Phonak unveils Lumity hearing aid platform

Press Releases
#271

Hey everyone. Another update on my Phonak Lumity trial…

Finally got to try out these Lumity hearing aids out in the worst case hearing scenario: A noisy restaurant!

Ended up going to a very noisy pub last night for dinner. This was the perfect scenario to test the Lumity hearing aids because not only was the pub very busy and noisy…we were also meeting two friends of ours who had very thick South African accents. A very realistic torture test.

That being said, Lumity did very good. I started off in automatic mode and then shifted to the Speech in Loud Noise and Restaurant programs. I honestly didn’t notice any difference which means the automatic mode was automatically sensing the environment correctly and then going into one of these two programs (a good thing). The other interesting thing is that the transition into the automatic noisy mode (i.e. Stereozoom 2.0) was not noticeable. With my old Phonak Audeo hearing aids with Stereozoom 1.0, you always noticed the change into Stereozoom because it was a bit of an abrupt (and sometime jarring) transition when the program kicked in. This transition was so smooth it was impossible to notice when it actually kicked in.

I was able to hear the other people at the table quite well. The waitress came to take our drink and food orders and I had zero issues understanding her. Same goes for my wife that was sitting beside me. I could follow my kids at the other end of the table fairly well. The two South African friends were a little more challenging. I had no issue with the husband who was sitting to my left. The wife was sitting across from me and her softer voice (plus the South African accent) made it a bit more challenging…but better than my Quattro’s would have done. I didn’t fiddle with any of the setting but I did cycle between programs to see if there was any difference between the automatic mode and the restaurant/noisy programs. The automatic mode did well. As it got a bit later and the number of people in the pub started to decrease, I did notice that it got easier to understand the women across from me with the South African accent. I’m guessing the signal to noise ratio improved and that made it easier for the hearing aids to provide better speech understanding. I was happy with the results because it was definitely an improvement over my current hearing aids. It wasn’t earth shattering but I didn’t expect it to be given this is truly the worst case scenario for all of us. What did impress me was the way the automatic mode handled the transitions so smoothly and that Stereozoom 2.0 didn’t feel so jarring.

The other thing that happened was that I received a phone call on my iPhone during dinner and I was able to take the call in the noisy pub without issues. The caller could hear me quite well and I could hear the caller…despite the noise.

All things considered, Lumity did well so far.

Jordan

12 Likes
#272

@JordanK Thank you for your feedback, much appreciated.
Is your old Phonak Audeo a Paradise version?

#273

No. My last experience with Phonak was the Phonak Audeo Q90s back in 2014. These were the first hearing aids with Stereozoom. I’m currently wearing Resound Quattro 9’s and will upgrade if either the Phonak Lumity or Resound Omnia give me better hearing. I’m testing Lumity right now. I’ve got a set of Omnia’s on order and will try those in a few weeks.

Jordan

2 Likes
#274

Thank you for the informative reviews! But maybe these personal user experience posts would be more informative if the Performance Level (L90 for example) were always included.

Why? Unless you get the Premium Level/L90, then these new software features being discussed are not likely to be available to you. So someone reading these reviews (and also attempting to save money by purchasing a lower performance level) may be disappointed.

Information Source: Phonak Audéo L Product information

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5 Likes
Do Phonak aids bought thru Nations Hearing have code protection?
Do Phonak aids bought thru Nations Hearing have code protection?
#275

Here is the version of Lumity I am testing. This is the 90 (Premium) with telecoil.

Jordan

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#276

Yeah, but even worse is the “what difference” is there between Paradise and Lumley, only some software updates but no real difference between them, as in same chip/chassis, this new Lumley is another “oxymoron” which you’ll remember Phonak did between the Quest to Venture platform, in which case people would be better off buying paradise and holding off until the next “real” platform release from Phonak which no doubt will include the much anticipated Bluetooth LE Audio (5.3)

1 Like
Do Phonak aids bought thru Nations Hearing have code protection?
#277

This is the same for all technology. I never upgrade from one release to the next. I usually wait for at least two generations of hardware and/or software improvements and then test to see if the enhancements really move the needle forward on the the issues I am struggling with. That’s why it is so important to work with a knowledgeable audiologist who will allow their patients to test the new hearing aids for a decent amount of time.

Jordan

7 Likes
#278

Yes you did the right thing, because you went from Quest to Lumley, so that’s a world of difference, just as your good review shows.

2 Likes
#279

I thought it was Venture and Belong that were near as identical to each other?

1 Like
#280

Yeah it probably was.but nothing worse then doing this, it’s like “we have to offer them something” or people are gonna go to the opposition, I really hope this doesn’t keep happening for future users, but marketing is always a bit “loose” with things anyway!

#281

I’m getting more and more excited with each of your Lumity reviews. You are addressing the same situations that led me to order my pair of Lumity 90 Life. I have been most interested in the noisy background situation. I can’t wait to get the Lumity in my ears and see for myself! Much gratitude, J

3 Likes
#282

Hi; I’ve got a question on these: how are they holding up with the IP68 rating?

A client of mine has asked about these as he seems to flood his More 1 with alarming regularity but a couple of dispensers I know have found that the Lumity aren’t quite as impervious as suggested.

2 Likes
#283

So far Lumity is doing great with noisy background situations. I attended a large, religious service this morning and this was the first time in a while that I have been able to clearly hear the person at the front who was leading the services. I was also able to chat with the person next to me during the service with no issues. It was interesting to see the hearing aids flip between modes in the automatic setting. When the person at the front was speaking, the hearing aids went into one mode and the speaking was clear. When everyone started singing, the hearing aids went into some kind of music mode and suddenly a ton of bass notes kicked in to provide a really rich listening environment. Singing stopped and the speaker started speaking again. At first his voice was boomy (hearing aids were still in music mode) but 1-2 seconds later, they switched back to one of the speech settings and the boomy bass stopped and the speech sounded normal. Seems to transition really fast and really smoothly which is what you want for a very natural hearing experience. After services I walked home with my brother-in-law. It was very windy outside and the hearing aids handled the wind issues like a champ. No issues hearing him as he walked beside me along a busy street. This was another thing that drove me crazy with my Quattro’s. They had the ability to cut the wind noise but it only seems to happen when the wind was blowing in your face. Any other direction and it was dreadful. No issue with Lumity and wind management. Worked great.

Also wanted to provide an update on battery life. Yesterday I started wearing the hearing aids at 8 am. Did a bunch of streaming throughout the day. When I finally took them out to go to bed at midnight, there was about 28% - 30% left on the batteries. So 30% remaining after about 16 hours of use.

Jordan

3 Likes
#284

Did you have previous experience with AutoSense? I am curious to know how the 5.0 version stacks up to the previous one.

This constant change of programs usually drives me insane. I wonder if that has been improved to a manageable level with Luminity (I mean, manageable to my own weird brain).

Great reviews, thanks!

#285

Yes…before buying my Resound Quattro 9’s (current hearing aids), I had a pair of Phonak Audeo Q90’s with AutoSense. AutoSense with the Lumity hearing aids works the same but it seems to automatically transition between programs in a much smoother manner. I would say it’s impossible to tell when it switches unless you are listening to continuous noise. With the old version, when it kicked into StereoZoom it was really jarring. It almost felt like your ears were suddenly stopped up. With the new version of AutoSense, its much more subtle.

So I’ve said quite a bit about all the really good things about these hearing aids. I thought now was a good time to point out some of the not so good things.

Issue #1: The myPhonak app is still kinda buggy. Some features just don’t work. The audiologist told me he was turning on the auto-on feature. When I pulled the hearing aids out of the recharger case for the first time, the auto-on didn’t work. I went into the setting on the myPhonak app and this feature was turned off. I turned it on and then tried putting the hearing aids in the case and then pulling them out. Auto-on then worked. Next morning…auto-on didn’t work. myPhonak app showed it was switched off. Seems like a bug to me. There are other bugs including the app sometimes doesn’t connect to the hearing aids right away and some of the other features don’t remain in the position you set them in.

Issue #2: The double tap feature isn’t reliable. This is the feature where you can double tap the hearing aid on either side to answer calls, listen to media or to start up Siri on your iPhone. Not only doesn’t the double tap always work but sometimes sounds trigger the double tap function and double tap seems to cause other weird things to happen on my iPhone. Good example is the Apple Music Widget keeps popping up on my lock screen for no reason. I think it’s somehow related to the double tap feature being triggered. Sometimes Siri just appears on my lock screen without touching the hearing aids. I think loud sounds are triggering the double tap but still not sure yet. I’ve started using the volume button on the hearing aid to answer calls vs using the double tap. I like this better. It’s a bit more discrete than slapping your ear with your hand and is more reliable.

Issue #3: Hearing aids keep randomly muting for 3-4 seconds after very loud/abrupt sounds. Not sure if this is some kind of protection thing that is being triggered by a sudden loud noise (dropping a fork on the counter, loud toilet flush, etc). It doesn’t have too often but every day or so I’ve noticed this happening. Might be a protection thing vs a bug.

Issue #4: Occlusion. I wear double domes on both sides. Audiologist had to fit a bigger/thicker double dome on the right hearing aid after doing the feedback test. The net result is more occlusion on the right side. Still getting used to the slighted blocked feeling on one side. Noticing it less after a few days.

Issue #5: Bluetooth connections are still a bit flakey sometimes. I would say Bluetooth works really well with these hearing aids. Once in a while the hearing aids don’t connect to the app or music doesn’t get routed from your iPhone, etc. Happens very rarely but still happens. Not any better or worse than my MFi Quattro’s. Similar to the Quattro’s, turning Bluetooth on/off on your iPhone sorts it out.

Don’t get me wrong. These are amazing hearing aids. The above items are probably just bugs that will get sorted out. I knew I was testing a brand new product so quite understandable that there are a few things that will get sorted out via software updates, etc.

Jordan

6 Likes
#286

That is absolutely amazing, Jordan, and sounds like exactly what I’m looking for in a hearing aid! My Marvels also handle wind noise like a champ, so I’m not surprised to hear that the Lumity do the same.

Thank you so very much for sharing your experiences! I look forward to each and every one of them!

#287

@JordanK is it possible to have your feedback on the question above from @Um_bongo , please?
Thx

#288

Hey! Sorry I missed this question. I’ll be honest with you, I’ve only done one workout with the Lumity hearing aids on my Peloton Bike+ and I don’t sweat as heavy as some people do. Not sure how to test the IP68 rating unless I took these things for a dunk in the shower.

Jordan

1 Like
#289

Ok: I was looking for someone who had flooded one tbh, but not everyone gives them that kind of abuse.

1 Like
#290

Zebra killed her Paradise Lifes with a few swims in the pool.

That said, they took a few swims in the pool.

2 Likes