Phonak L70 R vs RL (Life) - worth it?

Hearing Aids
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#1

I have been trying to choose a hearing aid for myself. Someone suggested I consider the Life version instead of the normal one of Phonak Audeo Lumity 70-R (L70-R). My technician, however, says it seems not worth it, and I come here to ask for your opinion.

I have mostly a sedentary life with mild hearing loss; for now, my country’s peak temperature is under 35 Celcius (95 Fahrenheit). I work an office job with lots of need for my hearing but mostly in direct contact. I might sometimes work a 24 h shift but, some contacts will be around there anyway. I don’t plan on using them during sports activities though I assume sweat from daily usage might be a lot.

While a power bank-like case seems very convenient, the Life version feels beyond what I already had in mind for paying. I know this is all for my future but…I have a hard time telling what would be better. I do want the streaming option L70 offers but, I’m unsure still of the decision. If anyone would like to share their experiences with both or either, I would appreciate it.

On a side note - dehumidifier. The same individual told me some home remedies that to them work better than a normal dehumidifier and I want to hear people’s experiences on that. I want to try my best to let my aids work for at least five years.

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#2

If you are doing long shifts you might need a HA with a battery, rather than a rechargeable. Yes- I often wonder about that “3 year lifetime” of HAs, when my home stereo still does fine after 30 years. I (also) suspect humidity is a major enemy, so I always take my HAs off before doing anything sweaty. You might try a Luminity, but moisture could still get trapped inside. My night box/charger has a silica gel cartridge, that I religiously replace every two weeks. I regenerate my set batchwise (heating them at 140°C 1-2 h until they are orange again) then store them in individual airtight mini-containers.

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#3

Thank you Rob for your input. I am still weighing the options, as the technician said it might be better to go rechargeable but I will think about it.

Functionally and sound-wise, Phonak L70 are the best ones I’ve tried yet. And thanks to normal Bluetooth protocol instead of ASHA, I don’t have any connection errors. I am trying to find some battery-based hearing aids that could match them.

Thank you by the way for mentioning the silica gel, I will try to read about it more.

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#4

The L70 comes in disposable battery version as well.

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#5

Oh! My technician didn’t mention that. It seems to be Nadia instead of Lumity. I will try to ask them then, thank you.

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#6

The Lumity is the platform, Naida and Audeo are the formfactor the hearing aids come in. Naida is a more powerful aid behind your ear with a tube that runs to a mold in your ear, this formfactor is typically called BTE. Audeo is a still somewhat powerful hearing aid that sits behind your ear, but uses a slender wire to run to a speaker (called a receiver) in your ear, usually with a rubbery dome supporting it in your ear, sealing off some or all sound. This type is called Receiver in Canal, or RIC. I think both Naida and Audeo come in disposable battery versions now.

Other platforms are older, like Paradise (which I currently wear) and previous to that Marvel. Each older platform has fewer special functions, but still satisfy the needs of many.

Hope this helps!

WH

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#7

Phonak Audeo available with 312 disposable battery , last about 5 days.
The Phonak Audeo is RIC formfactor and the Audeo Lumity is available with rechargabe , or as disposable which is powered by a 312 size disposable battery.
Audeo

===============================================================
Phonak Naida SP is available with size 13 battery , last about 6 to 7 days
Naida is BE style
naida

and Naida UP with battery 675 (UP = Ultra Power) sizewise larger as Naida SP.

Naida Lumity is also available as rechargable, with lesser power as the SP and UP

Audeo and Naida all available in 70 technology

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#8

Thank you for describing and showing the models. I really appreciate this input from you all. I’m having a hard time choosing but I will just have to see what will work with me, but this has been really helpful.

#9

(post deleted by author)

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#10

The life model is probably not worth it unless you sweat a lot behind the ear. Hard to know if you are someone who gets a lot of hearing aid breakdowns (which is usually a moisture issue) before you’ve had your first set. The life is a bit chunkier behind the ear.

People love the convenience of rechargeability. I’ve found that at it’s worst (ie with lots of streaming) a new lumity rechargeable device will last 12 hours. The traditional battery in the 312, at its worst, will need to be changed about every 3 days. Function is largely the same except that the 312 lacks the motion sensor so program switching is a bit less snappy in some cases. Average lifespan of hearing aids is about five years; traditional battery options are easier to keep as backup devices because you don’t have to manage the health of the battery, but they are a bit more prone to moisture breakdowns because of the battery door.

The 312 is a bit smaller and lighter on the ear than the regular rechargeable. I’ve actually had it returned for the rechargeable because it’s TOO light and a bit more libel to flip off, but that’s going to depend on the fit on the ear.

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#11

In my opinion yes, they’re worth it. I got my first hearing aids only 5 weeks ago but I really like them. I bought the Phonak L90-RL’s. Part of the reason that I selected this model was the waterproofing that has been improved with the Life model plus I really like the rechargable case that only the life models come standard with. I’m not terribly active but this last week the heat index has been over 100 degrees some days and just while working outside doing routine tasks in the yard and garage I got them plenty sweaty. I was initally concerned about the length of the rechargable batteries but that hasn’t been a problem. I wear them 15 to16 hours a day usually with several hours streaming and I haven’t gotten a low battery message yet. Plus I keep them constantly connected to the My Phonak app on my phone. Beforre deciding on these I did a LOT of research. Being a first time purchaser I wanted to be as certain as possible. I read a lot of forum topics and watched a ton of YouTube videos on all sorts of related topics. Here is a link to a Dr. Cliff Olson AUD who is talking about the reliability and waterproof capabilities of the Phonak Luminity rechargable life models. I found it useful, you may also.

#12

The receivers are still the weak link

WH

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#13

I have the Lumity L90 and find them excellent for TV and general audio in most situations, plus there are different programs on the app you can select for different environments, these can be tweaked yourself to suit your situation.

I had the Life model when I did a trial to see if L90 suited me. I personally don’t see the point of all that extra money unless you’re constantly out and about for long hours or swimming, or extreme sports. The charger alone, which has it’s own rechargeable battery is extra £250, plus they are bigger than the normal model, to take care of the waterproofing I imagine. The standard ones are showerproof anyway, which takes care of any sweating issues, I wear mine in the gym with no problems.

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#14

Forgot to say, mine are rechargeable, wouldn’t have anything else, mine are worn from 9am to 12.30 am ( 15.5 hrs) no problems.

#15

I have the life model, March 23 so not sure if an early model.
Battery I think is pretty poor.
I often don’t take off charge in the morning until 9.30am, by 10 or 11pm they are running on empty, especially the right one, I guess connects to the phone.
I normally don’t use the App to connect to the phone but it is bluetooth connected so guess the same really, might stream a hour or so but usually not much more.
If you went off to work 7am I think by 9pm would be in trouble.
I wish they had been battery & would have chosen those anyway as use to them on my previous audeo B’s.

What I am surprised about is almost no one is moaning about the built in battery charger @ £250. This really is terrible. firstly when battery life ain’t great it should be included, surely even being induction would add just a few £’s to add a £15 batter to the existing case, £20 or £30 at most. When you can get some pretty good ear buds with included built in battery pack for less than £100, 95% of that must be the buds. Would have been happy to pay £50. Instead if ever need full portable will take a battery pack but should not be necessary. sorry for rant but feel so strongly when spending over £3k already. Think on principle would avoid phonak in the future, sure they are all the same though!