Phonak I90R Infinio Sphere
“Phonak say this about their Sphere Infinio hearing aids:
“Step into the world of Phonak: powered by artificial intelligence (AI). A world where noise is no longer a barrier. Take on new adventures that inspire you to live without boundaries. Experience the limitless future.”
Who thinks of this stuff?
First impressions
The Spheres are larger than Phonak’s previous model, the Lumity.
Sphere on the left. One of my Lumities on the right. The spacing of the squares is centimetres.
The increase in size is to accommodate a second chip, the AI processor.
Why are they called Sphere?
They are called Sphere because they have a program called Spheric speech in loud noise. This is the feature that sets the Sphere Infinios apart from the standard Infinios and other hearing aids. The idea is that when this program is active, the aids detect speech from all around your head, not just from in front of your face. At the same time, background noise is suppressed to increase the clarity of speech.
The feature is built into the automatic program, so it should switch on if you enter an environment where it would be useful. I set it up as a separate program because in Automatic it isn’t possible to tell if it is switched on.
The Spheric program works. Speech is enhanced and background noise is suppressed. I tried the program in a noisy shop environment. Background noise was reduced, and voices had increased clarity. A problem was that the aids enhanced voices around the place that I didn’t particularly want to be able to hear. Used in a car, the engine noise was subdued, and I could clearly hear the voice of my passenger.
The program is not without its issues:
- There is an artificiality to sounds when it is switched on. The clarity of speech is enhanced, but sibilants (‘s’ sounds), are exaggerated. Some voices, particularly those in the higher register, can sound somewhat piercing.
- It enhances speech, but also some other sounds as well. In a car, for instance, the clicking of the indicators is exaggerated to the point of distraction. I wouldn’t want to use the program in a car, preferring to use the Speech in car program.
- The shell of Sphere Infinios is larger than Infinios without the Spheric function.
The functionality of the Spheric program is powered by a second processor. To accommodate the processor and probably a larger battery to power it, the body of the aids is made bigger.
- When the program is in use the aids use more battery power. If it is used all the time, they do not last a whole day. A second charge is required part way through the day.
What are they like to wear?
I was concerned about the size of Spheres, but they sat reasonably comfortably behind my ears. They taper towards the top, leaving just about enough space for the arms of my spectacles. I had to take care to make sure that the aids and my glasses were seated behind my ears properly to minimise contact noises.
I got used to them after a while and forgot that I was wearing them.
What is the charger like?
The charger is compact, with a USB C socket and a lid. Inserting and removing the aids is easy enough.
It has an internal battery, which provides three days charging of the aids. The USB socket emits a faint green light when it is powered, but there is no light when the charger is charging the aids on its internal battery. It can be left on a bedside table charging the aids with no light showing.
The aids need about three hours to be fully charged. The lid conceals the lights on the aids that flash when they are charging.
Are they easy to use?
Full control of the aids is possible using the MyPhonak app on a smartphone. It is easy to use and has a comprehensive set of functions, including program and volume change, a graphic equaliser, mute, speech focus and battery level. There is a Health feature that I haven’t used.
Volume and program changes can be made using the buttons on the aids. They are of the up/down rocker type.
Notification of changes is made by a series of beeps. The volume change beeps make a different sound to indicate the central position.
Program identification is made by remembering how many beeps are associated with each program, which can be confusing unless you are using the app.
What different programs are available?
The Automatic program worked well. I used it most of the time. I also used the Music program. Other programs are available including Speech in Noise, Lecture and Comfort.
What do they sound like?
Ideally, hearing aids shouldn’t sound like anything. They should just unobtrusively help you to hear better. Phonak Spheres come close to that ideal. They sound so natural that most of the time I leave them on their Automatic program and forget about them.
What are they like for listening to music?
The only time that I change program on the Spheres is when I am listening to music (not streaming). The sound of music with the aids set to Automatic is good, but the Music program sounds better. There is a slight smearing of the treble when listening through hi-fi speakers, but upper frequency clarity is improved if the Whistle Block Feedback Manager is turned off. In this setting I expected the aids to feed back, but the Spheres don’t. Feedback might be an issue if your audiological prescription requires a lot of gain.
What are they like for streaming?
Most hearing aids use Bluetooth Low Energy for streaming, but Phonak aids use standard (classic) Bluetooth. They will pair with, and stream from, most Bluetooth enabled devices.
Because they don’t use Bluetooth Low Energy, they do not have LE Audio, which some say is the future of streaming for hearing aids, earbuds and headphones.
Phone calls
Hands-free phone calls are possible, with the aids acting as both microphone and speaker. Calls can be answered by a double tap on your right ear. It takes a bit of getting used to, but the system works well.
Music streaming
I listened to several high-resolution tracks. The sound of streamed music was good. Undemanding tracks such as Maddy Prior singing Who Would True Valour See sounded excellent.
Listening to more demanding stuff such as piano music or Free’s All Right Now isn’t the same experience a listening to Hi-Fi speakers, but it’s not bad. Deep bass lacks body, though.
The sound of a piano is a test for any sound system. One of my test pieces is Joshua Rifkin playing Scott Joplin’s Solace. With the Spheres the piano sounded a bit tinkly, lacking resonance and soul. Worth a listen, but there are better ways of listening to solo piano music.
Music streaming can be stopped and started by a double tap on the left ear. Stopping Music works well but starting it again can be a bit hit-and-miss.
Windows PC
Phonak aids can be used as both an output and input on Bluetooth equipped Windows PCs. They act as both the speakers and a microphone. They can be used for VoIP phone calls using a softphone app or a paired mobile, and for Zoom calls and Teams meetings.
TV
The Spheres paired to our TV without the need for an intermediate device.
The sound quality was good. I tried listening in two ways, firstly with the TV speakers off and then with them on.
With the TV speakers off the sound and video synchronisation was good. It would be a useful feature if you wanted to watch TV by yourself without disturbing others.
With the TV speakers on, the two sound sources were out of sync. There was an echo effect that I couldn’t eliminate.
Phonak sell an intermediate device for connecting the aids to TVs which might eliminate the echo effect.
Conclusion
The Spheres are excellent hearing aids. They sounded bright at first, but that is probably an indication that they are doing their job properly. Sounds such as birds singing are bright and clear. Clarity of speech in noise is very good even without the Spheric function activated. Their performance is generally better than my Lumities.
The range of the Bluetooth function has been increased. With the Spheres I can leave my phone in my bedroom and listen to streamed music and answer phone calls in other rooms.
The Spheric function works well. It is a useful function in a noisy environment where you want to be able to clearly hear what people around you are saying.
Pros:
- Superb sound quality
- Easy to control using buttons or app
- Good quality streamed sound
- Universal Bluetooth connectivity
- Charger has an internal battery for charging away from power point
Cons:
- The body of the aids is relatively large
- The battery will not last a full day if the Spheric function is used all the time
- No LE Audio
FHJ
