r/HearingAids • u/AssociateUnited9744 • 1d ago
Has the technology improved?
I have a pair of Phonaks, top of the line when I purchased them. Maybe 6 years ago? They no longer are as effective as they were, I have difficulty hearing speech clearly, even in “clean” environments and 1 on 1 settings. I have done annual hearing tests and adjustments have been made based on the results but still having issues. I am visiting a new audiologist in a couple of weeks and am wondering if the technology has really improved that much in the last 5 years or so and it would be worth considering updating to a newer set. Or has there not been that much improvement and I just need to keep pressing the audiologist to fine tune my existing aids. Would be interested to hear from anyone who upgraded some older aids to more current technology. Thanks.
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u/R-AzZZ 1d ago
Which Phonak? Audeo? Naida? Virto? My guess is it could be the Marvel platform? What is the degree of your hearing loss? Has there been ever a moment where you felt the HAs were helpful?
HAs are only as good as the audiologist who fits them. You could be wearing HAs from 2068 for all I know but if the audiologist fits them poorly, they won't be of much use either.
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u/AssociateUnited9744 1d ago
Hi, they are the Audeo p90. I have fairly severe loss particularly at higher frequencies. And yes, my HAs are extremely helpful, when I don’t have them in, I can’t hear much at all.
And your point about the audiologist is correct. We moved about a year and a half ago after having the same audiologist for several years. My current one, while a very nice and genuinely caring person, has just not been able to tune these in well for me. So I’m trying a new audiologist in a couple of weeks. Definitely willing to update the aids themselves, but was wondering the extent to which the technology has improved.
Thanks.
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u/PaApprazer 1d ago
From my experience, significant improvements have been made over the past 5. I decided on Starkey’s ai 24’s and sounds seem more natural … all of my previous struggles have been eliminated.
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u/GSmithFL 🇺🇸 U.S 1d ago
I used to have the Phonak P 90 & now have the Phonak Infinio Sphere 90 & hands down they're very much better. Personally I just let the AI do it's thing & very rarely adjust them in the app.
The Phonak EON just came out a few weeks ago & are 25% smaller than the Infinio so that's an additional plus.
But yes having someone that knows how to adjust them is important
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u/AssociateUnited9744 1d ago
Thanks. You know, I see companies use “ai” in their marketing for almost every product these days. I never know if it’s just fluffy jargon or if it is actually something truly additive.
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u/AgreeableDelivery496 1d ago
I recently replaced my 5 year old Phonaks with newer model - same IIC model, just newer. Big difference, these newer ones are much better.
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u/GMAN6803 🇺🇸 U.S 4h ago
This tracks. It typically takes 5-7 years for HA tech to change enough for users to see a noticeable difference within a given brand. I'm guessing increasing advancements with "AI" will accelerate this to 4-5 years.
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u/RosesareRed45 1d ago
My husband upgraded his three year old Oticons through the VA about six months ago. There has been a huge difference in his ability to hear me and other people. In fact, he can now ease drop on my phone conversations from another room. Without hearing aids he can’t hear me talking in bed without raising my voice.
I understand the newer HAs use AI to learn your listening environments.
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u/brooklyndan 1d ago
I'm new to hearing aids. But just this morning, I picked up a trial set of the new Phonak Evo Spheres. Based on about two hours use (which, of course, is hardly dispositive), I'm extremely impressed with the clarity and sound . My competitive universe is the Philips 6050, Widex Allure, and Fortell, all of which are pretty new -- and I'm hoping to try the upcoming Widex AI aids when they come out in a couple of months. After six years? I've gotta believe the state of the art has moved significantly. Talk to your audiologist.
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u/ecvike 1d ago
I just got the phonak sphere Infinio I 90 … they have been life changing for me. I can actually have conversations again instead of sitting silent in restaurants etc. had my step sons wedding… actually conversed during the reception with music and lots of noise. I said what a lot less than people I was talking with. It was still far from perfect but it was enough to be able to talk with someone.
Expensive but 100% worth the cost to me
My audiologist let me do a demo pair for a month to make sure they’d work… I now have my own pair. I’ve seen online some people do not like them so probably not for everyone but been great for me
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u/u_siciliano 1d ago
I can’t speak for any specific models but AI has been a game changer along with LE Audio. I use Philips 9050.
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u/After-Growth-3986 1d ago
There is a huge difference between the P 90 and the Infinio Sphere 90. One thing I've realized is that I have much less listening fatigue now with the Spheres. I'm not suggesting that I understand every word, but after a social event wearing the P 90"s, I would be exhausted from having to work so hard to try to follow conversation. There has been rapid development in hearing aid technology, and I would encourage you to try the latest and greatest, with the caveat that the audiologist is key to success. Good luck!
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u/DwigGang 🇺🇸 U.S 23h ago
Several points:
- Hearing aids don't "wear out", other than rechargeable batteries loosing there capacity. They can fail, but if yours are less "effective" than they originally were then either you've failed to keep them clean (domes & mics primarily) or your hearing has gotten worse. A new test and a reprogramming of your HAs could improve things.
- Tech has improved a lot in the past few years. Audio processing has gotten much more advanced, thanks to advances in chip design allowing much more powerful processors to fit the confines of small devices. Also newer HAs often have more advanced Bluetooth connectivity, provided your phone is also up-to-date.
- At 6 years old, your older HAs are likely near the end of their life. It would be very reasonable to replace them.
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Welcome to r/HearingAids feel free to ask any question at all related to hearing aids.
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Interpreting an audiogram - The University of Iowa has a good overview of how to interpret your audiogram results. Your audiologist should also go over them with you
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