Swiss hearing aid manufacturer Phonak has recently released its latest platform of hearing aids - Phonak Lumity. This platform follows on from the Paradise platform. The technological developments found in Lumity hearing aids compared to their previous Paradise hearing aids can be grouped into sound improvements, and usability improvements.
Performance of a hearing aid for speech is of course the primary focus of hearing aids. While other features, including connectivity to devices such as phones and televisions are also important, these tend to be secondary to whether the device provides the user with good hearing for general communication.
With Lumity, Phonak has focused on ‘illuminating speech understanding’ and has made a number of improvements to support this. They have introduced a new version of their automatic program - Autosense OS 5.0. This automatic program is based on artificial intelligence incorporating machine learning. It scans the environment 700 times per second and uses over 200 unique setting combinations of different feature settings. Phonak Lumity also introduces SmartSpeech Technology, enabling these hearing aids to focus more narrowly on the speech in front of you in very noisy environments. You can even adjust how narrow the focus is through the MyPhonak app.
Phonak Lumity, also provides greater recognition to the fact that speech does not always come from in front of you. They have introduced SpeechSensor which allows the hearing aid to locate speech that may be coming from a direction other than from the front by exchanging information between your two hearing aids. Based on this information the hearing aids will focus in the direction of the loudest speech source to ensure the best speech understanding in noise for that situation. There have been a number of other improvements to features such as wind block and Phonak’s health tracker - available in all levels of technology rather than being limited to just the premium and advanced ranges.
Phonak reports that their new and improved features, combined with their existing features such as dynamic noise cancellation, gives a 15% improved speech understanding in noise and reduces a person’s listening effort by 11% when compared to Phonak Paradise hearing aids.
What does all this mean for you as the wearer of these hearing aids? It means that the Phonak Lumity does a better job of adapting to the noise and speech in your environment and provides you with a better awareness of speech occurring around you.
Additionally, there have also been improvements in the frequency bandwidth (range of sounds) that are processed for hands free streaming to help with better streaming of phone calls.
It is important to be aware that the benefit you get from the new features in Phonak Lumity hearing aids may vary depending on whether you use one hearing aid or two, your individual hearing profile and your circumstances. If you would like to know what the benefits might be for you personally or what level of technology is appropriate for your hearing needs, we recommend making an appointment to discuss this with us.
In addition to an already solid list of improvements, Phonak Lumity is easier to use compared to Phonak Paradise hearing aids. How so?
The buttons on these hearing aids have been adjusted to make them easier to feel for those that would prefer to make changes to their volume or program using onboard controls rather than using the smartphone app.
New chargers have also been introduced which use magnetic retention and lids which are easier to open and close. This not only makes putting the devices in chargers easier but also reduces the metal contacts on the chargers that can be prone to breakage.
The new Phonak Lumity aids at this stage are available in the Audeo range which is the Receiver In the Canal models (RIC). There are three different models. The Audeo L-R, the Audeo L-RT which also includes a telecoil and the Audeo L-RL which is a water resistant version. It also comes in four different technology levels - the Audeo L 30, Audeo L 50, Audeo L 70 and Audeo L90. They are only available in rechargeable models at the moment with no disposable battery options.
If you are interested in the Phonak Audeo Lumity range of hearing aids and would like to find out what advantages they might have for you over your current hearing aids, or where to start if you have not had hearing aids before, please contact us to secure your hearing aid discussion appointment by calling 1800 157 429 or contact us online.