I watched that video in October and I also be surprised by advice by brushing through mic holes. However, in yesterday AudiologyOnline webinar about new CROS I saw that picture:
So this is what I have though about. More processing power - probably more fidelity to sound output waves (more similar to analog wave? I suppose, I know nothing about sampling rate in Infinios).
I was already aware of the improved Bluetooth and battery - I was just wondering about the sound quality in quiet situations, as I thought there was little to improve in this environment compared to older HAs (apart from the Speech Enhancer, which I already have on my Paradise and have maxed it out to 20 units).
EDIT:
I appreciate you mentioning APD 3.0. However, I’d prefer to use NAL-NL2 or even NAL-NL3, which may be released soon, as they’re more tested and probably more compatible with REM (YMMV). Currently I have NAL-NL2 in my Paradise.
I went to Unisson today, a two-hour train trip, and it was worth it. The audiologist told me I could choose between the Phonak Sphere or the Starkey Edge. I don’t want to go off-topic here, but he mentioned that the Starkey Edge performs similarly to the Sphere.
My only reason for considering the Edge is the Sphere’s rechargeable batteries, which I see as a disadvantage. Otherwise, I might have chosen to start with the Sphere.
I got some interesting information from Phonak Technical Support both on the ChargerGo RICSPH I charging capacity and on the microphone ports and the ability to clean them either with a brush or a JodiVac (said to be OK, but be careful!):
ChargerGo Capacity: The capacity of the ChargerGo is approximately 2,000 mAh. This should provide ample power to charge your hearing aids multiple times before needing to recharge the charger itself.
Microphone Ports on Sphere Body: You are correct that there are four openings on each Sphere body, but only two of these are actual microphones. The microphones are positioned far enough from the openings to safely use the included brush for cleaning. When using the brush, gently brush away from the microphone port opening to dislodge any debris. Holding the hearing aid with the microphone port facing downwards can help prevent debris from falling back into the port.
Regarding the use of the consumer version of the JodiVac, it is generally safe to use on the microphone ports. The presence of two openings helps avoid reduced pressure problems, ensuring effective cleaning without damaging the microphones. However, always use the JodiVac gently and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid any potential issues.
If you own a USB digital multimeter (available on Amazon), you can ~control the SOC of your ChargerGo by controlling the amount of mAh you charge it with and knowing the total capacity. For example, if you have the HAs in the charger charging and the charger LED begins to flash green as the HAs are charging, you know you have somewhat less than 1/3 of the charger capacity left (<=33% SOC). So, if you wanted to take the charger capacity to ~2/3 capacity, you need to add 1/3 x 2000 mAh or ~667 mAh. But that’s effect capacity at the ~3.7V discharge voltage of Li-ion batteries. Your charger is charged at 5V, so you only need to add 3.7/5.0 mAh because each mAh, being input at 5V, has 5.0/3.7 times as much power. So, to bring your charger to ~2/3 capacity, you’d add 3.7/5 x 667 mAh or ~494 mAh. And since the USB digital multimeters usually have elapsed time timers built-in, you learn at what mAh/min rate you can charge the ChargerGo and just charge it roughly that amount of minutes every time the charger case drops below ~1/3 charge and starts flashing green.
May sound like too much work, but some years down the road, you probably won’t need to buy a new charger case because you’ve kept it at 100% charge 24x7 all those years…
Less than $4000 per pair at an online seller I am considering.
My experience trialing two pairs of different HAs has convinced me that I can get by without local audiologist support for my own use - although Costco local support I received during my Rexton Reach trial period was excellent - and half as expensive as the $3300 online price I could have spent for the comparable Signia 7iX HAs.
I am now considering the Phonak Sphere HAs as a possible new purchase - or I might wait a year as I suspect most major HA manufacturers will be adding AI chips and special noise canceling processing eventually. (AI is the future everywhere!)
First of all, thank you for your thorough testing @JordanK, I’m considering buying a pair of these, but there is one question I have that maybe you or others who own these hearing aids may be able to answer.
Imagine this: You’re a passenger in the rear seat of a car. The driver has music playing through the car speakers and their voice is lower than the speaker. You may have a harder time comprehending them because of the music. The driver is facing forward, but also trying to make conversation with you.
Would the Spheric AI program be able to assist you with regard of isolating the music being played, and the driver’s speech?
Oustanding post. I have never known aboust JodiVac existence (honesty)
Good point about facing down, I do that when I use another brush to brush the receiver filter.
You can probably read my mind, because I was also thinking about using ChargerGo in this way, which would reduce the depreciation of the battery lifecycle. Until now, I simply connected the power bank to the Phonak Paradise charger.
I don’t have the answer re: the sphere in this situation, I just wanted to comment that this is a situation in which a person with normal hearing would regularly be unable to hear the driver.
AutoSense has an automatic Speech in Car program that works really well. You can create a manual Speech in Car program and then switch to it to keep the hearing aids from automatically going into the Music program.
Jordan - just enormously helpful to read your updates, especially about speech in quiet settings. My big professional need is hearing students speak from across the room in a big classroom. Do you feel your audiologists adjustments (P receivers instead of M) and the Calm program would do the trick in such a setting?
Speech Enhancer settings might help, too. Speech Enhancer is active in Calm situations but only comes in the Sphere I90s, not the I70s, IIRC. It amplifies soft voice sounds, and your HCP can tweak the amount of amplification. I can distinctly hear my soft-spoken wife speaking in another upstairs room when I am downstairs in a big open family room. YMMV.
Yup. Everything is working great now that I’ve gone to the P receivers. Voices in calm are excellent. Music is much better. I was just in a restaurant with my wife and she kept asking me why I’m talking so quietly. Reason was…the Spheric noise AI was removing all the noise and I didn’t think it was that noisy. I could hear her and she couldn’t hear me. Crazy but true.
You’d think so, right? It seems that my friends have some sort of hearing superpower if that’s the case because they’re able to differentiate speech and music so well that even if I had the music up at a certain volume, they’re still able to understand me, but the reverse would be completely different.
I have a friend who can consistently hear quite speech three rooms away, and it’s hard to remember that if we’re taking about her she will absolutely hear. -10dB thresholds across the board.
The downside for her is that she hears everything that happens in the apartment next to her, which she finds fairly stressful. She’s always saying, “it’s so rude, why can’t people be more thoughtful and quiet” and everyone around her responds, “these sounds aren’t loud or even audible to us.”
-10dB thresholds across the board.