Phonak unveils Lumity hearing aid platform

rasmus_braun · August 23, 2022, 5:12am

Phonak unveils Lumity, the new hearing aid platform for fully immersive conversations in virtually any situation

With Phonak SmartSpeech™ Technology, Lumity improves speech understanding in background noise

Stäfa, Switzerland, August 23, 2022 – Phonak, a leading global provider of life-changing hearing solutions, today announces that its next generation of hearing aids will be powered by its latest Lumity platform. Beginning with the Audéo Lumity models, Lumity features the Phonak proprietary SmartSpeech™ Technology for improved speech understanding.(1,2,3,4)

Just two years after introducing the highly successful Paradise platform, Phonak delivers even more benefits to its users with Lumity. This new platform provides 16 percent better speech understanding from the front* and an average of 15 percent better speech intelligibility from the back and sides**. It includes universal Bluetooth® connectivity and the sound quality expected from an industry leader.

“Despite many significant advancements in hearing aid functionality and ease of use, hearing care professionals and their clients continue to ask for ways to enhance what is the most basic but still the most important purpose of a hearing aid: better speech understanding,” said Angela Pelosi, Director of Global Audiology for Phonak. “With Lumity, we’re delivering on that front with technology that offers our best performance in speech understanding, even in loud noise environments. This platform proudly builds on Phonak’s heritage of more than 75 years dedicated to creating innovative hearing solutions that impact the lives of millions of people.”

Phonak SmartSpeech Technology focuses on improved speech understanding and reduced listening effort(1,2,3), particularly in challenging environments. The wearer will be able to fully immerse in conversations and enjoy easier hearing in many situations, in quiet or even in environments with background noise, such as a restaurant.
Lumity delivers a new dimension in directional microphone technology with improved speech detection and speech understanding through new StereoZoom 2.0 and SpeechSensor. Until now, directional microphone technology has been one dimensional with sharp focus on a single or main source of sound. StereoZoom 2.0 provides a smoother, gradual and continuously adaptive focus on a conversation partner while simultaneously maintaining a balance of environmental awareness. Clinical evidence shows that it enables better speech understanding from the front by 16 percent* in a noisy environment(4). SpeechSensor provides 360-degree speech detection with an average of 15 percent better speech understanding from the side and behind.
ActiveVent receiver and Roger On are two optional integrations to Lumity that can improve speech understanding even further. ActiveVent receiver provides an average of 10 percent better speech understanding in noise** and natural sound in everyday listening situations(2) while AutoSense OS 5.0 allows the hearing aids to automatically adjust to surrounding sounds. Roger On is designed to help hearing aid wearers better understand speech in challenging situations, such as background noise and over distance. MultiBeam Technology in Roger On has been shown to increase speech understanding up to 61% in a group conversation in 75 dBA of noise, compared to hearing aids alone(5).
Phonak Audeo Lumity is also available as Phonak Audéo Life™, designed to help people get immersed in their experiences with a hearing aid that is waterproof*** and tested beyond IP68 rating for not only fresh water, but also salt or pool water and sweat.
Lumity pairs with the myPhonak app, which has been designed to empower users with the ability to make adjustments and create customized programs. The app also allows the user to track personal health data, including step count, wearing time, activity levels, distance walked and ran, and optional goal setting. This further strengthens the meaningful connection across hearing healthcare, well-being and technology. In addition, myPhonak app allows the users to connect directly with a hearing care professional who can remotely assist in personalizing their hearing experience.
Phonak renowned made-for-all connectivity supports up to eight pairings and two active connections, allowing the wearer to easily switch between streamed audio from one device to another and to make true hands-free calls.

“We strive to provide hearing care professionals and their clients with the best possible outcomes. Daily use of hearing aids has become the norm for a growing number of people around the world who are living with hearing loss, so we focus on making the experience as seamless and effective as possible, with optimal ease of use and peace of mind,” said Jon Billings, Vice-President of Phonak Marketing. “With Lumity, we’re excited to further the ability that our hearing aids provide in helping people to fully immerse in conversations in any environment.”

Phonak Audéo Life is available as of now via licensed hearing care professionals.

Source/Reference

(1) Appleton, J. (2020) AutoSense OS 4.0 - significantly less listening effort and preferred for speech intelligibility. Phonak Field Study News retrieved from Evidence Library | Phonak, accessed February, 2022.

(2) Latzel, M & Hobi, S (2022) ActiveVent™ Receiver provides benefit of open and closed acoustics for better speech understanding in noise and naturalness of own voice perception. Phonak Field Study News retrieved from Evidence Library | Phonak, accessed May 2022

(3) Thibodeau L. M. (2020) Benefits in Speech Recognition in Noise with Remote Wireless Microphones in Group Settings. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 31(6), 404–411. "

(4) Woodward,J and Latzel, M (2022) New implementation of directional beamforming configurations show improved speech understanding and reduced listening effort. Phonak Field Study News in preparation. Expected end of 2022.

(5) Thibodeau L. M. (2020). Benefits in Speech Recognition in Noise with Remote Wireless Microphones in Group Settings. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 31(6), 404–411. Thieme E-Journals - Journal of the American Academy of Audiology / Abstract

*Compared to fixed directional.

** Compared to conventional acoustic coupling

*** Up to 50 cm

The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Sonova AG is under license.

About Phonak

Since 1947, Phonak has been dedicated to preserving social, emotional and physical quality of life by opening new acoustic worlds for people with hearing loss. We believe that well-hearing equates to well-being and thus is essential for living life to the fullest. Today we offer the broadest portfolio of innovative hearing solutions. In close collaboration with hearing care professionals around the world, we continue to focus on what matters most: improving speech understanding, changing people’s lives and having a positive effect on society as a whole. Life is on

ziploc · August 23, 2022, 5:29am

Sounds like an incremental improvement on Paradise. Even the manufacturer’s usual hype seems toned-down. As always, actual user reviews will gradually tell the real story.

tenkan · August 23, 2022, 5:29am

I was just reading this in my inbox, unfortunately I don’t think it’s a “new” platform, I don’t see anything about the chip/processor or bluetooth LE, it mentions the Phonak Audeo life is the same as the lumity Audeo, so I hope it’s not like when they went from Quest to Venture with nothing much to offer but still call it a new platform! 15% this and 16% better that doesn’t give me any hope at all that this is going to be a “game changer” for anyone.

chrluc · August 23, 2022, 5:37am

This is a pretty strange release. I literally just purchased the Paradise Life hearing aids less than a week ago, and now it would seem that the Paradise hearing aids are out of date. Are we to believe that the Lumity hearing aids are the new top of the line receiver in canal hearing aids? Are the Paradise hearing aids going to be discontinued? I like Phonak, but their line of hearing aids has always been confusing and crowded and this only seems to make things even worse. I know none of the reviews are out yet and the the details are not really known yet, but it seems like most of what has been updated is software. If that really is the case, it would be a really big shame that Phonak choose to only allow access to these this new tech by purchasing new models of hearing aids, when they could have just pushed out the software update to already existing hearing aids.

chrluc · August 23, 2022, 5:47am

I actually have 30 days, I think. The bigger issue is these are not actually out yet, and it sounds like they won’t be for a while. Likely not until after my trial period ends. It just seems strange to release these hearing aids after such a short time, I mean how long have the Paradise Fit been out? I know the Paradise Life have been out a little longer than the Fit, but it seems like they are sacrificing their own products.

d_Wooluf · August 23, 2022, 5:50am

Only 16% improvement from the front? Resound managed 150%! They don’t say what “Phonak SmarSpeech Technology” actually is.

tenkan · August 23, 2022, 5:50am

Phonak says 2 years old for Paradise.

ziploc · August 23, 2022, 5:51am

@chrluc , maybe you can purchase the Lumity before they are actually released and take delivery when your audi actually receives them from Phonak. I’d do that, if it’s possible. The Lumitys will almost certainly be at least a little better than the Paradise.

tenkan · August 23, 2022, 5:56am

That’s what i thought, just 16% is not that good,and like not everyone will get that anyway.
I’m suspicious of this release being a totally “new” platform, but the “proof is in the pudding” I guess.

d_Wooluf · August 23, 2022, 5:59am

I agree. Probably a marginal improvement. On the plus side, I thought they were probably a bit more honest than GE Resound.

tenkan · August 23, 2022, 6:00am

I bet it’s possible, especially if they use the same chip, but of course you won’t update to lumity if they did that.

chrluc · August 23, 2022, 6:01am

The Paradise Fit was just release this year, I think was announced the end of April. I checked really quick and I think it was available in May or June. Very strange.

Zebras · August 23, 2022, 6:09am

@chrluc

Yes the Fit wasn’t released too long ago but it’s the Paradise platform which was released 2 years ago.

I’m pretty sure the difference between the Fit and normal Audeo is just a different receiver and a firmware update.

legatusbellorum · August 23, 2022, 6:10am

Based on the information read in the announcement and the Hearing Tracker video, it doesn’t seems to be a new platform but a “incremental” upgrade which is still based on the Prism chip. That would mean no Bluetooth LE, not more processing power and “only” a software update and probabely a new microphone sensor.

tenkan · August 23, 2022, 6:13am

Ok thanks, I was unaware of this.

Again good to know this.

jim_lewis · August 23, 2022, 7:25am

On the speech “improvement,” I think both Phonak and ReSound are claiming that only relative to their previous line of aids/software. So, it’s all relative. Although everyone’s hearing is different, it’s too bad there is no benchmark test for speech in noise, etc. Although benchmarks for CPUs and GPUs are also a bit of malarkey compared to real world use, at least there’s a sort of common standard whereby you get a bit of a feel how your smartphone, for example, can perform relative to other smartphones currently on the market. But I think that’s where all the PR hype in HA’s come from. The OEMs can make claims but there’s no real common measuring tape that can provide any sort of across the board comparison.

Edit_Update: The User Guides for the various models in the Lumity line.

Phonak Audèo Lumity - User Guides, Videos – Phonak

The user guide says in the spec section that the Lumity just has BT 4.2.

BTW, someone else posted a link on the forum to Phonak’s Canadian trademark application and the different fields of enterprise that they applied for the Lumity trademark to cover.

Phonak appears to have overlooked or ignored that there is already an anti-aging supplement called Lumity!

d_Wooluf · August 23, 2022, 9:31am

Yep. So don’t use numbers at all. Unless they’re standardised, verifiable and commonly understood. A company that sells a device that measures blood glucose is going to be very careful in its marketing and the numbers that it uses in its promotional material are going to have a very precise meaning. It gets up my nose that hearing aid manufacturers get all huffy about their status as medical device makers, yet pull a bunch of numbers out of their arses to induce people to buy their product.

Sorry Jim. End of rant.

Neville · August 23, 2022, 12:25pm

Ha. Power of marketting. Resound says %150 increase in speech understanding and people think “great” and Phonak says 16% increase and people say “weak” and both are completely meaningless.

markoo355 · August 23, 2022, 12:40pm

The upgrade is in the software, and the only thing in the hardware is induction charging. Paradise is not outdated, the reason being that Slim, Fit and Life were released this year. all these hearing aids are based on Paradise. If you don’t need induction charging, then there’s no need to panic, it’s not a problem. The focus on better speech understanding is, I think, marketing to attract new customers.

The reason why they came out with this platform is because the new platform is not ready. I have a feeling that they need more time to integrate the new bluetooth, they need to make a new app again because they use a new type of bluetooth. My guess is that they are working on a new hearing aid that uses machine learning like widex or some kind of artificial intelligence like Oticon More uses. Apparently there are a lot of problems with the development of the new hearing aid, so they decided to just continue with the paradise platform under a different name. Maybe they should have called this platform Paradise two.

Neville · August 23, 2022, 12:51pm

Again, Phonak has been using AI to train their automatic program since venture. There is no AI in oticon hearing aids–it is used in advance to train the automatic processing, but what’s on your hearing aid is set. Marketting, marketting.