Phonak Infinio and Infinio Sphere - An Honest Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- An honest review by audiologist and author Dr. Ryan Hill of The Hill Hear Better Clinic in Cincinnati, OH. Dr. Hill discusses the features and provides opinions of the new claims Phonak has made about its latest and greatest technology.
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This isn't a review. It's just your opinion of the marketing material.
You're right. Maybe a claimed feature review would have been a better title?
I will say this, the Sphere makes a big difference. I have tried the latest RIC models from Widex, Oticon, Phonak Lumity and now Sphere. I have been impressed over the 2 weeks I've worn them. Deep Sonic works.
Thank you for your opinion! Glad you’re having good benefit!
Great. User reviews /opinions/experiences are what I am after, as I am hoping to trial the same makes and models as you.
@@jakemurphy9536 whatever product you trial, make sure they are fit using Real Ear Measure so you can get the most out of them and have a fair assessment.
@@HillHearBetter thank you for your advice. I am a seasoned HA wearer, and would not buy aids without REM. I have a moderately severe loss when first diagnosed. I hope to audition Oticon Intent 1 and Phonak Audeo Sphere Infinio. My current aids are Phonak Audeo V which are about eight years old. But my hearing has notably worsened.
Something happened last week, which caught me out. I got into a cab. The cab radio was on and when the cabbie spoke to me, which was at about the same volume as the radio, I was unable to understand either. I might as well have not being wearing aids at all. So I am hoping new aids will help in such situations.
Off to watch more of your videos. 🙂
You sound like you have an axe to grind with Phonak. I'll be surprised if you post anything positive about their new hearing aids. Thank you for getting rid of the background music. Much easier to listen to.
No big axe to grind, just some overt skepticism as I have with any new technology. So far the patient experience has been pretty great and I have liked wearing them as a test.
The 90 phonak infinio 90 did not work near as well as the 90 sphere. I am very deaf and no hearing in y left ear due to surgery . the 90 sphere is helping me.
The Sphere is the only way to go. The infinio on it's own isn't much of an improvement over it's predecessor, the Lumity. Sphere or Bust!
I am about to get my new Infinio hearing aid and cros. When I got to demo them I was amazed by the clarity of the sound and could hear conversation outside the door with the door closed as it was the only conversation in the area where I was. It was very clear and I could easily hear what they were talking about.I am excited about getting them and cannot wait to try them out in the real world and not just the audiologist office!
Exciting! Just make sure your audiologist uses Real Ear Measure (REM) when fitting your new devices so you get the most out of them! Here's a video about it th-cam.com/video/pXWy1jbkDmw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=D_tkip6HTgIpS4Fo
How did it go with the Infinio CROS? I'm looking to upgrade my Phonak Paradise CROS setup and this is one of the options I'm considering.
Does the battery last all day without topping it up? How's speech in noise without Sphere?
@@artgiepabelonio8608 I love it! Depending on how much streaming I do, I get around 16 hours a day on the batteries. There is some noise occasionally usually I notice it when sitting in a silent atmosphere.
I have done well in group settings; I understand a lot more speech in that setting than I did on my old Phonak hearing aids. This made the Holiday parties much more enjoyable as I could adjust the setting to the situation and carry on conversations with my coworkers.
I like having the ability to turn up the volume when people are standing some distance from me with their backs turned to me. I also like the option to answer my phone through my hearing aids.
I have the CROS on the left side and can hear what people are saying on that side without looking at them. All in all this has been the best purchase I have ever made. I think you would really like the Infinio CROS too.
Let’s hear back once you have actually fitted these In patients
Have quite a few patients in them. First reports have been pretty great, even before leaving the office for the first time. The next test we have is comparison speech in noise testing to previous technology. This will be a few more weeks as we usually do this post-testing 60 days in or so. (just my protocol)
Great summary! I'm currently looking for my first HA and I've already tried the Starkey Genesis AI 24 and the Oticon Intent 1 miniRite R. I quite like them both but being a techno who's done a fair bit of audio engineering, I'm kinda fussy about sound and I'm finding the audio processing in both of them just wrecks some audio, particularly music, plus a few other gripes. My next trial's going to be the Phonak Infineo if my audiologist can get hold of a demo pair (she has been amazing). The Phonaks seem to be getting great reviews, but the proof of the cake is in the eating. I'll let you know.
As an audio engineer I don’t think you will be happy with processing for music with any hearing aid. The hearing aid with the best over sound quality from a first fit standpoint(without real ear measure) is the latest widex in my opinion. However that was before prescriptive tuning. After tuning that quality went away quickly. For the proper and most effective treatment of hearing loss you have to make sure your audiologist performs real ear measure and fits to NAL-NL2 prescriptive targets for soft moderate and loud speech. Also verification of MPO. Treatment for hearing loss is the primary function of a hearing aid, but I do understand sound quality for perceptual purposes. If you were audiologist does not perform real ear measure, even if she is very nice she is not looking after your best interest for the treatment of hearing loss. Take a look here if you have time th-cam.com/video/pXWy1jbkDmw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=D_tkip6HTgIpS4Fo Good luck!
@@HillHearBetter Wow, thanks for all that info.
My expectations were not especially high when I started checking out hearing aids, so I'm mostly unsurprised about how well or badly they perform.
My audiologist has done the full set of tests, as well as the REM test of each hearing aid I try. Yes, she is nice, but also thorough and willing to go along with my peculiarities.
The problems I'm finding I don't really see anyone talking about much. The main one is frequency shifting within the hearing aid (which apparently improves speech) and when combined with a vented dome I get a beat frequency (varies ~2Hz - 15Hz) between the direct sound and the amplified sound, which sounds very weird to me. The microwave oven button beep is now a warble. The microwave doesn't matter, but when I whistle or listen to a tuner, a violin, flute, or electric guitar in the higher registers, the timbre becomes rather strange. Perhaps the Phonak active venting will help with that.
Another problem is hearing gaps in the spectrum with in denser rock music as the hearing aid attempts to reduce the noise. I can hear it hunting around turning stuff up and down, like a cymbal that has a normal attack (the initial sound) but then suddenly fades out. Impressive but a bit ruinous for music.
I think those problems are always going to exist, and so for serious music listening, I applied my audiogram to a good quality EQ on my hi-fi setup and listen on normal speakers. The result is very good - much better than trying to set the EQ up by ear as I was doing previously.
In case you're interested here are my thoughts on the Starkey and Oticon hearing aids, and how they compare.
- Using the app (Android) I can adjust or turn off noise cancellation in the Starkeys but not the Oticons. This pretty much rules out Oticon.
- When streaming audio from my phone as well as normal use, I find Oticon sound more natural than Starkey, with much better bass (especially with closed vents).
- My audiologist was unable to turn off frequency shifting on the Starkeys, but admitted she didn't really have any knowledge about that.
- The Oticon Android app is simpler and more intuitive than the Starkey one, and has separate EQ for streaming and the microphones.
- The Starkey app is a bit annoying, having a bunch of options that interact with each other in peculiar ways, and the controls alter both direct sound and streamed audio, which pretty much rules them out for me too.
- Starkey bluetooth is more reliable than Oticon, but still a bit flakey. But then, who ever heard of reliable bluetooth?
- I get a lot of "head noise" with the Oticons, like scratchy noises when I wiggle my ears or smile. The Starkeys didn't suffer from that.
- Notwithstanding all the above, the tech in both of them is pretty amazing and my understanding of speech has skyrocketed.
I hope you find this info useful for when the next "audio guy" comes knocking.
@@LinzDubNZ do you have a music program set up in the devices you are trying? Music programs typically get rid of any feedback cancellation and turn off any noise suppression. They will also likely have a more flat response to the music. The Phonak's have an auto music program but their switching is not as consistent for music as I would like. I appreciate your feedback!
I am curious about the differences between the I70 and I90 models. So far I have not seen anyone address them.
Working on a video now!
How did they sound compared to the others?
They have a pretty awesome sound quality compared to their predecessor and in sphere mode, it’s even better!
I will be getting my new set of the Infineo Sphere next week, I'll let you know if they live up the hype.
I’ll look forward to it!
Have you noticed they don’t automatically pair to a Bluetooth desk phone if you leave a room then return to your desk?
I have no noticed that yet with a desk phone. However, with a cell phone it should automatically pick it back up, so I would assume it should be the same. Maybe when working with the desk phone, try turning your bluetooth off on the cell phone (if you use one) and see if that helps. While it's not ideal, it will help give me some insight on how to help.
@ I was thinking the same idea. I will give that a try and let you know how it goes.
@@markhodgkinson151 Sounds good, let us know!
Unfortunately the Phonak audeo sphere failed to reconnect with the Yealink t54w Bluetooth desk phone when my client returned to her desk. Her JLab headset, her Jabra headset and her spare Bluetooth earbuds from Amazon all reconnect to her desk phone if she leaves then returns to her desk.
@@markhodgkinson151 I wonder if she has too many things paired to the yealink phone?
Which hearing aide do you recommend for noisy environments?
Phonak Infinio Sphere 90
Starkey Edge AI 24
Oticon Intent 1
How about giving an in depth narrative on how to use the phonak my app with each feature
That's a great idea!
Great video sir.
Thank you!
I tried the Infinio Sphere and found they had an unnatural sound compared to my Widex Moment when playing acoustic guitar. The sound was warbled and distorted. They were returned.
Thank you for the feedback. That is great to know! One piece of advice I give every patient is that you should always be fit using real ear measure. That way each device can be fit to your exact prescriptive needs and ear, and that way you can also have a direct comparison.
The warble comes from the feedback suppression which is easy to turn off. Surprised your audiologist didn't know about this.
You sound almost as skeptical as I am. I’m 67 and I’ve worked in technology all my life. I have a realistic view what to expect from technology. Most of it is hype. I’m pondering my first hearing aids. I would like to believe some of this hype, but so much of it appears to be marketing. Put me in a test group with these things and I’ll give you some real world feedback. I’m not parting with $5000+ until I know that the things will actually do what they say they will.
Hi @tristramstout8988 - This video was recorded before I had fit any of the new devices. After fitting most of my patients are very well pleased. Some even offering the comment that they are so much clearer than they previous technology before walking out of the office for the first time wearing them. Claims are big, real world performance and speech in noise testing will prove them. Initial testing is great and as long as patients get benefit from them we're happy. My advice to you is not to wait for "the next best thing". There is always the next best thing coming. If you truly have a hearing loss it is worth your time not to wait. The effects of untreated hearing loss are more difficult to address the longer you wait. The technology is good now! There will always be something better in the future. You can always upgrade. Whatever you do, make sure your hearing technology is fit using Real Ear Measure to a prescriptive target such as NAL-NL2 so you can get maximum benefit!
Thank you!
You're welcome!
Soooo much better without the music.
Glad we could help!
Gee. Someone bitter? This doesn’t sound like it’s a well balanced review at all. Just your opinion.
Thank you for the feedback. I like to operate with some skepticism around claims made by the manufacturer. I hope it didn't come across as too bitter!
I guess you enjoy being negative and a doubter. I've read over 30 reviews and yours's is by far the one that makes me believe that you're on the take from another manufacturer.
I shot the video before I had the devices! I am always skeptical of manufacturer claims, especially when they are touting it as such a game changer. However, I will say, after real world testing and speech in noise testing it is definitely doing some great things in noise. Sphere mode is awesome and it regularly improves patient's scores in noise by large amounts.
@frankdesomma5421 I shot the video before I had the devices! I am always skeptical of manufacturer claims, especially when they are touting it as such a game changer. However, I will say, after real world testing and speech in noise testing it is definitely doing some great things in noise. Sphere mode is awesome and it regularly improves patient's scores in noise by large amounts
Well, we see that out the gate, your a skeptic. Fine, now let's see you try them out and we'll see how "unbiased" you are in the review...
I am a skeptic of any new claims. I do have a more real world review that I'm working on from some initial speech in noise testing and patient review.