A World of Infinite Hearing has Arrived

Every day, it seems like a new technological leap is being broadcast in our news feeds. At times it can be hard to keep up. Hearing aids have seen a similar rate of improvement in recent years. In fact, Phonak just released a brand-new hearing model in August. Read on for an overview of the new platform.

Audéo Infinio

The most significant change Phonak made from the prior generation is a brand-new microchip. This new chip has significantly faster processing speed, with the capacity to perform 7.7 billion operations per second. What does this mean for the wearer? It means that the signal will be clearer and easier to understand. Studies have shown that patients who use Infinio hearing aids perform better on speech understanding tasks while simultaneously expending less listening effort. Importantly, it is able to deliver this incredible processing without a reduction in the 16 hours of rechargeable battery life.

In addition to the new chip, Phonak also made improvements to a lot of their most popular features. For example, the wireless signal is now six times more powerful, meaning fewer dropped calls or other interference. It also allows a wearer to be two times as far away from their phone while maintaining the streaming signal. When switching from an acoustic signal to streaming, or vice versa, the switch will be instantaneous. No more missing speech while the hearing aids transition. The myPhonak app will also now offer a “Find My Hearing Aids” feature. (Please note that this feature is not backwards compatible to older models.)

A lot of premium features have also been shifted downward to more affordable models. For example, Real Ear Sound will now be available at all levels and Speech in Car will now be available at the standard level as well. In essence, the wealth is being spread to all wearers. They will now also all be waterproof, meaning the wearer won’t need to request a specific waterproof model.

Sphere

With its new platform, Phonak has also introduced a model called the Audeo Sphere. It is important to note that the Sphere is only available at the advanced and premium levels. What differentiates the Sphere from the regular Infinios? Well, the Sphere actually has an additional microchip onboard, separate from the ERA chip, which contains a deep neural network. For those unfamiliar, a deep neural network is a form of artificial intelligence. Phonak trained a proprietary artificial intelligence over many years on more than two million different sound samples. It then tested a thousand different deep neural networks and chose the best one to add to the Sphere. The deep neural network is specifically designed to improve the wearer’s ability to hear speech in noisy environments.

Traditionally, manufacturers, including Phonak, addressed speech in noise by narrowing the amplification focus to what was directly in front of the patient. Thus, what was beside and behind the wearer would not be amplified. This worked well to filter out the chaos around the wearer. However, not everyone talking to you is going to be directly in front of you. A server at a restaurant may come up on your right side to check on your meal, for example. If they were not in the beam designated by the hearing aids, their voice would not be amplified, and thus would be harder to hear. So, it fell to the user to turn their head to who they wanted to hear, or miss out. Not a perfect solution.

The Sphere is aptly named because it literally builds an amplified sphere around the patient. It no longer matters where a person is located in relation to the wearer, their voice will be heard. This takes the onus of following the speech signal off of the wearer. And with the speed of the ERA chip, combined with the intelligence of the deep neural network, the noise will still be effectively filtered. In fact, the Sphere is able to improve the signal-to-noise ratio by 10 dB! This is a pretty significant margin. Noisy rooms will no longer be the nemesis they once were.

We understand this can all be a bit overwhelming. Hearing aids are a big learning curve in general, and now terms like deep neural network are being introduced. But know that your local hearing care professional is always there to guide you on the journey. Give them a call to see if Infinio or Sphere are right for you. FBN

By Jeff Lane

Trinity Hearing Center is located at 1330 N. Rim Dr., Suite B in Flagstaff. For more information, visit the website at TrinityHearing.net. Jeff Lane is a doctor of audiology with a passion for improving the lives of others. Dr. Lane may be reached at 928-522-0500 or at audio@trinityhearing.net.