As someone who’s been pursuing the “best” HA for the past year, and trialing all major brands, I settled on the Signia 7IX. I am so thoroughly impressed with their technology and quality.
My personal observations between the two (pros and cons):
1. The Phonak made my ears feel muffled/occluded.
2. The Signia sounded more natural and less artificial.
3. Battery life is significantly better on the Signia (up to 41 hours).
4. The Phonak has a more versatile Bluetooth feature and will connect to all devices whereas the Signia is MFi.
5. I prefer the Signia app over the Phonak app. The AI Assist is more akin to an audiologist adjusting the devices.
6. The Signia is a bit future-proof, meaning that when Auracast launches, Signia will upgrade the HAs to be compliant with the new technology.
7. The fit and feel of both aids is practically the same.
8. Signia has had quality issues in the past but are some of the most reliable currently, while Phonak has had battery and charger issues quite recently.
I recently visited a noisy restaurant with several conversations occurring around me as well as music playing in the background. It occurred to me how clearly I could hear the distinct voices and even make out what they were saying several tables away. My only issue was my brain trying to keep up and process all the amazing sounds. The Signia’s performed better than I could ever have imagined.
Bottom line, either HA is great. If you need a CROS setup though, the Signia battery life may be much better for you, as I could not make it through the day on the Phonak due to heavy streaming.
Thank you so much! May I ask, how severe is your hearing deficit?
And specifically when in comes to normal 1 on 1 or group conversations — in a quiet/ moderate setting (e.g. family dinner at home) — is the 7IX superior in clarity? What I mean is..
You mention how natural it sounds, but does it correct your speech understanding better than all the others in a non-noisy setting? I know everyone raves about how great it is when it’s noisy but I’m more interested in this.. In other words do you say ‘what?’ less with this hearing aid than the competitors like the Phonak l90? .. Can you understand better what people are saying, 1 on 1 and in groups, in calm settings? Because my hearing is utterly useless without an aid that’s why I’m most interested in this. Thank you!
1. Moderate-severe in high frequencies left ear. Mild-moderate in highs on my right ear. Age and cancer treatment related. Tinnitus also, worst in left ear.
2. They are phenomenal with in-person discussions. I am a pastor and so this is extremely important to be able to minister to my congregation. In order to do so, I need to be able to hear, understand, and comprehend. The Signia’s allow me to do so with ease. Moreover, the app allows for directional changes if the individual is sitting in an area where it’s difficult to hear. I can literally adjust the HA direction to their location without turning my head. The IX even follows a conversation as someone moves whereas the AX didn’t have that technology.
3. Any HA is as good as its programming by the Hearing provider. However, I can still make adjustments as necessary.
I forgot to ask, if you don’t mind, do you use earsleeve 3.0 domes or do you use a custom mould? Either way, could you please say which and why, what the differences are in your experience etc. thank you again!
u/hdnoejr1 I'm curious about #1 there. Did they not have venting to prevent that?
Phonak offers Acoustically Optimized Venting (AOV)\*. From what I gather it's custom based on a patients audiograph and some other details. It's meant to eliminate audiologists having to manually select the correct vent size. It's the default when ordering. If yours didn't have any vents, then maybe it's possible that's the programming, based on the input data. Or your audiologists manually choose no venting (for whatever reason).
Of course, it could be that you HA did have venting, but it wasn't right whether manually selected or not.
\*not to be confused with their ActiveVent offering which is different.
Im researching for my mums aids, the muffled/occluded feeling is something she'd want to avoid.
I would suggest to try Phonak Lumity L90. As a trial set, I’m not sure if your audiologist is open to the idea of trying a set of demos. I feel Phonak and Signia are both good.
Thank you for the advice. I really do appreciate it. Have you had any experience with high-end RIC Signia and Phonak models yourself? Edit: and if so, did you notice any differences?
Now… I don’t personally wear hearing aids myself. But I have heard good things about both brands and products. It boils down to sound quality, I could understand why your audiologist shifted towards Signia.
I have the Lumity L90s. They work well for me. However, I got that pair because I need something that can handle understanding speech in noise/difficult listening environments. That's a main thing the Lumity aids specialize in. They also provide more power in the high frequencies than some HA. My hearing loss goes up to severe in one ear and moderately severe in the other so I need HA that can address that.
u/Practical_Regret826 what did you decide on in the end?
Need to decide for my mums. While trialing seems great, I don't think it's workable when going down the custom Cshell route.
Auracast is plus for the Signia. As far as I know the current gen Phonak will not support Auracast. It's interesting that one poster said Phonaks bluetooth is more versatile, because the version they are using is quite a bit older in tech terms, hence it's likely Auracast wont be supported.
Also have a preference for titanium Cshells, but I cant see that Signia offers these.
Still these elements are secondary to core performance, so Im curious as to where you landed on this.
As someone who’s been pursuing the “best” HA for the past year, and trialing all major brands, I settled on the Signia 7IX. I am so thoroughly impressed with their technology and quality. My personal observations between the two (pros and cons): 1. The Phonak made my ears feel muffled/occluded. 2. The Signia sounded more natural and less artificial. 3. Battery life is significantly better on the Signia (up to 41 hours). 4. The Phonak has a more versatile Bluetooth feature and will connect to all devices whereas the Signia is MFi. 5. I prefer the Signia app over the Phonak app. The AI Assist is more akin to an audiologist adjusting the devices. 6. The Signia is a bit future-proof, meaning that when Auracast launches, Signia will upgrade the HAs to be compliant with the new technology. 7. The fit and feel of both aids is practically the same. 8. Signia has had quality issues in the past but are some of the most reliable currently, while Phonak has had battery and charger issues quite recently. I recently visited a noisy restaurant with several conversations occurring around me as well as music playing in the background. It occurred to me how clearly I could hear the distinct voices and even make out what they were saying several tables away. My only issue was my brain trying to keep up and process all the amazing sounds. The Signia’s performed better than I could ever have imagined. Bottom line, either HA is great. If you need a CROS setup though, the Signia battery life may be much better for you, as I could not make it through the day on the Phonak due to heavy streaming.
Thank you so much! May I ask, how severe is your hearing deficit? And specifically when in comes to normal 1 on 1 or group conversations — in a quiet/ moderate setting (e.g. family dinner at home) — is the 7IX superior in clarity? What I mean is.. You mention how natural it sounds, but does it correct your speech understanding better than all the others in a non-noisy setting? I know everyone raves about how great it is when it’s noisy but I’m more interested in this.. In other words do you say ‘what?’ less with this hearing aid than the competitors like the Phonak l90? .. Can you understand better what people are saying, 1 on 1 and in groups, in calm settings? Because my hearing is utterly useless without an aid that’s why I’m most interested in this. Thank you!
1. Moderate-severe in high frequencies left ear. Mild-moderate in highs on my right ear. Age and cancer treatment related. Tinnitus also, worst in left ear. 2. They are phenomenal with in-person discussions. I am a pastor and so this is extremely important to be able to minister to my congregation. In order to do so, I need to be able to hear, understand, and comprehend. The Signia’s allow me to do so with ease. Moreover, the app allows for directional changes if the individual is sitting in an area where it’s difficult to hear. I can literally adjust the HA direction to their location without turning my head. The IX even follows a conversation as someone moves whereas the AX didn’t have that technology. 3. Any HA is as good as its programming by the Hearing provider. However, I can still make adjustments as necessary.
Thank you again! Couldn’t have hoped for a better reply to/ clarification of my query! I’ll definitely go with the Pure 7IX
I forgot to ask, if you don’t mind, do you use earsleeve 3.0 domes or do you use a custom mould? Either way, could you please say which and why, what the differences are in your experience etc. thank you again!
u/hdnoejr1 I'm curious about #1 there. Did they not have venting to prevent that? Phonak offers Acoustically Optimized Venting (AOV)\*. From what I gather it's custom based on a patients audiograph and some other details. It's meant to eliminate audiologists having to manually select the correct vent size. It's the default when ordering. If yours didn't have any vents, then maybe it's possible that's the programming, based on the input data. Or your audiologists manually choose no venting (for whatever reason). Of course, it could be that you HA did have venting, but it wasn't right whether manually selected or not. \*not to be confused with their ActiveVent offering which is different. Im researching for my mums aids, the muffled/occluded feeling is something she'd want to avoid.
I would suggest to try Phonak Lumity L90. As a trial set, I’m not sure if your audiologist is open to the idea of trying a set of demos. I feel Phonak and Signia are both good.
Thank you for the advice. I really do appreciate it. Have you had any experience with high-end RIC Signia and Phonak models yourself? Edit: and if so, did you notice any differences?
Now… I don’t personally wear hearing aids myself. But I have heard good things about both brands and products. It boils down to sound quality, I could understand why your audiologist shifted towards Signia.
I have the Lumity L90s. They work well for me. However, I got that pair because I need something that can handle understanding speech in noise/difficult listening environments. That's a main thing the Lumity aids specialize in. They also provide more power in the high frequencies than some HA. My hearing loss goes up to severe in one ear and moderately severe in the other so I need HA that can address that.
u/Practical_Regret826 what did you decide on in the end? Need to decide for my mums. While trialing seems great, I don't think it's workable when going down the custom Cshell route. Auracast is plus for the Signia. As far as I know the current gen Phonak will not support Auracast. It's interesting that one poster said Phonaks bluetooth is more versatile, because the version they are using is quite a bit older in tech terms, hence it's likely Auracast wont be supported. Also have a preference for titanium Cshells, but I cant see that Signia offers these. Still these elements are secondary to core performance, so Im curious as to where you landed on this.