Phonak introduces Marvel platform and Audéo M hearing aids

Got the TV connector. It doesn’t need any re-pairing and stays connected along with phone bt at the same time. When notification comes on phone, connector goes mute and comes back again. But after few seconds of no sound, it will go sleep it seems. Then it will connect and start streaming after few seconds of sound.
So I tried it with the PC. You can use it only for media. Other sounds like notifications and beep sounds from the PC will not be streamed if something is not playing already because it will not be streaming when there is no sound i guess. Hence the name TV connector I guess.

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Got mine this afternoon, the rechargeables. Paired with no problem with my Pixel 2, and with my Samsung TV (as I am hoping to not have to shell out for the TV Connector). As I just mentioned in another thread, I live alone, so (for now at least) it’s okay to basically pair them with my TV like a pair of headphones. If someone is here watching TV with me, I can make it with the standard TV sounds.

I am coming from a six-year-old pair of Naidas, so even just once again having volume buttons on the HAs themselves is a wonderful thing to have back.

We didn’t do any tinkering, just used the default for my audiogram. I am pretty sure that my previous fitting was horribly off–the gain was probably too high, and everything sounded like it was coming through an empty paper towel tube. I’m already hearing things I wasn’t hearing before (like the space heater, lol), even if I think the volume might eventually need to be nudged up a touch as the default.

Receiving a phone call with them is so fab, especially the sound in both ears and just being able to talk and have the mics pick up your voice.

I am stunned with happiness that the charging box is USB.

That’s my three-hour report. :slight_smile:

I also just picked up a pair of marvels. I have an Apple iPhone X and an Apple iPad, I cannot swap between the two and have streaming work. The phonak app will connect, but streaming will not work from any app. I have to go into Bluetooth, forget the 3 phonak devices, then going into the phonak app and forgetting devices, then go back in the phone Bluetooth, repair the right aid, the go into the phonak app and rediscover each aid. What a pain. I feel phonak dropped the ball yet again. I think the issue is how the phonak app makes the final Bluetooth pairing happen. For iPhone users, its a two step process. First discover the streaming aid (whatever is setup in target) in Bluetooth, then go to the phonak app and finish up the pairing. It wont work if you skip either the phone Bluetooth settings or the phonak app.

I have to agree with you that Phonak drop the ball. There should have been plenty of field testing on various Apple products which would reveal the issue.

I am happy with my HA, but if they are going to advertise streaming from any BT advice, it behooves them to field test.

Regarding the app, I agree. I find (because I switch from iPhone to iPad occasionally), it’s not worth my time to get set up with the app because it takes so much extra work.

I’m also getting drops when streaming video on my iPad. I don’t have that when streaming music on my iPhone. The Phonak BLuetooth person asked me to check if I can stream music without drops on my iPad. They asked me to call back and report. I haven’t yet.

Perhaps Phonak underestimating the sophistication of customers in their multi device/brand ecosystem🤔

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I haven’t streamed much from my iPad but when i did for maybe an hour or so, it worked fine. Phone calls also seem to work fine as well, not dropping out like some other people have reported. I have an iPhone X with iOS version 12.1.2 (the latest).

A couple additional items i have noticed:

  1. When switching between devices, the phonak app seems to support it fine, meaning it connects back to the HAs. The problem, streaming wont pick back up until the HAs are forgotten and rediscovered in both bluetooth settings and the phonak app. If this is going to be a requirement, then the phonak app should take care of all those steps in the background.

  2. Another thing to avoid when streaming, dont make a manual change in the phonak app back to autosense 3.0, or any other program you might have had added. If you do, you cant get the selection back to streaming since its an “automatic” feature, not one that can be manually selected. And, when looking at the target software, there doesn’t seem to be a way to add the “streaming” option as an additional program to be selected within the app. Again, streaming is an “auto-magic” feature!!!

  3. When doing google searches, or using an app that has access to the mic, the phonak app thinks i am wanting to use the mic in the marvel HAs, which results in the phonak app to choosing the streaming program, which makes the environmental sounds change due to the program change. This is super annoying. As soone as i finish the search or the typing, the program modes goes back to autosense. Why phonak why? To fix this issue, go into settings, find the app, disable the microphone. That seemed to work for me.

At this point, i dont have much faith that phonak can work with apple to fix these issues. Apple may not fully support phonak due to phonak not developing a true MiFI HA. The only other option might be for phonak to put a much bigger development effort in the phonak app and make it more robust and powerful. Thats if Apple provides the app to the iOS features required.

Overall, very disappointed in Phonak and may give Resound Quattros a try.

Just my .02

one more thing - Phonak, please add a power off and power on feature in the app. opening and closing the battery door so many times really stinks!

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Well, just found another issue. Situation: iPhone connected to home stereo using the headphone jack playing music. Issue: i walk out of bluetooth connectivity distance from phone and then walk back into range, music output moves to HAs. What? Why Phonak Why. What will be next on the list of issues!!!

That sound like an iphone problem rather than a phonak problem.

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I will be interested to hear what you think of the streaming sound quality from the Quattros if you go that route. I did not get the clear full sound that I had been used to with my old Phonak with Compilot air, and these Marvels sound as good or better. The quattros streaming sound distorted, and did not come through with the right treble/bass balance

I’m finding I don’t need the app as the HA toggle can enable me to make changes that way. Then to switch streaming from one to another, doesn’t take that long.

I have rechargeable, so don’t need to open and close the door.

Interesting! I find the remote app to be great in keeping my BT health good. Well, except for the iPhone XS problem I have with calls… :pensive:

I don’t know if Phonak dropped the ball, per se, but I do know that their marketing/advertising claim that the Marvels work with virtually “any” Bluetooth-enabled phone is incorrect, and I am sure that if they don’t correct that claim soon, someone will likely start a class-action suit for false marketing or advertising claims.

I am currently trialing the M90’s with my Android phone. I had a Moto G5 Plus Android phone–less than 2 years old, and they wouldn’t connect to that phone. So I went out and got a Moto G6–one model up–and they connect to that. I then tried them with a very old flip phone, and they connected with no problem. So, no–the Marvels do NOT connect to virtually ANY Bluetooth-enabled phone, they connect to MANY, but not ALL. I know that Phonak has a phone compatibility chart on their Web site, which shows that they are aware that the Marvels will have connectivity issues with some phones. But it doesn’t appear that they have added any footnotes about this to their marketing materials, and they haven’t made it clear that not ALL phones will connect. That could be considered deceptive marketing.

In addition, I too cannot connect to my PC and switch back to the phone without having to re-pair the HA’s on my Android phone. I tried shutting off BT on the phone, and then connecting to computer, then shutting off BT on computer and turning it back on on the phone–but the connection to my phone was totally lost and I had to re-pair the HAs to it again. Not fun to have to start/restart, pair/re-pair, over and over again

Hopefully, someone from Phonak Marketing is reading this board and taking note of everyone’s issues and concerns.Maybe some software updates are needed to get rid of the kinks. But I do agree that perhaps a lot more field testing was needed before the Marvels went to market.

Cheers, everyone.

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I use the App all the time. Since I’m new to hearing aids and my audiologist set my Marvels to full amplification per my prescription at the zero setting there are situations daily where I use the App to lower the volume and then raise it back up later. I also use it to change programs once in a while and when I’m streaming music from my iPhone I use it to adjust the music vs. environmental sounds.

The problem comes in when you switch between devices. It throws the connection to the app off.

I occasionally stream video from my iPad. A lot less now that I have Marvels though.

For me the App is not reliable when needed on various devices
(Pixel 3 XL, Iphone XS, XR and Ipad Pro 11")

Have now started getting out of sync on all, fix so far is restart HA’s

Phonak-out-of-sync

Phonak TV streaming device sound quality is superior to the Resound Quantum, but the range is not as far (loose connection going to kitchen on the Phonak TV streamer)

Sound quality is better on the Phonak Marvels and don’t need to have multi programs to change to. So don’t need the remote app as much (AutoSence OS 3.0 is great). But when you need the remote app its 50% of the time with the "Searching for L & R Ha’s) and not connecting.

Waiting for firmware and remote app updates that has better device timing/hand shake for connections.
We are the beta field tester and maybe someone on this form will find the magic timing !

Thanks to all that have provided insight

It’s “Quattro” - not “Quantum,” which suggests your familiarity might be a bit lacking.

Actually, if you were to look in the Smart Fit 1.3 software used to adjust Quattro fitting, the All-Around program has ReSound’s version of Autosense in which the HA will adjust loudness and noise suppression on a per environment basis. The seven different environments that are recognized are: Quiet, Speech(soft), Speech(loud), Speech in noise(moderate), Speech in noise(loud), Noise(moderate), and Noise(loud).

The software says that the All-Around program is a good choice if you desire to use only one program. So the possibility of additional programs is supplied not because it’s required but to give the user an option to be smarter than the HA sensing software itself and fine tune the setting to what you like, not what some programmer for ReSound thought the average user would like best. You can further customize any program and have Favorites that can automatically be triggered by GPS location, too. And unlike comments by some Marvel users where they’ve sensed Autosense 3.0 searching, switching, or whatever, when I use the ReSound All-Around program, I never have any sense that it’s switching (maybe I’m just tone-deaf, highly noise-tolerant, etc).

Another thing that any user wants to be aware of with their software is what “mode” your audi has you running under. For ReSound, there is a “patient type” setting. The options are "Comfort, First-Time User, Experienced (Non-Linear), and Experienced (Linear). I find that my audi has me tuned in as “First-Time User.” That means in the All-Around program at high-frequencies, I will get less than the full amplification prescribed by my fitting - according to the ReSound advice to audi’s, their experience is that a major reason for rejection of HA’s is “unpleasant loudness” when prescribed fully to the fitting. So they recommend that a user be gradually switched to the Experienced (Non-Linear), then the Experienced (Linear) (if the user likes and tolerates it). This is above and beyond the gradual dialing in of what ever the prescription is over the first few days, weeks, or months. If I remember correctly, the advice to audi’s says that going for the Experienced (Non-Linear) and the Experienced (Linear) may improve speech comprehension because you will be a few dB closer to the exactly prescribed fitting.

I told my audi that I didn’t want to be gradually dialed into my fitting but she never discussed Comfort, First-Time User, Experienced (Non-Linear) and Experienced (Linear). So my newbie ignorant recommendation to anyone (at least at my level of dumbness) would be to ask the audi, "What types of general user profiles are there in the fitting software and which one are you setting me at? Why? What are the Pros and Cons of that profile? Sorry to bring this up if everyone else but me is smart enough to do this already!

So I’ve been following this thread but don’t remember anyone commenting on the Marvels if there are different general global user profiles that a Marvel user could be started out at and like the ReSound’s, the profiles are above and beyond gradually dialing in whatever your user type prescribed fitting is. Seems to be another “uncontrolled” variable in users reporting their HA hearing experience, etc., beside the user-to-user variability in hearing deficit and listening preferences, etc.

So for me the Marvel App has been just fine but that may be cause I’m not trying to sync up with any other devices. The AutoSense 3.0 AI includes multiple programs which it uses when/if it detects a “fit” for its profiles for the particular program. It seems to do an excellent job and at times I can sense it is making a change but not really a bother. Also, you can have your audiologist choose any three of the multiple programs and tailor them to your liking and add them as manual programs the user can select if desired to override the AutosSense choice. I rarely use the manual programs but have on occasion and it is very simple to change either using the toggle on the hearing aid itself or the app. Also, to your point, there have been occasions when the aids are just too loud for my liking because my audiologist did set them at my prescription levels and I am a new user trying to get adjusted. When the volume is somewhat too loud I just use the App to reduce it and that also seems to work just fine. Further, the App gives me the ability (I haven’t yet used it) to reduce or increase the volume separately for each HA.

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Sorry Jim, computer adjusted/auto the name. The Smart Fit 1.3 the AUD used in my area was lacking knowledge and had to call Resound to get help with the software. He/Resound set up the extra programs to help the ALL-Around in different environments.

I’ve had that problem, too, especially using Microsoft Edge as my browser. So I switched to Google Chrome just to participate in this forum for that reason. I’ve still had a few “inexplicable” word changes, still, although I think I have turned off all Windows 10 autocorrect/autocomplete settings, AFAIK. Perhaps advancing senility on my part explains all further typos!

“It’s Quatro not Quantum”

You mean there is no quantum computing in hearing aids yet?!

Next generation…:sunglasses:

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Well, shoot. One of my Marvels is having serious problems. The left one will just quit working, and when I put it in the charger, the light is a solid red, which according to the booklet means there is a temperature problem. And that makes sense, because if I leave it out of the charger long enough (like, a few hours), it will then allow me to turn it on again, and it will work for a while, then cut out again.

Have left a message with my audiologist’s office (though today is probably a snow day), but can’t imagine there’s anything they can do to tinker with it in the office.