Short video about what I said.
My thesis is that if you have trouble understanding a voice in a quiet environment, the Spheres will have trouble removing noise without cutting into the voice in a very noisy environment. A corollary might be that in any language with distinct syllabic interpretation, the Spheres will do a better job of noise removal because there are bursts of pure noise distinctly between bursts of speech and noise. That’s how classic noise removal works, subtracting out the noise background where there is no speech from the speech and noise stretches. Maybe the Sphere’s DNN has been trained on all sorts of languages, but I’d predict it would do better on languages spoken with gaps in speech sounds. I’m not implying that it hasn’t been trained on Chinese. I’m just implying it does better on clearly enunciated English with the syllables bitten off, “clear, pure,” syllabic tones, etc., rather than gliding in and out of a tone. My wife also says post-nasal drip (allergic reactions) also affects the quality of her speaking voice, giving a certain frogginess to her soft voice.
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Maybe @menglxs has possibility to test the AI in Spheres.
That sounds reasonable. I wonder if the Sphere AI can manage the French language.
I know that it is not tonal, but in my opinion it still has more words that sound as they are merged than English.
Actually, as I spend most of my time in a car in traffic jams or waiting for traffic lights, having a good media system is, in fact, pretty important to me when choosing a car… Being able to accelerate to 300 km/h in ten seconds on a salt plane is definitely less relevant…
I’m curious how well do you comprehend speech at the movies or places of worship with Sphere AI aids? There is no telecoil in the Sphere AI aids, so you cannot use them with an assistive listening system. These systems offer great speech clarity. Is this an issue?
If you search the forum, you’ll find only a small minority of assembly places in the U.S. have telecoil.
There’s always Roger microphones, which are expensive. But there’s also a Sonova (parent compnay of Phonak) Sennheiser device that picks up telecoil and converts it to classic BT that can be streamed to Marvel, Paradise, Lumity, and Infinio HAs.
Using Bluetooth Transmitters with External T-Coil Receivers:
- If you’re attending events where telecoil loops are available, you could consider using an external telecoil receiver connected to a Bluetooth transmitter, such as the Sennheiser BT T100 Bluetooth Audio Transmitter.
- The T-coil receiver picks up the telecoil signal and sends it to the Bluetooth transmitter, which then streams the audio to your Marvel, Paradise, or Lumity hearing aids. Note that this setup may introduce some latency due to Bluetooth transmission.
The Sennheiser BT100 is just a classic BT transmitter. It would require a T-coil device that has an audio output connector compatible with the BT100 audio inputs. A 3.5 mm audio output jack would be one possibility. Here’s a list of devices that might be used with the BT100. All this “stuff” could be plugged in somewhere within the listener’s BT range. Or a Li-ion power pack could power the BT100 (5V, 500 ma current draw).
What T-coil receivers produce an electronic audio output signal?
ChatGPT said:
There are several T-coil receivers that produce an electronic audio output signal, typically via a 3.5mm or other type of audio jack, which can be connected to various audio equipment or Bluetooth transmitters. Here are some options:
- Williams Sound Pocketalker with T-Coil:
- The Pocketalker is an assistive listening device with a built-in T-coil that can pick up audio from induction loops (T-coil systems). It has a 3.5mm audio output jack that can send the audio signal to external devices or accessories.
- This is a portable and user-friendly option that’s commonly used in various settings, including homes and public venues.
- Comfort Duett with T-Coil:
- The Comfort Duett is a personal listening amplifier that has a built-in T-coil receiver. It picks up signals from T-coil systems and outputs audio through a 3.5mm jack.
- This device is compact and can be paired with headphones, neck loops, or other audio accessories.
- Univox Listener:
- The Univox Listener is a T-coil receiver with a 3.5mm output jack that allows it to connect to headphones, earbuds, or external devices.
- It’s designed for picking up audio from induction loop systems in public spaces and is known for its simplicity and reliability.
- Phonak Roger MyLink (Neckloop Receiver):
- Although primarily used as a Roger receiver, the Roger MyLink can also act as a T-coil receiver. It can output audio via its neckloop, which can be connected to hearing aids with T-coil compatibility.
- Note that the MyLink doesn’t have a separate audio-out jack but can indirectly connect to compatible devices via the T-coil output.
- Listen Technologies LR-300 Digital Receiver:
- The LR-300 by Listen Technologies is a more professional-grade assistive listening receiver often used in public venues, like theaters or auditoriums.
- It has both a T-coil pickup option and a 3.5mm output jack, allowing connection to headphones or other audio equipment.
These T-coil receivers are designed to convert T-coil audio signals to an electronic audio output, which you can then connect to other devices like Bluetooth transmitters, headphones, or amplification systems. Make sure that the T-coil receiver you choose has a compatible output type for the intended application.
Interesting, because it almost mimics my own experience. I’ve had Phonak Paradise aids (R90’s, my sixth set of aids !) for about three years and am part-way through a trial of the Sphere Infinio R90’s. The first week in a crowded room I was impressed with the conversation function. There are a couple of minor drawbacks like the additional programs can’t be scrolled direct from the aids rocker switch, they just revert to Automatic. Unless you use the App. But more recently I’ve found others’ voices are slightly muffled, and my own voice sounds like I’m under water. Using the TV Connector produces persistent chirping, particularly with words containing the letter “s”. The audiologist made various adjustments which partly improved the chirping, but not voice quality. But my biggest gripe is with the charging case. I have custom molds which I struggle to fit inside the case each night. I’m pretty sure these will be returned and I’ll wait until Phonak produce a larger charging case before trying them again.
Thanks @jim_lewis. I was talking about FM and IR systems and using a neckloop to t-coil aids. I forgot you can plug a BT transmitter into the FM or IR headphone jacks in the same way you would with a neckloop, although latency and signal strength are not as good.
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I’m currently using P90’s (3+ years) and self programme. I trialed Lumity a few months back, and whilst there was a small improvement, not enough to take the hit. Elected to wait for the next gen which will be early 2025 in my health service.
My point; much of each gen’s hype is just that, hype. Small increments. This time round there is a new word added to the marketing vernacular, “AI”. And early adopters are most prone to the kings new clothes syndrome. I am not in the least bit surprised at your experience, which highlights the rule of change every 2nd generation.
Do please post your ongoing experiences, very helpful, and insightful, especially comparing the two variants.
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Can’t you add 4 (or maybe more) additional programmes in Target? I’ve done that (L90) and I can scroll through them. It’s a lot of long presses though.
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I notice very little useful difference between Marvel, Paradise and Lumity. They all work in the same way regarding Bluetooth, Roger and the App. Still experimenting with Lumity though.
This is an interesting statement.
From reading many phonak experiences on this forum it does make sense. Many are still happy with the KS9 and KS10 aids as well as the M and P Phonaks. These people try the P or L and stay with their older aids.
The L Phonaks have gotten some better reviews here on the forum.
It’s all so difficult to choose when different fitters are involved.
The newest Phonak aids might be a bigger step in improvement. The jury is still out on these. Again the different fitters involved have shown inconsistent results.
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Theorizing, there were lastly two more “bigger steps” compared to “smaller steps” in the evolution of Phonak HAs:
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introducing Marvels with separate second Bluetooth chip in 2018 (correct me if I am wrong)
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introducing Infinio Sphere in 2024.
Regarding many posts here, I think the Paradise (released 2020) were simply refinements of the Bluetooth (2 connected devices at once, merged new one chip) and introducing motion sense - so more evolution than revolution.
The same is true for the Lumity line (from 2022), which honed directivity (StereoZoom 2.0, SpeechSensor), but again - more evolution than revolution, despite some people finding the hearing noticeably better than in the Paradise (to my surprise).
These are just my observations
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I handed back my Lumity trial at the 1st 2 week adjustment visit with only minimal fiddling myself, and that mostly to do with streaming settings. My audiologist wasn’t in the least surprised, back to the P90s, to be called up as soon as the Spheres are authorised in our health service, which I will switch to whatever as the batteries on my P90 are near end of life.
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I’m not sure but I don’t think the Marvels had a separate second Bluetooth Chip. I believe their processor was the “Sword” chip which included Bluetooth. It was built on a notably smaller process size than previous hearing aids. I agree with the rest of your summation although don’t have any experience with the later aids as I have KS9 (based on Marvel)
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You may be right, but my claim is based on that page of brochure:
Source:
Leaflet-Audeo-P_28pp-A4_028-2152-02_LR_PAR0820.pdf (2.2 MB)
I didn’t recall that SWORD was also in Paradise line.
Great source! This link from Whitehat is also interesting. DSP microchip in Phonak? - #2 by WhiteHat
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Yes, if I recall correctly, Lumity was simply a refinement of software and was all about making use of the full potential of PRISM.
Something similar to “tick-tock” doctrine in Intel.
I am curious whay technology process was in PRISM and ERA chips. In SWORD there was 40 nanometers.
I see they claim Audiogram Direct as if it’s Paradise only.
I use it on all my Marvels too. I guess it was just part of the later version of Target. A bit misleading.
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