Time and maxed out resources; their RITE models have been selling like hotcakes so this is where their attention is.
My sources tell me this is it for Naida M, no UP model planned for this platform. The peak gain of the SP is only a few dB shy of the previous UP model, so the real limitation is battery life.
Bit of a strange call by Phonak because they have always been known for high powered devices!
That’s too bad if Phonak will not come out with the Naida Marvel UP version. The SP max gain is 75 dB and the B UP gain is 82 dB. I had a pair of Widex Super Power 440 aids with the max gain of 73 dB and couldn’t barely understand speech.
I would have to buy the B UP version or the Xceed aids. I will be trying out both. I don’t need lots of gain in the low frequencies, it’s the middle and high frequencies l need the most. Having most gains in the low frequencies will result in the loss of hearing the mid and high tones. The 675 battery life is 2 to 2.5 weeks depending on volume setting and number of hours per day.
Strange. I emailed phonak about this precise hearing aid the day before this announcement and the answer I got was maybe in the fall of 2020. My audi called phonak the day before that and he was told July 2020, some time around the hearing convention. Who runs the show at phonak?
What I’ve heard from Phonak is 1) They are having some difficulty building a UP and 2) They don’t expect a Marvel CROS.
An ultra power hearing aid is harder to build. Who knows for sure, but it has definitely sounded to me like the intention was still there. Given their history of supporting profound hearing loss, I’d be surprised if it didn’t come out eventually. Eventually might still be a year or two away though.
It will likely have the option to use standard or slim tubing - IMO they try to make it look as discreet as possible in these pics!
Seems to me Oticon Xceed should sell very well (if performance is good) since “first to market” is going to get the lions share of HA business. Of those in the severe to profound hearing loss range. And since the Xceed is offered in UP with 675 battery, why wait an extended delay with other HA brands?
What I’d like to see is someone (with a severe/profound loss) who trialed the M90 and returned, to then trial the Naida Marvel. For what ever reason we are not getting many reviews on the Xceed, though it has been out now four, five months. I assume we will get more reviews on the Naida Marvel come March/April.
Well I trialed the oticon and didn’t like the way they handled background noise. For me it was very base sounding and at times overwhelming. I am trialing the phonak naidas and I feel they do a better job with background noise and sound more natural. I am waiting for the marvel naidas to come out to trial them. But everyone’s loss is different and although I didn’t like the oticon plus the fact they are only iPhone compatible doesn’t mean someone else might not have a more positive experience.
Which Oticon hearing aid brand did you trial? Was the so called “base sounding” issue only present in noisy areas or also in quieter locations?
Tested the exceed. Background noise was there all the time. I could hear a car or truck coming a block away but sounded like a motorcycle. My car always sounded like it needed a muffler. In my doctor’s office I could hear the ventilation fan which was in the ceiling. It was so overwhelming I couldn’t make out conversations. But again that was my experience and doesn’t mean someone else would have the same experience.
Reading up on Naida Marvel I see the following - According to Phonak the StereoZoom feature found in the Naída M helps reduce listening effort in noise by 24% versus a non-directional program and even enhances memory recall with 10% more words recalled in noise.
Anyone know if this “stereo zoom feature” is a separate program or simply activated when you turn on the aid? Also is “stereo zoom feature” offered in other Marvel HA’s or just the Naida Marvel?
Are you referring to “custom hearing aid molds” for the Naida Marvel? Not sure but in any case I’m doing a little homework and it appears the Naida (M) will accept size 13 disposal battery. Not sure about rechargeable. Also in the link below I’m seeing a “classic ear mold” or skeleton mold which tells me the receiver must be inside the the HA case.
I’m also assuming the zinc-air battery (size 13) that’s recommended is not Zpower brand that’s gotten negative reviews.
Lastly regarding Phonak’s notorious pairing issues with bluetooth, it appears the Naida M is like previous marvel brands in that you have to turn aid off and on to connect to each individual bluetooth connection. Per link - It is only necessary to perform the pairing procedure once with each device featuring Bluetooth wireless technology. After the initial pairing, your hearing aids will connect automatically to the device. This can take up to 2 minutes.
Since the Phonak Marvel has now been out 18 months plus I would of thought the compay would of addressd the bluetooth parring issue, especially in 2020 hearing aids such as the Naida M. I’ve now concluded that this parring issue will probably never be updated beyond its current capabilities.
The zoom control is initiated in the speech in noise program if I remember right. Might double check me on that.
No - I’m referring to the whole custom range - IIC, CIC, ITC MC, ITC, ITE styles.
The pairing issue has been fixed in a software update as far as I know. You disconnect from one device and connect to the new one. You do not need to switch off your aids.
I wear KS9 anyway - and it doesn’t bother me. Usually it takes less than 2 minutes to switch the aids off and connect to a new device.
Thank for reply on parring issue since I never heard if it was properly addressed/corrected by Phonak. Hopefully Phonak got things right this time with the Naida Marvel.
A lot of could of, would of, should of here which is understandable since the naidas haven’t come out yet. I trialed the oticon exceed and although they had advantages I wasn’t really happy with the overall sound. I am currently testing the old naida sp and they seem at least to me to have a more natural sound but they are much more into suppressing background noise. Don’t know yet if that’s good or bad. So I am definitely waiting for the new marvel naida which seems to offer so much more along with more advanced technology. It would be nice if phonak would say when they plan on releasing these aids to the general public.
You mentioned these Naida Marvel aids having 75 max gain. The chart shows 81 max gain with HE11 sound tubes. That’s 1 dB short of Naida UP aids. I find that impressive in a smaller hearing aid using size 13 batteries.
I have worn both UP and SP Naida aids. The smaller SP aids were more comfortable to wear. Battery life is insignificant in my honest opinion. We all have to charge or change batteries to keep our aids going.
Looking forward to hear experiences with these Naida Marvel aids.
Raudrive: You are correct. Normally the left side of hearing aid specs is under Ear simulator data.
I thought it was Ear simulator data. This is the first hearing aid datasheet that doesn’t show the
Ear simulator data l have seen.
So can we assume that even if Phonak came out with a Naida Marvel UP at some future date, it would be almost identical with the Naida Super Power aid coming out in late February? Say only difference might be a larger battery for the UP - 675 and a larger HA body case?
Wonder if the size 13 battery is both rechargeable and disposable - depending on user preference?
Could be wrong but when I last googled the Naida SP, Phonak was still advertising it for someone with a mild hearing loss to a profound hearing loss. Of course if someone had a mild hearing loss, God knows why they would buy a Super Power aid.
My audi (who seems to know everything happening at Phonak) says the UP version of Naida Marvel will be out in February. This is the only time I have seen this prediction so I hope knows something that nobody else seems to know. My only hesitation would be that that kind of power would probably require 675 batteries and a very bulky appearance.
