Phonak unveils Lumity hearing aid platform

[WhiteHat]

Data point for battery life on Phonak Audeo p90r. Next week they will be a year old. I’ve worn them some every single day, even through an evil Covid spell and a couple significant surgeries. Most days I wear them -15 hours. Maybe a bit more. Yesterday the left one gave out as I was getting ready for bed. I had been getting the warning tones. A bit over 17 hours, 30 min when the left died. Right was at about 2% left. ~8h 30 min calm, 1 h 37m noisy. ~5h streaming. I feel fairly satisfied with the performance.

WH

[GrayGhost]

That is the reason I sold my M90R’s and P90R’s and kept the P90-312’s … I did not want to be tied to a charger and limited use time. happy now.
It is very easy to change a battery every 3 or 4 days, and I can do all the streaming and TV watching without worry.

[grantb5]

That’s pretty good considering how much streaming you do. People that are on the phone all day and use streaming will need as many hours as they can get. The stats you mention come from a phone app? I’m hoping you don’t have to hook up to the fitting software to get that into.

[WhiteHat]

It was from the health tab on “myPhonak” app on my phone. It is kinda tricky, as the ap goes to zero when the HA turns off, so you watch it if you are curious and if you miss when it shuts off, then you have to guess.

My audiologist said something to the effect that I stream more than any patient she’s had. Some phone calls, some podcasts, some zoom/google meet.

WH

[roybrocklebank]

Looks like it is a function of the Audeo p90r as my Marvel shows only hours on. The App used to give time as hours and decimal. After the recent update it is now in hours and minutes.

[grantb5]

This is interesting information. I know the aids log other information that can be accessed from the fitting software (like which program is used the most and I think even if the volume is adjusted or not). I remember my audiologist setup the usual music program for me some years ago. I found it wasn’t acceptable and he knew before I even mentioned it to him, that I wasn’t using it.

[platypus]

Lumity features showing in Target 8.0.1 compared to Paradise. There are differences such as the lack of “Own Voice pick-up” in the Lumity, but I would have to assume the Lumity would have that feature.

[1Bluejay]

@Baltazard

That looks like an incremental update to the Paradise platform.
Not much, but better than nothing I guess:

• AutoSense OS 5.0
• SmartSpeech
• StereoZoom 2.0
• SpeechSensor

So how would these actually IMPROVE beyond my (now fritzed thanks to a water dunking!) Audeo Life aids? I SO want to have enhanced speech understanding, but wonder is this already in my current Life aids!!! Cuz I don’t see any literature that spells that out. And the performance of the Life aids WAS a tad better than my older Phonak Marvel aids … untill I swam in them twice for half an hour.

Now I plan to return them for a full refund as they didn’t work as promised.

Would greatly appreciate any light shed on these Phonak benefit statements.

[1Bluejay]

@tenkan

Maybe,but I doubt it as it’s the same chip and BT as paradise, sometimes it’s not just the bluetooth in the HAs that causes your issue, but the mobile phone.

In addition to which I have intermittent wifi calling issues with my BT streamed calls either not going through, or horrible connections.

[1Bluejay]

@jim_lewis

It would be interesting to know what’s behind that statistic in terms of customer age and usage needs, etc.

I think it could be as simple as older folks have less finger dexterity and prefer just plunking the aids into a charging station (altho, they better seat the aid just right!). They don’t want to fuss with itty bitty little batteries rolling all over the countertop and onto the floor to be chased around on hands and knees. I’m 67 and have been in that spot, but STILL - would NEVER EVER give up battery aids for good.

I was on a recent weeklong trip and the new Phonak rechargeable Life aids gave out DAY ONE. If I hadn’t had my battery-operated Marvel aid backups with me, I’d have been sunk.

[jim_lewis]

I was thinking about the older folks but then I wondered how many folks in that category would be shopping Zip Hearing??? Perhaps for the really old folks in assisted living facilities, etc., it’s the caregivers who don’t want to be messing with changing batteries and they’re the ones doing the shopping on Zip Hearing, if that’s where the Zip Hearing statistic comes from. Otherwise, perhaps people in general just don’t like changing batteries and having batteries as a perennial shopping list item to keep track of buying, etc.

[1Bluejay]

@Neville

Oticon marketting has always been . . .well, impressive, frankly. They are good what they do.

Yeah. It’s shots like this that convinced me the Phonak Audeo Life aid was the WATERPROOF miracle I’ve waited 30-odd years for.

Like we can flip over in a kayak and still be smiling and HEARING when we resurface? I’m hoping to convince Phonak that just two swims of half an hour each with NO diving, jumping in, or my head being completely submerged in water is all it took to fritz my new Life aids.

It took 24 hours for both aids to even register sound anymore, and almost immediately the left aid went into permanent Noise Management OVERDRIVE, so if anyone whispers, tiptoes or rustles past me while wearing them they just about SHUT down like it’s a fire truck siren.

I’m not in the water with them on. And I’m not smiling.

[1Bluejay]

I wanted to share a link that lists the programs and features of the Lumity aids by model, if that’s helpful.

I plan to print out the chart and take it to my audi in the hopes of exchanging my Life aids for the Lumity Premium L90.

[Baltazard]

@1Bluejay Not sure if these:

AutoSense OS 5.0
SmartSpeech
StereoZoom 2.0
SpeechSensor

Will make any difference, it is only you who can tell; You might need to trial them to see for yourself.
If you want to return the Paradise and get the Lumity version, that is your decision to make.
Bearing in mind, that a complete waterproof HA, is just not feasible, regardless of what any manufacturer says.

[jonifoz]

The Life is the waterproof version in the Lumity Line.

[d_Wooluf]

@1Bluejay

Like we can flip over in a kayak and still be smiling and HEARING when we resurface?

It’s for people who go kayaking but never fall in. Obviously.

[1Bluejay]

@jonifoz

The Life is the waterproof version in the Lumity Line.

OK, I’m a bit confused. Does Phonak have a “waterproof” aid called LIFE for each of its platforms: Paradise (now about 3 yrs old) and Lumity (just released)?

If so, I want to exchange my Paradise-platform Life aids for the newer Lumity-platform Life aids.

I hope I got that right?

[WhiteHat]

Yes, I believe you have it right.

WH

[1Bluejay]

Yes Baltazard, that is my challenge. Not being a DIY programmer, I have to rely on my audi to set these up as a dedicated program. The Life aids should be “smart” enough to enable the right program for the right situation, but often, I want to LOCK IN something like Speech in LOUD Noise. I don’t want my aids to try to outsmart me and change things around all the time.

[tenkan]

Yes that’s right, same thing, which is it’s the Paradise dressed up to be…well something it’s not.