Just started reading this thread, thinking about how the Sphere hearing aid sounded really cool but also “Man, I just can’t get away from anything Sphere related” - so I was highly amused when I saw the thumbnail of this video was of the Sphere building in Vegas.
It’s a great marketing gag, I get it, pairing the Sphere hearing aid with the Sphere venue. But fun fact - unless they’ve dropped the rates since I left, it costs $1 million a day to rent the Sphere venue. That’s just to rent the building, nevermind other production costs to put on a corporate event like this.
Just a little factoid to think about when buying your next hearing aid.
Source: I worked on Sphere the venue for several years.
They also flew in clinicians from across the continent and put them up. The money they are spending on this launch is very visible. However, it’s also hard to miss that they feel they have a real winner this time around, so they must also think it’s worth it. I’ve heard rumbling that what they’ve got is also wrapped up tight in patents so we shouldn’t expect something similar from their competitors for the next five years, but I don’t know how hard it is to make something pretty similar and just smooth-talk that it’s different, so .
Sonova revenue for hearing aids exceeded 3 billion swiss francs in 23/24.
Spending a few million on a launch, which will be a tax write-off, isn’t really anything to worry about.
Besides, it’s nothing compared to what Starkey normally do! Having celebrities and former US Presidents attend their launches is not cheap!
My recent experience confirms to me that the magic in hearing aids is due to the person who sets them up. My old Paradise P90Rs are much better. And future hearing aids will be better still.
I salute those who use their skill and solve problems. They are passionate about what they do. And should be
Cars used to sell better after a race win. When sales were low they added vinyl roofs and white walls. Marvel/Paradise/Lumity.
The image was posted by an audiologist on a German forum as a comparison. At the end is the Audeo Sphere, and next to it is the Audeo Infinio which does not have the Deepsonic chip.
I do not care too much about that AI thing (not much of a partyanimal or having conversations on roundabouts) but I am very happy to see the beefier battery and improved Bluetooth- having slightly larger HAs is an acceptable compromise. Would be nice if Phonak also released a non-AI (cheaper!) model with those improvements but without the AI.
Yes thanks @raylock1
It’s a great video with to the point questions and answers. Some nice interviews of Phonak’s team explaining the insights in an easy to follow way. Recommendable to all interested in the Spheres technique.
“ https://youtu.be/-YQazdJ3Vok?si=x9Q1--dyF79kCVQv “
It seems to me that Infinio Sphere’s rechargeable battery is the same size as disposable 675. If we extrapolate that disposable HA batteries generally last 4 times longer than rechargeables, then disposable 675 version of Sphere will last only 24 hours in AI mode.
This is a download link to the video on Linkedin (Downloads remaining: 28 · Expiration: 13.Sept.2024, 13:01 CET)
Written text:
Laura Bradley Pratesi, Owner at Citrus Hearing Clinic LLC
Revealing the new Phonak Audeo Sphere Infinio 90-R . What are your first impressions?
I don’t know if I’ll ever get bored of looking at the insides of hearing aids! I find it so fascinating to look at the guts of these little super computers that let me hear artificially! We live in amazing times, for sure. Once again I feel my own hearing loss is my super power. I cannot wait for my demos to come so I can test drive a pair myself!
These devices are a little thick to accommodate the two computer chips for the deep neural network. I had a whole playlist running through my head while I was looking at them including “Fat Bottomed Girls”, “All About That Bass” and “Bootylicious”! Which ones did I miss? Should I make a Spotify playlist?
[Video description: Dr. Laura (Au.D.) inspects the guts of a Phonak Sphere Infinio rechargeable hearing aid. The hearing aid body is split open so one can see the internal mechanisms of the hearing aids. Texts boxes pop up during the video, sharing Dr. Laura’s thoughts. “This is one big booty hearing aid!” “New receiver type!” “Love looking at hearing aid guts.” “Color is called “copper” but looks rose-gold to me.” “Four mic ports!” “Lotta junk in the trunk! Need the real estate for 2 computer chips!” All About That Bass by Megan Trainor plays. End transcript.]
If you want a good deal to try the Phonak Sphere go to directhearing.com - they will sell you these hearing aids for 1/2 the price online and they come with the 3 year warranty, 3 year loss and damage they also program them for you, and take care of them for you, the only down side is you have to do everything by mail, or you can get them and buy a service plan from a hearing clinic so much better, Right now sphere I90 for a pair is like 4100.00. Check them out.
In fact, the only reason I would wait to try new hearing aids is to see if solutions come out with xmems. In this article xMEMS Creates Ultra-Tiny Speakers to Power the OTC Hearing Aid Revolution we talk about greater power on high frequencies, and that’s what those with losses like mine need.
I was hoping that Phonak’s novelty would be quests, but apparently that’s not the case
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. What are your first impressions?
