Phonak Audeo Infinio Sphere I90S VERSUS Oticon Intent 1

The Importance of Trial before you Buy

My name is Paul, I’m a 62 years old retired IT professional and I have been wearing hearing aids, supplied by Rob’s practice for the past 7 years. I have mild/medium hearing loss and I initially purchased a set of Phonak Virto 90 invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearing aids from Rob back in 2017. These hearing aids have served me well over the past 7 years but I decided it was time to upgrade them and take advantage of the latest technological advances in hearing aid design.

Before I share my experience, I would like to point out, that I believe the choice of hearing aids comes down to personal preference. What sounds good to one person can sound quite different to another, and what features of the hearing aids you favour is also personal to you. That’s why its important to trial any prospective hearing aids before buying.

So this article is about my experience of trialling and purchase through Rob’s independent practice (RJD Hearing Care), as opposed to going to one of the big national providers like Boots, Specsaver etc. or indeed any other independent audiologist.

I’ve known Rob for 7 years and always found him, his wife May and the rest of the team to be very helpful and welcoming. There is no hard sell from Rob, he genuinely want to help you find the best hearing aid solution that meets your needs.

I started my search last October (2024) and the service I received from Rob and his team was in my view outstanding. I was able to trial the latest releases from both Oticon (Intent 1) and Phonak (Infinio Sphere), which are two of the leading hearing aid manufacturers, for several weeks without any commitment or pressure to buy. This is just something the big national audiologists don’t offer and in my opinion is key to choosing the right hearing aid that suits your needs.

In my search, I was particularly looking for hearing aids that worked well in noisy environments and also had Bluetooth capabilities for streaming audio directly into my ears. I found it very difficult to judge the performance of both hearing aids in noise without having them together, as no two environments are the same. I was able to do this as Rob allowed me to trial both the Oticon and Phonak hearing aids simultaneously, so I could quickly swap between in noisy situation.

Being an ex IT professional, I am very analytical, so I spent many hours researching the two models I had on trial. I also visiting John Lewis and Currys on many occasions in order to test the Bluetooth capabilities on different mobile phones and laptops, often getting strange looks from the shop assistants as I paired my hearing aids with different devices. I also overdosed on night outs with friends and family in noisy restaurants and pubs, much to my wife’s delight, so I could test out the “Speech in Noise” capabilities.

So what were my conclusions? Well for me I couldn’t tell much difference with Speech In Noise between the Oticon Intent and Phonak Infinio Sphere. They both performed well (not perfect but significantly better than my old hearing aids). However, I felt the Oticon were slightly better at sensing the changing in environment and switching to the Speech In Noise mode automatically whereas with the Phonak’s, I sometimes had to force the Phonak’s into that mode using the app on a few occasions. I also found the experience of Bluetooth to be significantly different between the two devices as the Classic Bluetooth used by Phonak was much easier to use than  latest Bluetooth LE Audio used by Oticon. Bluetooth LE Audio is not widely used by many mobile phone and laptop manufacturers, and is limited to certain high end models, so you need to be wary and ensure you have compatible equipment.

Although I found the overall package offered by the Phonak to be better e.g. Bluetooth Classic was easier to use, the Phonak App was impressive with the ability to configure different pre-set programmes to suit your needs and the charger that comes with the Phonak has a built in battery to allow charging on the move. However, for me,  I couldn’t get over the size of the Phonak Infinio Sphere (they are big!) and I felt the Oticon’s were a better more comfortable fit. If you can overcome the issues with Bluetooth LE Audio with the Oticon Intent then I felt the Oticon was easier to use and live with. But again, this is all down to personal preference.

So my advice to anyone thinking of upgrading their hearing aids is to make sure you trial them before buying. I found this service offered from Rob’s practice was second to none. You just won’t get the choice and ability to trial different hearing aids over an extended period with other audiologists. I’ve now had my new Oticon Intent 1 hearing aids for a number of weeks and I’m very happy with my decision.

Paul Thomas