Phonak Sphere l90 versus l70

Source? Phonak’s documents state that the 70 Sphere has Medium Strength Spheric speech (as opposed to Full Strength for the 90s. What you propose seems feasible but I haven’t seen anything other than your comment to suggest it’s true.

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What I’ve found is that there is an Infinio R and an Infinio Sphere. The R doesn’t have Spheric chip. Everything I’ve seen suggests both 70 and 90 of the Infinio Sphere does have Spheric chip. You’re the only one I’ve seen claim this… Forgive me for questioning somebody who can’t seem to install Target.

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I am curious.
What does “piss off” and “flush it” mean?
Are they profanity?
That is not good on this forum.

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The first term is British and means the same as F*** Off. So, yes, it’s a profanity. Can be said in a mild mannered way but that wasn’t the case here! The 2nd term is not British…at least to my knowledge.

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Perhaps people who use profanities in their initial post should know that people have been permanently banned from this forum for anti-social behavior and keep that in mind; also, insisting an erroneous post is true when Phonak documents show it isn’t and citing Microsoft technology as a proof of something that has nothing to do with Phonak technology does not follow on. We’re here to help each other, not to fight each other…

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@Stimmenhoerer , there is probably some info which suggest SNR difference between Spheric in max vs. Spheric in moderate.

Sorry, I’m in a foul mood fighting poorly written software installers, and a poor attempt at an insult just set me off, sorry again.

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Did your audiologist give you the trial version of the Spheres? One thing I learned from taking an Audiology Online course is that Phonak trial hearing aids can be programmed to mimic any level of a model line in features. That means the audiologist doesn’t have to have four different trial models for the regular Infinio line or two different trial models for the Sphere line. If your audiologist gave you Phonak trial hearing aids but set them up as the 90s, that could explain your result. Alternatively, if you’re trialing the hearing aids he intends to sell you if you like them, he just screwed up.

A poor attempt at an insult.
Who is this directed at?
Thanks

Its not even worth calling out, he just goes on my ignore list now.
ty

PS: better mood now, figured out my networking issue, McAfee software enabled a VPN on me. Made no sense why some websites displayed, others didnt in my VM to install the HA software in my VM :slight_smile:

@Stimmenhoerer
Sorry to go off topic.
I hope you get the answers you came here to find.

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@Stimmenhoerer , another examples:


From AudiologyOnline course about ERA chip.

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@Bimodal_user, you might mean the DeepSonic chip. The ERA chip is in both the Sphere Infinio I model line (I90, I70) and the plain Infinio IR line without the DeepSonic chip, i.e., no Spheric noise reduction.

I listen to the Windows Weekly podcast with hosts Paul Thurrott and Richard Campbell, well-known computer experts. One interesting podcast discussion possibly related to hearing aid models is why there are so many different models of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite ARM-based computer chip. The two hosts supposed chip BINNING had something to do with it. Modern computer chips have so many small processes that they can’t be produced with 100% perfection. Often many chips are fabricated on a single silicon wafer. Rather than only cut out and save the best-performing chips and throw away all the less-than-perfect copies on a wafer, the less-perfect copies can often be sold as a lower-performing model with fewer features. So, for example, the chip used in the I70 Sphere Infinio might have been produced with some bad DNN circuitry and might not crunch digital sound as efficiently as a Deep Sonic I90 chip. Thus, the I90 chip might be intrinsically more capable with better features and command a higher price. There might be a somewhat deficient chip in I70 that can still do much of the processing but must sell at a lower price. However, it still sells and does not cause a complete loss for that part of the wafer. Those who say, “It’s the same chip in both models, but the OEM deliberately turned off some feature,” would only be half right. If binning is occurring, all the dies on the wafer were intended to be the same premium chip, but some of them, by manufacturing vagaries didn’t make the grade.

This is pure speculation on my part for HAs, but binning is a common practice in the computer industry for other tech components.

What Is “Binning” for Computer Components? (How To Geek)

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I would never recommend to disable it! Better make a second program with spherics.
I was a whole day in an amusement park and if there were no limit the Phonak would have ran off after 7h without opportunity to use it.
I was 8h in loud noise, until 3h was used I noticed when the spheric jumped in but it went to spheric mode for nothing as I was standing in a queue and did no conversation.
Thanks to the limit I could also use spherics later on the evening during the lunch.

I myself cannot use spherics, it doesn’t help me much and the normal program is better for me.

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Interesting, I havent yet even been able to even get it into Spheric Mode yet other than manually and made little difference. Now that I have Target running, I’ll have to see what my audiologist did. Whether he did that in both, or just the Stand Alone Spheric Program.

I think binning is more of an issue when they’re pushing process sizes to the limits, but I truly don’t know. It would be nice if they would provide at least a little info on the tech that goes into these devices but it seems like all consumer information writing has been handed over to the marketing department.

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Microsoft Copilot answer for whatever it’s worth:

Binning is actually a common practice across various chip process sizes, not just small ones A. It’s used in the manufacturing of microprocessors, DRAM chips, and other semiconductor devices to ensure that chips meet specific performance criteria A. This process helps manufacturers maximize yield and improve efficiency by categorizing chips based on factors like speed, power consumption, and operating temperature B.

So, whether it’s a large or small chip process size, binning plays a crucial role in quality control and optimization.

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Thanks. Could be. I really don’t trust AI answers but don’t know enough to evaluate this one. My distrust is born out of seeing answers that I know are BS.

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Google Gemini answer to same question. Perhaps a better answer but in general, I’ve found Gemini answers vaguer and less reliable than Copilot, which is based on ChatGPT-4:

Yes, binning is predominantly done at smaller chip process sizes.
Here’s why:

  • Increased Variation: As chip processes shrink, the manufacturing tolerances become tighter. This means that even small variations in the manufacturing process can lead to significant differences in chip performance.
  • Higher Value: Smaller process nodes often represent the latest technology, and chips produced with these processes tend to be more valuable. Therefore, it’s more economically viable to bin these chips to maximize their potential revenue.
  • Complexity: Smaller chips often have more complex designs and architectures, making it more likely that there will be variations in their performance. Binning can help to identify and categorize these variations.
    While binning can also be done at larger process sizes, it’s generally less common and less critical due to the lower variability and value of these chips.

Regardless of process size of the Sphere, the DeepSonic chip is a specialty chip produced in limited quantity. Therefore, it’s probably a limited run and much more expensive to produce per chip so that might make binning much more worthwhile on a larger process size chip.

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Thanks. Gemini’s answer fits with my “gut,” but I truly have no idea. I think both the ERA and DeepSonic chip are pretty specialized. I’d also love to see some comparison with Starkey’s all in one chip design. Really curious to see how HearingTracker’s testing of the new Starkey turns out.

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