fast-does-rain-fall/ Accessed 2/15/2023.
(9) How fast do raindrops fall? | NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission. How fast do raindrops fall? | NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Accessed 2/15/2023.
(10) Drizzle - Wikipedia. Drizzle - Wikipedia Accessed 2/15/2023.
(11) What is the difference between Rain, Drizzle and Showers?. What is the difference between Rain, Drizzle and Showers | Skymet Weather Services Accessed 2/15/2023.
(12) Ask Tom: Are there definitions for downpour, drizzle or light, steady … Ask Tom: Are there definitions for downpour, drizzle or light, steady, heavy rain? – Chicago Tribune Accessed 2/15/2023.
(13) Drizzle Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster. Drizzle Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Accessed 2/15/2023.
(14) Sizes of Aerosols, Raindrop and Cloud Droplets | Center for Science Education. Sizes of Aerosols, Raindrop and Cloud Droplets | Center for Science Education. Accessed 2/15/2023.
(15) Rain drop size and speed of a falling rain drop — BARANI DESIGN … Rain drop size and speed of a falling rain drop — BARANI DESIGN Technologies Accessed 2/15/2023.
(16) Raindrop size distribution - Wikipedia. Raindrop size distribution - Wikipedia Accessed 2/15/2023.

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#6

OK, I thought that even a custom mould would allow the receiver to be removed, cuz receivers are the “weakest link” in a set of hearing aids. They WILL fail in about 2-3 years’ time.

I can speak with experience as to the so-called “waterproof” claim of the Phonak Lumity Life aids: they simply aren’t. Maybe the BTE bean is hermetically sealed, but as others say, the receiver is not and can not be waterproof in the slightest. It has that open hole in the ear canal, so you can not submerge your head AT ALL with these Life aids in. If you’re cycling in the rain, hopefully your helmet will keep water off the ears. If walking in the rain, bring a brolly or wear a hooded Gortex jacket.

I have never used a telecoil, so I can’t speak to the necessity of it, but I would only choose a Lumity Life aid today for the (noticeable!) improvement in speech comprehension. I’m no techie, but I’d wonder if the custom receiver you have now would deliver all the benefits of the Lumity Life? If you’re spending that much on a new pair of aids, buy the WHOLE thing, and get the new receivers embedded into custom moulds.

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#7

I used to have a Phonak Naida q50, it was a BTE hearing aid, it used special filters (phonak wind and weather filter) which were changed every 2 months or more depending on the conditions. I changed it often because I worked on a farm where there is a lot of dust, humidity, rain, etc.
My hearing aid withstood the heavy rain, practically soaked hearing aids. But I didn’t drown them in water because I know they are not resistant where the output of the receiver is.

Although the new HA I have now have not undergone the same conditions, I am afraid to do it, whenever I can I avoid it. If I have to, I’ll wear a hat or something to avoid it. Mostly because I bought them on ebay and I won’t know where to get them repaired because they don’t have a warranty. And because these are demo hearing aids, I’m not sure if they will want to repair such hearing aids, otherwise I really love them :slight_smile:

#8

Thanks for the replies. My current receivers have been going for five years, but I agree with @bluejay2025 … they are the weakest link, so I will certainly get new ones. But if the old ones are compatible (the connection, I mean), then they will be useful spares.

Incidentally, looking at photos of both Lumity models, the ‘Life’ models have four mics around the rocker switch, whilst the RT model has just three. Wonder if this is to do with water resistance or some other reason? Does anyone know?

Thanks again for all the input.

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#9

I have seen some commentary to the effect that Lumity is still just an evolution of the Marvel-Paradise lineage. If your Marvels still function well with new receivers and updated programming it might be prudent to wait for the next iteration to see if they finally leap to a genuinely new platform with significantly different features.

On the other hand, sometimes such “revolutionary” changes are so dramatic that it makes people want to switch to other brands so perhaps predicting the future is a mug’s game…

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#10

I’ve seen comments that the Lumity P90 version works better than the Paradise P90 version understanding words in loud noisy environments. Those comments were made on this site.

I’m grateful to hear they are better.

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#11

@DaveL: As is the case with all comments made on the Forum - they are mostly somebody else’s opinion - somebody whose hearing loss is different than yours.

So, whether the comments will hold true for you is another story, entirely.

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#12

I have swapped my RIC receivers between Marvel, Paradise and Lumity with no issue. They are the same part for all three.

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#13

My issue has been setup–word recognition in a noisy environment. That’s with my current hearing aids.

Comment I’ve read several times is that word recognition in a noisy environment was better for Lumity owners. I asked one person if the same supplier had setup the Paradise P90’s and Lumity P90’s they referred to as better. Answer: Same person set up both.

I’m collecting information for my next set of hearing aids. I won’t qualify for new hearing aids until 3-1/2 years pass. That’s a long time! So here’s hoping for improvement in my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s. And hope that my hearing doesn’t keep getting worse as it has over the last 20 years.

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#14

re: telecoil. That feature adds a good number of hours to the daily battery life of rechargeable aids. Well worth it, ime.

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