Some question regarding Phonak Sphere and Oticon Intent One

[Ray6]

Hi there,

A little bit long message. Appreciate for any comments and advice:

I am going to buy a new pair of hearing aids in coming months. I am thinking about Intent 1 or Phonak Sphere 90. I am now wearing Phonak Marvel 50. As it is already four year old product, very likely I will benefit from the newest generation hearing aid. Right now, I have problem in very noisy place, female sound and whispering in office environment which ambient sound is around 45-55db. I admitted it is part of my fault: My obsolete Siemen hearing aid was custom mold, and it itches me a lot because of fungal infection (I can say Alcohol is absolute useless for fungal disinfection, now I use hearing aid dryer with UV and the problem gone). So, I prefer to use dome on my left ear even though the audiologist warned me I should go for custom mold for both ears for best result during the fitting of Marvel.

Since I am a real estate broker, I encounter various situations: busy and crowded sales exhibitions, bustling streets, business discussions over meals, quiet apartments, vacant units with high ceilings and no furniture (echo issues), whispering in my ears, conversations in cars (front and back seats), and typical office environments. I am currently using the Phonak Marvel, and originally, the Phonak Sphere 90 should have been my top choice. However, due to its size and inconvenience when using the phone (Phonak uses the hearing aid mic, so when I talk to clients on the street or in the office, I have to raise my voice, which is quite inconvenient when discussing sensitive matters like prices). I’d like to ask other Phonak Sphere and Oticon Intent 1 users for some opinions:

For Phonak Sphere:

1/ During Bluetooth phone calls, is it possible to force the HA in Sphere mode? That way, I wouldn’t need to raise my voice when talking on the street. The streets in my area are generally quite noisy.

2/ From online reviews by many users, it seems the Phonak Sphere is quite good at noise reduction. If I adjust the “speech in noisy place” setting in the My Phonak app to wide beam or omnidirectional, how effective is the Sphere’s noise reduction? I often walk side by side with clients while talking but not facing front.

3/ Phonak Sphere has removed the Echo/Reverberation Block feature (or has it been replaced by the Sphere DNN?). Can any users share how the Phonak Sphere performs in echoey environments?

4/ As mentioned above, my current Phonak Marvel 50 struggles even in general situations (e.g., female voices, whispering, or having quiet conversations in calm places). I’m not sure if this is due to using an unsuitable dome. Regardless, aside from noise reduction, has this generation of Sphere made noticeable improvements over the previous Lumity or Marvel models in handling female voices, whispers, etc.?

On the other hand, due to some of the issues mentioned above, I’m also considered the Oticon Intent One.

1/ One of Oticon HA strengths seems to be high-frequency amplification. Based on my audiogram, can my remaining high-frequency hearing benefit from Oticon’s high-frequency amplification? Or I will benefit more from usual methods i.e. frequency shifting? My Mandarin teacher told me he struggles a lot to teach me the differences between Mandarin “zh,” “ch,” and “s” sounds with My Marvel, all of which fall in the high-frequency range. Of course, I’d prefer a method that preserves my high-frequency hearing by amplification. I’ve tried using tone generator apps to produce 8kHz–10kHz sounds and listen with and without the Marvel 50 for comparison, clearly I can tell the difference.

2/ Will Oticon’s open paradigm be more effective for speakers who keep moving (in quiet or noisy environments)? How does Oticon perform in highly echoey environments?

Regarding the high prices of hearing aids in my area: I live in Hong Kong, now a small city in China. The local auditory center (the sole agency for Phonak hearing aids in Hong Kong :() quoted me US$13,000 per pair for the Phonak 90, and this is a special price for regular customers!! In contrast, local Oticon hearing center charges US$10,000 per pair for the Intent One. Another reason for me to think about Oticon Intent.

[JordanK]

@Ray6

1/ During Bluetooth phone calls, is it possible to force the HA in Sphere mode? That way, I wouldn’t need to raise my voice when talking on the street. The streets in my area are generally quite noisy.

You don’t need to be in the Sphere mode while talking on your mobile phone. You can have the audiologist set the hearing aids to automatically down down the external microphones during streaming so that the external noise doesn’t interfere with you hearing the phone call, etc.

@Ray6

2/ From online reviews by many users, it seems the Phonak Sphere is quite good at noise reduction. If I adjust the “speech in noisy place” setting in the My Phonak app to wide beam or omnidirectional, how effective is the Sphere’s noise reduction? I often walk side by side with clients while talking but not facing front.

The new version of Autosense on the Sphere’s is really good at this and you rarely have to do anything when walking/talking beside someone.

@Ray6

3/ Phonak Sphere has removed the Echo/Reverberation Block feature (or has it been replaced by the Sphere DNN?). Can any users share how the Phonak Sphere performs in echoey environments?

I haven’t noticed echoey rooms to be an issue. I have sat through a number of presentations in a theatre style hall where there was a PA system broadcasting a speaker at the front of the room and all was ok. I also attended a wedding and had no issues hearing the speeches.

@Ray6

4/ As mentioned above, my current Phonak Marvel 50 struggles even in general situations (e.g., female voices, whispering, or having quiet conversations in calm places). I’m not sure if this is due to using an unsuitable dome. Regardless, aside from noise reduction, has this generation of Sphere made noticeable improvements over the previous Lumity or Marvel models in handling female voices, whispers, etc.?

Lumity and Sphere are similar in this regard…maybe Sphere is slightly better. I think it would be a bigger improvement between Marvel and Sphere. You need to do a trial and test this. Your hearing loss is very similar to mine and I’m not having issues hearing female voices anymore.

Jordan

[glucas]

@Ray6

1/ One of Oticon HA strengths seems to be high-frequency amplification. Based on my audiogram, can my remaining high-frequency hearing benefit from Oticon’s high-frequency amplification? Or I will benefit more from usual methods i.e. frequency shifting? My Mandarin teacher told me he struggles a lot to teach me the differences between Mandarin “zh,” “ch,” and “s” sounds with My Marvel, all of which fall in the high-frequency range. Of course, I’d prefer a method that preserves my high-frequency hearing by amplification. I’ve tried using tone generator apps to produce 8kHz–10kHz sounds and listen with and without the Marvel 50 for comparison, clearly I can tell the difference.

This is possible but my advice would be if you are leaning towards the Phonak Spheres to make sure you have REM (Real Ear Measurement). I only say this because I have had two recent bad experiences with Phonak fittings, both did not have Real Ear Measurement. I think it’s unlikely that the Phonaks are incompetent in this regard, if fitted correctly. However, it may be possible that the Oticon does have an advantage here, based on the some of the anecdotal reviews we have seen from audiologists.

@Ray6

Oticon

@Ray6

2/ Will Oticon’s open paradigm be more effective for speakers who keep moving (in quiet or noisy environments)? How does Oticon perform in highly echoey environments?

Regarding the high prices of hearing aids in my area: I live in Hong Kong, now a small city in China. The local auditory center (the sole agency for Phonak hearing aids in Hong Kong :() quoted me US$13,000 per pair for the Phonak 90, and this is a special price for regular customers!! In contrast, local Oticon hearing center charges US$10,000 per pair for the Intent One. Another reason for me to think about Oticon Intent.

With respect to the first question, I have noticed a significant improvement in my comprehension when walking side by side with people. I don’t think this is to do with the open paradigm but the so called 4d user intent sensor. I am able to understand people a lot more clearly than before in comparison to my previous generation of phonak/oticon aids.

The price of the Intent you have quote here is certainly favourable in comparison to the Phonaks. Personally speaking I would also have the following considerations in mind before making a decision:

i) Speech in noise: It is my view from the anecdotal evidence and from trialling both that the Phonak is probably superior here. However, that is not to say that the Oticon is poor in noise. Far from it. I have recently been in situations where my comprehension in noise has been astonishing with the Intents. The upside to the Intents is that there are no concerns about keeping an eye on battery life or worrying about AI Sphere mode. They just work in the general mode. However, the Phonaks, once in AI mode, probably deliver a superior experience in noise, as it is all phased out, in comparison to the Oticon.

ii) Bluetooth: If you work a lot with Windows PCs and use Android, then the Phonak is probably going to be the superior solution with bluetooth classic. It also allows easier and more seamless switching between devices. If you use Apple Mac and have an iPhone, that leans towards the Oticon. However, you can only have once device connected and you have to switch off bluetooth to connect to the other device. It works if you do this, but it’s not as smooth as Phonak.

iii) Attitude towards Autosense and Phonak programming: By this I mean that if you drink the Autosense kool aid and go with it, also if you don’t mind switching to the Sphere AI mode, then you’ll be Okay. However, I have found that the Oticons are a lot easier in the respect that I just switch them on and forget about it. I rarely have to switch program, except to the TV Connector. In noise situations I may actually turn down the volume one notch - that’s it. I have found the Oticon a lot easier - and that’s after using Phonak most of my life. This is not necessarily a plug for Oticon - I am just putting it out there.

[Um_bongo]

The actual answer to this might come down to the fact that you’re already wearing a Phonak product, the size of your ears and the type of Mobile Phone you use rather than outright hearing performance.
The HA performance is massively adjustable both during set-up and in the use of programs, but the elements above are at least slightly fixed.