Iām based in Canada and picked up these new Phonak Audeo Sphere Infinio (I90) from my audiologist last week for a trial.
About Me:
new DIY user
currently wear Phonak Audeo Lumity Life 90 (RIC)
based in Canada
previously used phonak RICs and Starkey custom IIC hearing aids
Prior to Sphere Trial:
Phonak Audeo L-RL 90 with titanium c-shell mold receivers
Phonak Charger Case Go (built-in battery for 3 full charges)
Wear RICs for 14-16 hours a day
Stream over 6-8 hours on average (conference calls, phone calls, media, podcasts, etc.)
Accessories: Phonak Roger On IN (v1)
Experience of Sphere RIC (90) (to-date)
Thursday (Aug 15): had my appointment to try these on. Unfortunately, the way these were configured were not to my liking, and the audiologist insisted I try these on for a few days before coming back for further adjustments. They were NOT setup according to REM, even though I requested to have them configured with REM. After I left the audiologistās office, I decided to walk into a pharmacy, cafe, grocery store and try them at home in loud and noisy environment (i.e., vacuum on) to test the Sphereās denoising capabilities and I could definitely tell there was something happening but not enough for me to get excited to continue using these hearing aids (yet). Why? Well, read on to the things Iāve noted below.
Things to Note So far:
Audiologist (as of Thursday) handed my Sphere RICs without doing REM
Sphere RICs (as of Thursday) have vented domes (SDS 6.0) and not my usual titanium c-shell molds
Sphere RICs (as of Thursday) did not sound clear unfortunately, and sounded like something was āoffā
the denoising could be āfeltā, but I was not able to appreciate the Sphere AI capabilities because RIC HAs obviously need further adjustments
Review of Phonak Audeo Sphere Infino (I90):
On pause, until proper adjustments are made (scheduled for Monday August 25)
would rather review when I have the titanium c-shell mold receivers but will judge the situation on Monday
did get the Sphereās setup with REM, but did not feel like the sound was as clear as my Lumity Lifes. Ordered new titanium cshells to ensure proper trial, which the new molds will be coming in during the first week of September.
Review of Phonak ChargerGo RIC Infinio:
they carry 2x charges as opposed to the 3-4x that my lumity charger case go had. This is not a big issue if the Sphere (i90) can last longer than my lumitys
the Spheres (I90s) have a magnetic charging contact at the rear end of the hearing aid which pulls them into contact with the charger case which is nice
thereās only 1x light indicator as opposed to the 4x light indicators that the lumity case had to show the remaining charges. I prefer the 4x light indicators, but this isnāt an issue.
the case feels flimsy. When i set the hearing aids inside, they always tip over due to the small and less bulky size of the case. Whereas, my lumity case does not ever tip over and was easy to handle when throwing my lumity hearing aids in. The charging cable also forces the āSphereā case to tip over. Iām not really bothered by this.
the size of the case is more compact which makes it easier to store in my work bag, car, etc.
the āsphereā case has a much stronger magnet when closing the case versus the lumity case
my titanium cShells (Lumity Life) do fit inside the new Phonak ChargerGo RIC Infinio case
UPDATE
added comment regarding titanium c-shells fitting inside new Sphere Case (8/25/2024)
went in for my appointment to get setup for REM. The Sphereās still didnāt sound as good as my Lumityās, so i ordered a pair of titanium cShells (8-pin); paused my review until I get these new molds (8/26/2024)
What diameter of vent does your cShellI have? Itās AOV?And which receiver - P? I am interested in the new titanium, but not sure if I want to spend a lot of money. Could you add a photo of your earmold if you donāt mind?
Great review though anyone considering Phonak Audeo Sphere might be better off testing/buying say six months plius from now since its new technology and thereās noted battery drain issues. Though lots of media attention I think roll out will be bumpy with users seeing hearing improvements in certain areas and set backs in others. With 2025 just around the corner we should be way beyond 16, 18, 22 hours of rechargeable battery life. AI noise reduction could be big step forward but if only 3 hour of usage a big step backwards. For what ever reason it seems HA manufacturers keep taking baby steps improving aids, where you would think every decade there should be āHugeā changes. Like night and day.
My cShells have 3.1-4.5mm vents and it has the M Receiver / AV. Iām not entirely sure if they are AOV, but if I had to guess, Iād say yes they are?
The cShells are awesome because thereās no itch (as @wkroeger mentioned), theyāre durable, and I get better audio experience with them. The rough surface and because of how deep the mold are where it continues past the first bend, allow the receivers to stay in my ears and have better grip.
For the new Sphere RICs, I will have to get new titanium cShells that are compatible as the new ones have 8 pins as opposed to the traditional 3 pins.
You can also refer to the latest Phonak video that walks you through how to remove the receivers from the Sphere RICs. Youāll notice you wonāt need a special tool to remove them - a small tug does the job.
I just tried to see if the titanium cShells (lumity life) can fit in the new Sphere case, and at least mine do. Iām sure the experience may be a little different for others with larger molds.
Will follow this with interest, as Iām not sure of Dr Cliffās level of loss, wheras yours is similar to mine, so a comprehensive review will be good
If I recall, it emerged from a boot camp medical. He aced the recruitment examination and apparently didnāt even know.
(Rather stupidly I did mention my hearing loss during a conversation with a recruiting officer and me trying to say āitās not that bad actuallyā didnāt cut it. My navy career sank right there and thenā¦)
I will mention it in jest. if someone has larger molds, then they will have to have 2 chargers. one for the left hearing aid and the other for the right hearing aid.
As for the charger that is not in the form of a box, I donāt think there is one on offer.
Thatās not a bad idea, at least for home charging. The chargers tend to be available pretty cheaply on ebay, though of course these are still too new for that.
But couldnāt you just leave the lid open so the molds hang over the outside?
They have a rough surface for a better grip on the ear canal, right?
