It has been about 6 months since I was first fitted with the new Sphere hearing aids and since I first started this very long review thread on this forum. I thought I would check in with an update:
I will start by saying that I have ZERO complaints with these hearing aids. Not only are they the best hearing aids that I have purchased in 25+ years of wearing hearing aids but I don’t think that I have ever heard this well in such a large range of listening environments. Don’t get me wrong, the Sphere’s still suffer from the odd weird behaviour (firmware bugs?) that cause them to restart or that causes the Bluetooth to disconnect for short periods of time, but all in all, they are superb in every respect. The application of a dedicated AI chip to noise reduction is the shining star of the Sphere show and I will say that anyone who is considering the purchase of new hearing aids, should not buy ANY top tier brand that doesn’t have AI noise reduction. Yes…it adds to the cost and yes…there are some people who don’t visit noisy places too often but the AI noise reduction is so useful and effective that it I would never consider being without it at this point.
Here are some random data points I want to share after 6 months. Hoping this is useful to people considering the purchase of new hearing aids:
- Yes…the AI Noise Reduction is a game changer (I think I’ve driven this point home many times). It works better with closed fittings so keep that in mind when testing.
- The Spheric AI program is actually useful in less noisy environments to provide clarity. It’s just another tool you have in your hearing toolbox.
- The larger battery (to power the AI chip) on the Sphere’s gives you 2 DAYS of battery life on days when you don’t use the Spheric AI program.
- I rarely end the day with less than 50% left on my hearing aids even when I ended up using the Spheric AI program for a few hours and combine this with 3-4 hours of streaming.
- Bluetooth Classic chews more power but the signal is way more stable than my previous MFI hearing aids.
- I still experience occasional Bluetooth drop offs/disconnects but I’m convinced that these are caused by wifi/Bluetooth signal interference from other devices in my home and from my next door neighbours homes.
- I have noticed ZERO reduction in battery life in 5 months of use.
- I have never found myself in a situation where my rechargeable batteries have run out and left me deaf.
- The larger size of these Sphere hearing aids has never been an issue.
- I have yet to have anyone complain about not being able to hear me during phone calls on my iPhone. Funny side story to this is that my older brother is also deaf and he just got fitted with the Sphere hearing aids too (based on my advice). We actually chat with each other on our mobile phones multiple times a week and this is the first time that I have been able to hear what someone’s voice sounds like when using the Spheres for mobile calls. His voice sounds just fine. He typically calls me from the car and his voice is clear.
- The only situation that presents a problem for these hearing aids is being in a noisy place with too many conversations going on at the same time. Basically this is the noisy restaurant with too many tables jammed in close and with many people talking at the same time. It could also be a large family dinner with many conversations going on at the same time at the same table. The Sphere program cuts the noise but you still have to fiddle with directionality and face the conversation you want to participate in. That being said, I have noticed that people with normal hearing also struggle in this type of noisy environment.
- The only other negative comment (other than the high purchase cost) is about the charging case. It would be nice to have more room in the centre of the case so that your wires/domes don’t accidentally cross when you put the hearing aids in to charge at night. I did this once and when I woke up in the morning, I noticed that one of the hearing aids had lifted slightly and didn’t charge. I suspect that this would be a much bigger issue for those with custom molds, etc. Phonak should offer an XL case for people who have larger custom fittings and need that extra space.
That’s all I can think of right now.
Jordan