Navigating the Soundscape with Phonak Audeo Lumity: Insights from a Veteran Hearing Aid User

Hearing Aids
#1

As a dedicated hearing aid user for over three decades and a tech industry insider, I approach new hearing technologies with a blend of excitement and skepticism. That’s precisely how I felt when the opportunity to switch to Phonak’s Lumity hearing aid presented itself. On paper, the hardware specifications were strikingly similar to its predecessor, the Paradise series. My initial thoughts were clouded with doubt: Could mere software enhancements truly refine the listening experience to a significant extent?

Despite my reservations, I decided to give the Lumity a chance, and I’m thrilled to share that my gamble paid off. The difference isn’t subtle; it’s transformative. The ability to discern speech in noisy environments has improved dramatically. It feels as if I’ve been endowed with an auditory superpower, enabling me to engage in conversations with newfound clarity and confidence.

This remarkable improvement has not only heightened my enjoyment of social scenarios but also alleviated the sensory overload that often accompanies them. Before Lumity, the effort to focus on speech in noise was taxing, leaving me exhausted after social interactions. Now, I step out of gatherings feeling energized, having expended significantly less mental energy in understanding the chatter around me.

It’s important to note, however, that when it comes to one-on-one interactions in quieter settings, the Lumity performs comparably to the Paradise line. This isn’t a shortcoming, per se, as the Paradise series already provided a solid baseline for quality sound. Yet, where Lumity shines is in its capacity to filter and finesse the auditory chaos of the world into something more intelligible and less overwhelming.

In recognsing these advancements, I must applaud Phonak for their commitment to innovation. Their focus on software as a means of enhancing the user experience is a testament to the power of technology and its ability to improve lives in tangible ways. The Lumity isn’t just a hearing aid; it’s a sophisticated tool that reshapes how individuals with hearing impairments interact with their environment, making it a game changer in the truest sense.

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#2

Not sure the demonstration with the mannequin is an argument, sure there is slight improvement, but the background noise is still overwhelming.
I was expecting a better filtering of the background noise, since its Autosense 5.0 has already recognized the speaker’s voice.
This is a work in progress, from my point of view, or perhaps, that’s what Paradise should have been in the first place.
Again, every little helps.

@Chris_W1 Thank you for your feedback, much appreciated.

You remind me of the advert in the movie “What women want”:
Nike, No games, just sports.

@Chris_W1 You don’t work for Phonak’s Marketing department do you?
If you do, then we here at forum.hearingtracker.com have a lots of questions for you and your engineers and and your CEOs.

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#3

Heheh. This crossed my mind, too. But on the whole I think he’s not.

@Chris_W1 , that’s a heck of a reverse slope loss, though. I’d be interested in your personal experiences of venting requirements and low-frequency amplification tolerance over the last three decades.

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#4

Without a doubt. I expect we will see minor updates to the software for the next model and I’m hoping for some radical hardware changes. Give me the xMEMS receiver, a new chip to enable more powerful software algorithms and Bluetooth LE.

I’ve always benefited most from Phonak cShells and usually opt for the Acoustically Optimised Vent option (they calculate it for you). I don’t really have issues with low-frequency amplification or at least I don’t really notice it. I hope that helps!

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#5

Chirping in with my own nickels’ worth …

I’ve also been a LONG time Phonak user - from Audeo B-Direct to Marvels to the Lumity Life I now wear. Granted, my audiogram is like that of 2 cinderblocks (if one could measure the hearing ability of cement) and I would agree that the Lumity Life offered me a noticeable - but not transformative - improvement in speech comprehension in normal settings over the previous Marvel aids. As I gained confidence wearing the Life aids, it seemed that speech comprehension even improved. Maybe it was brain + ear, or who knows?

But. In terms of hearing in LOUD places, I haven’t nailed it yet. I use the Roger ON iN V2, but still find that ambient sound is WAY louder than the soft-spoken 2 gents we always seem to go out to dinner with. I’m not kidding, these two ol’ guys make my hubs and I hunch forwards even at HOME to get every last word. Put 'em in a noisy restaurant, and I’m discouraged and give up on hearing more than 60-70% of what’s said. It shouldn’t be that bad.

I’ve tried using the Roger V2 and comparing that to my dedicated “Speech in LOUD Noise” program. Both have their moments of glory, but neither would win a marathon IMHO. I may need to just practice more, cuz it’s not like I’m out in noisy places more than maybe twice a month? So I need to figure out why the ambient noise is still managing to overpower these guys when they talk. They don’t seem capable of projecting their voice either, but I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt and say I’m the one who needs to figure this out, cuz neither of them seem to struggle much to hear.

I guess that tempers the “transformative” description here a bit. To each his or her own. I’d never go back to Marvels, and I ended up having to buy TWO pairs of Lumity Life aids due to the short rechargeable life of just 17.5 hrs per day. I highly doubt Phonak will ever come out with a NEW, state-of-the-art pair of aids that are either battery operated or give users 2-3 days of use?

But it sticks in my caw. It’s like Phonak gives us less than 24 hrs cuz after all, we’re all a bunch of old fogies, and we shouldn’t even be keeping those long hours OR traveling internationally OR wanting to camp, hike or go places where having just a simple pair of tiny batteries would be preferable over the charging base, power cord and oh yeah! That SOCKET out in nature somewhere to stick the plug into.

As Baltazard states: it’s a work in progress. I’m very grateful for the technical developments, but somehow want MORE sooner rather than later. :slight_smile:

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