Sphere battery update: On the 2nd full day with the Sphere 90s, I wore them for 19 hours, 18 minutes. I did no streaming, and spent no time in the ‘Spheric speech in loud noise’ program. When I put them on the charger after 19+ hours, I still had 61% and 62% charge remaining.
10 Likes
If one looks at settings for “Spheric Speech in Loud Noise” in Target (see screenshot below), it says that the clarity strength can be adjusted via the mobile app. However, I cant see where to do this. It just has the usual stuff. Does anyone know what they are referring to?
you must be in a environment with speech in loud noise that the hearing aids get automatically into the programm “Spheric speech in loud noise”. Then you can adjust the Clarity strenght setting.
Whatch this video
2 Likes
I have the Sphere in Loud Noise as a separate program but when adjusting program, the options I see are Volume, Noise Reduction, Speech Focus, Dynamic and the Equaliser. Clarity is one of the Equaliser presets, so maybe they are referring to that? I would have expected something more explicit to allow changing the strength of the “Spheric Speech clarity” to optimise the SNR.
1 Like
So I just hit the 1 month mark wearing these Phonak Sphere Infinio I90 hearing aids and thought I would post a short update. After four weeks, I can definitely say they are a profound improvement over my Lumity L90 hearing aids. Key points being:
- Spheric AI noise reduction: I have posted multiple updates on this ground breaking feature. Short answer is…it really works well. Key value point here is that it has restored my confidence when I am in very noisy places. I can now go to restaurants, pubs, sports events and a whole bunch of other places without stressing over hearing people talk and having a good time. This is such a fundamental life changing improvement that it could easily justify the very expensive upgrade to these hearing aids. If you have given up on going to these types of noisy places, these hearing aids are for you. I still think the background sounds are a bit weird and disorienting at times but voices are mostly crystal clear.
- Rechargeable battery life: Yeah…I know some of you hate rechargeables but this hearing aid solves the problem. In the last month, I have NEVER run out of batteries. If you don’t use the Spheric AI program on a given day, you will probably get close to two days of battery life. I rarely end the day with less than a 50% charge remaining…even with a bit of Spheric AI use. This is simply awesome as the I have now been relieved of the burden of rechargeable battery range anxiety…haha. It’s also no biggies to bring along the new recharger that provides two portable recharges for those rare situations when you might be stuck in a noisy place for 5-6 hours or on a long flight.
- Bluetooth on these hearing aids easily provides a superior streaming experience compared to Apple MFi integration. It was hard for me to type this cause I’m probably one of the biggest Apple fanboy’s going…but it’s true. These hearing aids connect to any bluetooth device that supports Bluetooth classic and the connection is strong, rock solid and the range is incredible. You can connect these things to anything and given the connected world we all live in, this is huge. Plus…it will soon get better when Phonak eventually pushes out full Bluetooth LE and Auracast support.
All three of these items are huge game changers for me and provide substantial quality of life upgrades. The cost of these hearing aids will be painful but I’m prepared to make financial sacrifices to make it work. There are definitely some downsides. As an example, they did really well at multiple days of religious services last week but understanding many people speaking loudly at the same time at a crowded family dining room table is still a bit of a challenge. I also still think the Calm program in Autosense is messed up. Phonak needs to deep dive on the speech clarity when Autosense picks this program. Too much compression or something. That being said…I’m very pleased and will probably bite the bullet and buy these hearing aids.
I’m also happy to see lots of other people on this forum posting similar experiences. It takes me a bit of time to write out these comments but I’m happy to do so because I think the best way of coping with hearing loss is by helping other people. If you have posted your own comments about these hearing aids, please continue to do so in this discussion thread or others. We all appreciate the support.
That’s my update. Happy hearing everyone!
Jordan
20 Likes
I initially decided against rechargeable hearing aids after considering the challenges posed by multiple days of religious services. However, after checking a few things, I’m now reconsidering.
1 Like
I agree with most everything JordanK has said here. I’m only on day 5 with my Sphere 90’s, but I love them already. Battery life has been nothing short of incredible. I will also reiterate that the size of these aids has been an absolute non-issue.
I use vented domes, and while I don’t get the degree of background noise suppression that others seem to be getting, the increased clarity and separation of voices from the background noise are miles beyond the Signia Pure Charge ‘n’ Go aids I was testing, the Oticon More aids I’ve been wearing for the last 3.5 years, and the Phonak Marvel 90’s I’ve had for 6 years. Incidentally I returned the Signias today. I’m definitely keeping the Phonak Spheres.
I’ve begun making some adjustments in Phonak Target software. In my initial fitting, the provider didn’t do the feedback test, and as a result I was getting transient feedback on occasion. It was like the Spheres were teetering right on the edge of feedback, and it would fade in faintly on occasion, and quickly fade out. I did the feedback test, and the fitting software made some minor adjustments. No more feedback. Period.
I added the Speech in Car program, which my provider hadn’t set up. I haven’t had a chance to test it yet. I also edited my original fitting to use my actual audiogram results from this September, rather than the ‘audiogram direct’ originally programmed. I believe the audiogram direct is generated internally in the Target software, based on the results of either the feedback test or the internal REM test. My September audiogram indicated about 5db greater hearing loss in the 4k-8k frequency range than what the audiogram direct setting indicates. I suspect the difference is due to my tinnitus (which is right around 6k) blocking out those frequencies, which would be more obvious in an actual hearing test vs the REM-style test generated by the Target fitting software. Also, I bumped up my gain setting to 95% from the 90% my provider had set. I’ll continue tweaking and testing…trying to limit it to one or two setting changes at a time, followed by testing to gauge the results.
Tonight I set up my old Phonak TV adapter which I’d had from my Marvel 90 days, and I’m happy to report it works flawlessly with the Spheres.
I’ve ordered some power domes from Amazon, and plan to do some comparisons between those and the vented domes to see if I get greater background noise suppression in Sphere mode.
Next week I have two group dinners in a very noisy restaurant, expected to last about 3.5 hours each night (we’re hosting seminars with dinner after), so I’ll have a great opportunity for testing & experimentation.
9 Likes
Well it’s normal that new hearing aids are better than the older ones. 
I have tested them all, from Oticon Real, Starkey Evolv, Phonak Naida Lumity, Signia IX Charge&Go, Bernafon Alpha, Resound Nexia, Starkey Genesis, Oticon Intent and now, since last wednesday, Phonak Infinio Sphere.
I am glad that Sphere helps for some people, my self so far could not test them in loud noise, at home with children they are not better than the Oticon Intent, on the contrary the make me more aggressive because the speech is sharper and comes louder at the beginning. (Like Phonak Naida, Siginia IX and Starkey Genesis) Fun fact ist that the Intent is set up louder but is more pleasant.
Battery life is better than Intent, way better, should be then they are bigger and have more capacity. (Intent 22h runtime, Sphere 30+h)
I also noticed like some of the testing people here, that in calm situation they are not special, I did not have problems during the meeting, but I neither had this with the Intent.
What do I like so far on the Sphere?
Batterylife
Charger (pretty small, maybe to small for my bigger earmolds)
BT, I like the possibility to separate call/audio because otherwise I would be in streaming all the time when I am playing on my phone, other than with Intent you feel the difference of the programms.
App is way better than Oticon, but anyhow I usually forget to use it to test different options.
Streaming directly from PC is cool, but I have situations where they just turn off and remains off, I need then to reconnect BT to get the sound back, that’s the only negative so far along with the sharpness/starting sound. With the first one I can life not really with the second one.
Anyway two more weeks to test, maybe I can eliminate or reduce at least my biggest problem. I will then decide if I test them another week after some adjustment from my acoustician or if I take it or Oticon.
It was a nice time to test them all but things have to come to an end and so far Oticon Intent 2 is my favorit.
5 Likes
The more I read, the more tempted I’m getting! This could cost me 
Easily adjusted in Target, so not such a big thing. Some of the noise reduction sliders take away clarity .
Peter
2 Likes
Jordan, I agree with most of your post …I’m especially happy with the HA battery life which was a huge draw back for me in buying phonak a few years ago… I don’t care for the blue tooth versus Apple MFi integration because of the battery drain on my cell phone… I have never had to charge my Iphone mid-day … I normally have my ha’s in by 7am and wear them for about 15hrs which automatically starts the drain on my phone and by about 4/5 pm my Iphone charge is about 25/30% … is there a way to be hooked to iphone without a constant drain even when not using phone…
1 Like
In Situ, when run yourself, will regularly show better thresholds. Traditional audiometry should present the tones in an unpredictable way, although it’s regularly the case that when clinicians know they are suprathreshold they can get a bit rhythmic. Once they are down around threshold the beeps should be more random. Auditory detection at threshold is a bit stochastic and absolutely influenced by whether you know the tone is coming. So the in situ thresholds don’t represent “better hearing”, just a different way of measuring hearing. For what it’s worth, prescriptive targets have been developed using, and are based on, traditional audiometry.
1 Like
Open the app and click on go to the Connection Management page:
Make sure this is turned off and see if that helps with iPhone battery drain.
Jordan
4 Likes
You really really help me when you post these.
First off, your Lumity hearing aids are a newer model than my Phonak Audeo Paradise P90R’s. It’s incredible that the new hearing aids are even better than the Lumity.
Second, we all are critical of older hearing aids performance understanding speech in noisy environments. The new ones are so much better in your reports
The battery life…I was very critical. Mine were awful. Phonak fixed that when they replaced my hearing aids, and charger.
A personal story…heart procedure in Trillium Hospital Mississauga. My P90R’s were terrible. I couldn’t understand a word lying in the ward waiting for prep for my procedure. I could hear 30 feet behind me. Couldn’t understand a word the nurses or cardiologist said facing me. Then they kept me overnight. Rechargeable batteries. Forget-about-it. Paradise? Nah. I blamed Phonak. And my awful hearing aids that let let me down. I’d used them for a year or so. Setup…grrrrr…Later that night I flat-lined. Sleep apnea without a cpap machine. So I got even. Wonderful staff there. Custodian and nurses.
So my batteries are better now for everyday use. But replacement batteries are still better for my life.
edit:
My hearing aids are provided by Ontario Workman’s Compensation. I’ve very grateful.
However, they do not provide the top rated hearing aids. Under the program I can’t pay to upgrade the hearing aids to the top model. And they provide them every 5 years (my HA’s are 3 years old. So I have two more years. with the Paradise hearing aids.)
So I need to focus on the features provided in each model to ensure that I get the best performance from my next hearing aids. My P90R’s were not adequate at all the way the dispensing audi set them up. I had to find someone skilled to do the setup; it’s adequate now, but not great.
Jordan, thx… I just changed setting to off… will let you know if it helps
2 Likes
@JordanK in my opinion has a nice usable post about the Spheres (thanks for that) and invites to add some personal findings I’ll put some here also.
Since 12th September I’m having my Spheres I90 and as Jordan I can agree in everything he says. I’m glad it is all very positive. I did’nt had them as a trial. I bought them as a preorder abroad, otherwise I would have to wait several months.
They are untill now the best hearing aids I ever had and I’ve had almost all of the best to play with before. Good shot.
They can run 2 days without charging and a lot of streaming.
The charger is an improvement. A lot smaller fast and carriable with an internal battery. It even holds my big custom moulds.
BT is excellent and best I had in HA’s untill now. I keep connected to my TV in other rooms easily.
Integration with ALD’s is fastest untill now and as always in Phonak very easy.
Fitting in Target is a pleasure to do.
In high frequencies probably a small difference between audiogram direct and my audiogram from the university hospital as @Ron_Downs speaks of also. (I didn’t find the time to also measure with my own certified audiogram equipment).
I added some extra listening programs in Target. One is of course the Sphere in loud noise as the new invention to experiment with. Enabling fine tuning in practical situations.
And another mentionable program I composed is a Silence mode. As there is unfortunately no way to turn off the HA’s completely. They do amplify in any program also after turning mic off in myPhonak in my opinion. (Could be a build in safety issue). For that I turned off everything I could find and lowered all amplified frequency bands.
Now my custom moulds (originally made for heavy noise reduction) give full occlusion if I need it. Only thing that fails me in this way is that I don’t get a signal by changing out of that program. Now wondering if my batteries are empty or if I maybe turned off the aids in the situations where I measure >95 dBm and aren’t able to look on myPhonak app.
One thing I really miss in my Spheres is the wheel control I have on my Virto P90 (which enables to set the volume and shift the ambient sound %).
I also would rather have the possibility to change my batteries myself as in non- rechargeables. Great batteries function now more then two days, but still.
5 Likes
I’ve never worn hearing aids…but I just ordered the Sphere about an hour ago and will pick them up in 10 days. Honestly - it was reading your reviews that convinced me to shell out the extra money for the upgrade to Sphere (you should get a commission…)
I have all the same anxieties that likely everyone has…are they too big…will I look like an old man… But after I did my first demo (non-sphere) yesterday I was blown away by the difference. When she first put them in I obviously could tell that things were clearer - but the big realization came when I took them out…it was like someone threw a big blanket over my head. Wasn’t prepared for that - it took me off guard.
So wish my luck on my first hearing aids.
16 Likes
Welcome! You can include your audiogram in your profile by going to the very top of any thread, clicking on the FORUM menu item, and then choosing My Hearing Tests. If you didn’t get your audiogram from your hearing care provider (HCP), just ask them for a copy of your hearing test results. In the U.S., IIRC, states require HCPs to provide that information free of charge to their patients, same as doctors are required to provide medical tests results.
Posting your audiogram helps others on the forum interpret your experience with your HAs and allows them to offer helpful advice at times. Good Luck with the Spheres! From other users’ experience, the Spheres will probably be fabulous for you.
You can click on my audiogram by my avatar in my post here to see what I mean about making your hearing profile visible. If you’d prefer not to, that’s OK, too.
2 Likes
Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on taking the plunge with getting hearing aids. I started wearing them in my early fifties (I’m 65 now), and the quality wasn’t nearly as good as it is now. I was also completely ignorant as to how the system is designed to work regarding follow up appointments for fine-tuning your hearing aids. Please stay in close contact with your audiologist or fitter and make sure they continue to make adjustments as needed. There are numerous customization options in the software, and trying lots of different adjustments can make a huge difference in your long-term satisfaction level.
It will take a while for your ears to adjust to your ‘new normal’ of hearing with aids. Your brain will have to get used to interpreting the sounds a little differently, so don’t get frustrated if you don’t parse everything correctly right away. You do get used to them.
There’s no need to feel self-conscious about wearing hearing aids. Most people will never notice them, and those few who do are generally more curious than critical.
You’ve made a good choice going with the Phonak Spheres, rather than cheaper aids. There are also other excellent brands & models available. It’s a very personal choice, so don’t be afraid to ask about trying different brands so you have a basis for comparison.
2 Likes
Jordan, just 3/4 of a day trial but i think turning off the “stay connected” switch worked … battery life on Iphone seemed much better… thx again
4 Likes
I made an appointment in Lille, I still wonder how the price difference is possible (Belgium vs France)