@Abarsanti, @jeffpa, how long after you placed your order did the Spheres ship? I ordered the Graphite Gray, which I thought would be a common color choice, but I wonder if color choice affects order time.
My audi was very understanding about ordering online and my financial reasons for doing so: insurance coverage not renewed yet, my wife, an MD, essentially paying for my splurge (and grudgingly so!). My audi is happy to make molds for me but prefers I send the HAs back to Direct Hearing for warranty issues.
From my Lumity trial in early 2023, I have some experience with Phonak. Still, I found the following two free Audiology Online courses very helpful in getting me up to speed now. I recommend the courses for even ordinary users of the Spheres or Infinios as well as DIYers to help understand your hearing options and what can be controlled in the MyPhonak app vs. what you need to ask your HCP to change. Yes, there is the usual self-promotion you find in any Audiology Online course from any HA OEM about how great their particular brand of HA is, but there is A LOT of really useful information in both courses.
For example, some people have claimed that Stereo Zoom went away with the Spheres. No, it hasn’t. Even in Spheric Speech in Loud Noise, there is directionality, and the default value can be set in Target, but the user can also control the amount of directionality and the amount of noise reduction in the MyPhonak app.
You must register for a free account at Audiology Online to take courses. You don’t have to be a professional HCP and you only pay for a course if you are and want Continuing Education credit (CEUs). To register, click the JOIN NOW button in the upper right at the following web page: https://www.audiologyonline.com/
Audiology Online courses that have been previously given will be available for ON DEMAND viewing (a recorded video with PDF course handout downloads). You may find the same course listed under different numbers representing for instance, the most recent past time it was offered and some near future time it is to be offered again. If you want to search for all the courses that Phonak has to offer, you can start with this URL: Audiology CEUs | All Courses | AudiologyOnline. For other OEMs, substitute their name for phonak in the URL, e.g., put in oticon, starkey, resound, signia, etc. Or go to the following Audiology Online URL and pick the OEM from the dropdown (or start typing the name in the dropdown box): Audiology CEUs | All Courses | AudiologyOnline.
I tried to input the above URLs as plain text so any reader could see what they are, but the HT Discourse web software on this forum reads the page title and substitutes that. If you copy the links into a plain text editor like Notepad in Windows, you can read the straight URL (or just paste the link into your browser URL locator and don’t hit ENTER).
The first course is a little obsolete in that it only covers Phonak development up through the Lumity. However, it’s still very relevant in discussing the various AutoSense programs and the adjustable features in each and whether the user can control any feature in MyPhonak or needs their HCP to do so. Hopefully, an updated version to cover the Spheres and Target 10.0 will be released soon.
Phonak Target Software: Flexibility Meets Expertise | 42918 | Hearing (audiologyonline.com)
(although the course date is 10/28/24, it’s already been given before and available for ON DEMAND viewing to registered folks. Although it discusses how Target fitting software works, it reviews important aspects of the different AutoSense programs, what’s only controlled in Target and what the user can control in MyPhonak: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and still very relevant to the Infinio line and the Spheres).
The second course is more of a promo for the Infinio line and the Sphere in particular, but it brings the user up to date on what’s changed between the Lumity and the Infinio lines. In particular, it discusses the controls for Spheric Speech in Loud Noise and the control options.
Welcome to a New ERA | 39815 | Hearing Aids - (audiologyonline.com)
Taking both courses strongly boosted my enthusiasm for buying the Spheres. There’s a lot of power and options built into Phonak HAs. (can’t find the right words here; take the courses and see for yourself).