How to solve the Phonak Speech in 360 issue?

Hearing Aid Self-Fitting and Adjusting [DIY]
1

I’ve been programming my friends NHS Phonak Bolero V70 aids.

He really wants to be able to use the Speech in 360 program as his job is transferring patients to hospital appointments so he’s always in the car.

I can’t seem to figure out how to stop the sound from going from normal sound to really quiet and back to normal sound.

The last programming, we turned everything off like NoiseBlock and it’s going quiet less but it’s still happening.

I tried with my two B90 aids and the same is happening with my B90 aids so I don’t believe it’s the aids, I’m pretty sure it’s the programming but I’m unsure as to what to change now?

Anyone successfully use the Speech in 360 program?

2

I don’t remember having a problem with speech in noise 360 on my Bolero B90’s. I put it in a custom program slot, chose which side to target with the app and it worked. Not as useful to me as speech-in-noise on omni mode, but then again I mainly used it for the school playing ground: Trying not to ignore people talking to me.

I used Phonak digital contrast as global algorithm.

3

I wonder if the programming is way different in your 360 program from others. Not only gains but the wind, noise echo etc. block tuning.

4

I haven’t changed any of the G numbers to how the software set them.

I’ve changed the NoiseBlock etc to no effect.

I also tried changing the fitting formula, again that didn’t work.

He has a flat 40 dB loss. It isn’t flat flat, it goes up an down on certain frequencies by 5 dB.

5

The more I look at it, the more convinced I become that you are looking at the standard feature of the noise in 360o program.

This program plays around with Phonak’s zoom feature in more directions than an adjustable cone forward.

It is set at a default in Target and can be tuned to any of the 4 directions via the app: either forward, left, right or backwards. Speech from a not selected direction is muted, speech from a selected direction is amplified.

It’s great at talking to the person next to you, while keeping your eyes on the road and not hearing the kids. It’s good at watching the kids in front of you, while listing to the person to your left, whilst ignoring the conversation on your right.

IIRC, you can even set it to omni mode, which is good if you don’t know whether someone in the crowd is talking to you.

I would suggest that you let your friend play around with the app after setting the default to ‘around’/no-direction.

6

This is why I used the 360 program, while driving. The program can be very specific.

This might be the bouncing around your friend is hearing, aids just doing what they are supposed to do.