Phonak Audeo Lumity

Launched in August 2022, Audéo Lumity is latest flagship hearing aid from Phonak. The successor to the popular Audéo Paradise, Lumity is the first to run on AutoSense OS™ 5.0, and delivers new speech enhancement and directional microphone features that aim to deliver better speech clarity—especially in background noise. Let’s take a look at some of the key features of the product in more detail.

Who Makes Lumity?

Lumity is made by Phonak, a Swiss hearing aid brand founded in 1947 and thought to be the largest among the “Big 5” global hearing aid brands. Phonak is part of the Sonova Group which includes Unitron, Lyric, and makes Audicus and Costco Kirkland Signature 10.0 hearing aids among others. They also own retail channels such as Connect Hearing and Hearing Planet and even manufacture Advanced Bionic cochlear implants.

Who is it for?

You might be interested in Lumity if you’re looking for:

• Better hearing in noise: The Lumity product line is geared toward people who are seeking easier communication in diverse listening environments.
• Rechargeability: All Lumity models have rechargeable options.
• Connectivity: Lumity offers hands-free connectivity for both Apple^® iOS and Android™ phones, with tap controls for the top two technology tiers (90 and 70), and it supports up to 8 pairings and 2 active connections.
• Fitness/health tracking: All Audéo models have some fitness tracking, including step count, wearing time, activity levels, distance walked and ran, and optional goal setting via the MyPhonak app, as well as the ability to connect remotely with your provider.
• Accessories: Although they generally cost extra, the Phonak Roger line offers one of the best selections of remotes, remote mics, and TV accessories.
• Stylish Slim option: Lumity Slim is designed to look more like a high-tech communication device than a hearing aid. With a distinct left and right design, the hearing aids feature a unique 7° angle for a contoured fit behind the ear, even for those who wear glasses (see video below).
• Covers most hearing losses and needs: Good for a very wide range of hearing losses. Lumity Sky, Naída, and CROS have recently been added to cater to the special needs of kids, more severe losses, and one-sided (unilateral) hearing losses, respectively.

Pros and Cons

Product Form Factors and Technology Tiers

Phonak Lumity comes in Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) and Behind-the-Ear (BTE) hearing aid styles. The major difference between RIC and BTE hearing aids is the receiver (speaker) location. In RIC hearing aids, the receiver sits inside the ear canal and is connected to the main body of the device by a flexible wire. With BTE aids, the receiver is encased with all the other electronic parts behind the ear. In general, BTE hearing aids can provide more powerful volume levels and are suitable for more severe hearing losses, while RICs can give a more natural sound, especially for your own voice.

Phonak Audéo Lumity RIC hearing aids

Audéo Lumity hearing aids are available in 5 Receiver-In-Canal (RIC) models, including:

• Audéo L-R = Rechargeable RIC, no telecoil, push button
• Audéo L-RT = Rechargeable RIC, telecoil, push button
• Audéo L-RL = Rechargeable RIC, waterproof, no telecoil, push button
• Audéo L-312 = RIC with size 312 disposable battery, push button
• Lumity Slim = Rechargeable RIC with elongated form factor, no telecoil, push button
• Lumity CROS = Rechargeable RIC for single-sided hearing loss, push button

All Lumity RICs come with an IP68 rating. The Audéo L-RL (aka, Lumity Life) has additional features, such as the absence of charging contacts, that help improve its resistance to moisture. An IP68 rating means these aids should withstand dust, dirt, and sand and are resistant to submersion up to a maximum depth of 1.5m (about 5 ft) underwater for up to 30 minutes (but we don’t recommend trying this!).

These hearing aids are available in 4 different technology tiers, including 90 (Premium), 70 (Advanced), 50 (Standard), and 30 (Essential), and in 11 different color options (Lumity Slim has 4 two-tone colors that are paired with black). Technology tiers provide you with a choice of level of technology and offer lower cost options in the lower tiers. Which tier you choose will depend on several factors, including how much you are willing to pay, your lifestyle and listening needs, and your degree and type of hearing loss—especially your ability to hear in noise.

Telecoil (t-coil) technology, which allows you to access audio from large-area loop systems (e.g., theaters and lecture halls), is available in the Audéo L-RT, as well as the ultra-power (UP) versions in the Naída and Sky models (discussed below). All Lumity hearing aids can be controlled via a push button and the MyPhonak app.

The Lumity family recently added a CROS/BiCROS hearing aid option, launched at the same time as the Naída and Sky models detailed below. Lumity CROS is designed for people with severe hearing loss in one ear (unilateral) or single-sided deafness where sound is wirelessly routed to a hearing aid on the better-hearing ear. These CROS/BiCROS hearing aids are compatible with Audéo L-R, Audéo L-RT, Naida L-PR, and Sky L-PR hearing aids.

All the above Lumity hearing aids can accommodate hearing losses ranging from mild to severe to profound, and your hearing provider has a choice of 5 different receivers (speakers) to accommodate your hearing loss needs.

Phonak Lumity Naída and Lumity Sky BTE hearing aids

In August 2023, Phonak added two new Behind-the-Ear (BTE) Lumity hearing aid models for adults (Naída) and children (Sky), each with an ultra-power (UP) option for those with severe-to-profound hearing losses:

• Naída L-PR = Rechargeable BTE for mild to moderately severe hearing loss, no telecoil, push button
• Naída L-UP = BTE for people with severe to profound hearing loss, size 675 battery, telecoil, push button
• Naída L-SP = Super-power BTE with disposable size 13 battery and telecoil for people with severe hearing loss
• Sky L-PR = Rechargeable BTE for kids with mild-to-severe hearing loss, no telecoil, push button
• Sky L-UP = BTE for kids with severe to profound hearing loss, size 675 battery, telecoil, push button
• Sky L-SP = BTE for kids with severe hearing loss, size 13 battery, push button
• Sky L-M = BTE for infants, size 312 battery, push button

Naída Lumity includes all the flagship family's technology and prioritizes the most crucial requirement of hearing aid wearers: speech understanding. Like Lumity Audéo RICs, Naída Lumity is powered by AutoSense OS 5.0, which leverages AI-based machine learning and continuously analyzes the environment 700 times per second, automatically adapting to the wearer's unique listening environment. Naída L also connects with Roger technology for enhancing hearing in challenging listening environments.

Similarly, the new Sky Lumity hearing aids feature this same technology and have a new emphasis on connectivity, enabling children to connect to the digital world—an increasingly important aspect for kids. Sky L hearing aids use the myPhonak Junior app, the only dedicated pediatric app for hearing aids. It gives them control over their hearing aids while allowing parents to monitor wearing time, schedule remote consultations with hearing care professionals, and set parental controls. Sky L hearing aids are available in 14 different colors.

What about custom ITE products?

Currently, the Phonak Lumity family does not include custom In-the-Ear (ITE) models; however, these styles are available in the company's Virto Paradise product line. As noted by Matthew Allsop in the video below, Virto Lumity ITEs are probably around the corner.

Your hearing provider can help guide you to the right technology, so please be sure to discuss all your unique needs and desired options with them.

AutoSense OS 5.0

AutoSense OS 5.0 is the new operating system that allows for significant processing power, albeit in the same chip platform used by the Phonak Paradise product line. For example, the system utilizes machine learning to scan and identify the listener’s environment 700 times per second. That information is used to align the technology within the hearing aid, and Phonak reports that there are over 200 different combinations of the hearing aid’s settings.

As with most hearing aids, the intent is to provide the best possible combination of controls for a given listening environment. Lumity will coordinate numerous features such as noise reduction and directional microphones (using microphones on two hearing aids in the case of a binaural fitting), boost soft speech in quieter environments, and even utilize a motion sensor to understand when the listener is moving.

These features and others utilize machine learning so that the hearing aid can learn or improve its accuracy over time.

StereoZoom 2.0 for optimal focus of directional microphones and better hearing in noise

As part of Phonak’s SmartSpeech™ technology, StereoZoom 2.0 is a feature new to Lumity. Essentially, it is an improved automatic directional microphone system that enhances spatial awareness in low-noise environments, and it gradually moves to a more focused directional pattern as noise increases. In other words, when in quieter listening environments, the microphones will attempt to pick up sound from all directions around you, but as noise increases, so does the focus or strength of the directional microphones. So it is adaptive to your current listening environment and is intended to be seamless.

The strength of StereoZoom 2.0 can be adjusted in the programming software by your hearing provider, and you now also have control with the “Speech Focus” slider within the myPhonak app. This gives you, the listener, some control over how “focused” you would like the hearing aids to be for speech coming from in front of you.

According to an internal study conducted by Phonak, StereoZoom 2.0 allowed for a 3.0 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement compared to their older, Real Ear Sound technology, which dates to 2005. How much improvement exists over their latest technology as seen in the Paradise product, for example, is not noted. Phonak also reports that changing the strength of StereoZoom 2.0 from the default setting to its maximum setting allows for an additional 2.5 dB improvement.

So, what does a SNR improvement mean to you? Simply said, those with normal hearing can understand speech in noise better than those with sensorineural hearing loss. This means that if you have a hearing loss, you need the signal (speech) to be noticeably louder than the background noise to have a chance to understand it.  As shown in HearingTracker consumer surveys, hearing in noise is the primary complaint of hearing aid wearers.  As an example, a normal-hearing listener may understand 50% of words in a situation where the signal (speech) is only 2 dB louder than the noise (+2 SNR), but a hearing-impaired listener may need an SNR of +8 dB or greater to get the same score. However, improving the SNR even by a few dB can help increase your chances of understanding what is said and minimize your listening effort.

This is exactly the point of directional microphones as they diminish noise from certain directions around you (usually to the side and rear) and focus on sound that are in front of you.  However, how well the directional microphones work for you will depend on multiple factors, including the real level of the noise, how reverberant the room is, your degree of hearing loss, venting in the hearing aids, etc. 

Regardless, directional microphones are one of the best and easiest ways to help those with hearing loss understand speech in noise while reducing your overall listening effort. This new system by Phonak is a fine-tuning of their previous technology that may further improve your listening in noise compared to their previous generation of hearing aids.

SpeechSensor for detecting speech to the side or from behind

Also part of Phonak’s SmartSpeech™ technology, SpeechSensor detects which direction dominant speech is located and allows speech from the side, or even from behind the listener to be amplified. Essentially, it allows for directionality not just from in front of the listener but from other directions as well. Multiple manufacturers have similar technology in their instruments. The ability of the hearing aid to minimize noise from in front of you and hear speech from the side or from behind can be advantageous in certain situations. For example, when driving a car and trying to hear the person in the back seat or when you are otherwise focusing your vision forward but need to hear what is being said to you from behind or to the side.

Keep in mind that SpeechSensor and StereoZoom 2.0 do not work in isolation. Obviously, you are also hearing sounds amplified in the frequency (pitch) regions you need them and other aspects of the hearing aid are also engaged as needed.  For example, directional microphones may be engaged at the same time as noise reduction, compression, etc.

It should be noted that all the features discussed in this article and others are not available on all technology tiers.  That is, some features and even environmental classes are available only in the highest technology tiers. For example, SpeechSensor is only available in the 90 technology tier and StereoZoom 2.0 is only available in the 90 and 70 tiers. This is not unusual as all hearing aid manufacturers limit features in the lower technology tiers.

Unique ActiveVent reduces own-voice vs. feedback problems

First introduced in Paradise RIC hearing aids, the ActiveVent receiver is a mechanically variable vent that allows, within the same fitting, both an open- and closed-ear coupling. It can vary from fully occluded to a standard 3.5 mm open vent. The purpose of this is to allow for own-voice comfort and improved hearing performance in certain situations.

When you are fit with your hearing aids, your hearing provider will determine what type of ear coupling is needed for your hearing aid. This can range from a very open dome (that allows a lot of unprocessed sound to enter the ear canal) to a custom earmold with no venting (eg, a “closed fitting” that blocks all sound from entering the ear canal and relies completely on the signal processing of the hearing aid). The type of coupling and venting will be based on your degree of hearing loss, the perception of your own voice when wearing the hearing aids, the level of feedback encountered, and other factors.

Open vents have the benefit of making your own voice sound more natural (minimal occlusion effect) and allow for some environmental sounds to be heard naturally. However, open vents have the disadvantage of limiting low frequency (pitch) amplification and, therefore, how effective noise reduction, directionality, and other features are in these low frequencies. It also means that amplified sounds can leak out of the ear and be re-amplified causing annoying feedback. Feedback is that annoying whistle/squelch you hear at times with amplified systems. As such, your HCP must strike a balance with all these considerations to give you the best possible physical and acoustic fit, and sometimes trade-offs must be made.

The ActiveVent receiver, however, is designed to give you both an open and closed fitting within the same earpiece. That is, the ActiveVent receiver has a small disc within it that can switch between open and closed. When the disc is in the open position, you get the advantages mentioned above—most notably, making your own voice sound more natural. However, in challenging noise situations or when streaming music, the disc will automatically move to the closed position allowing for improved directionality, noise reduction, and amplification of low frequencies, if needed.

A small study conducted at the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) in Australia and in conjunction with Phonak researchers tested the benefit of the ActiveVent receiver in several listening situations: speech in noise and when streaming in both quiet and in noise. The study also asked the participants to rate their own-voice quality when wearing the ActiveVent compared to a standard custom earpiece with venting. The results indicated that the ActiveVent provided a 10% increase in speech understanding in noise compared to the standard custom earpiece. They also found listener preferences for the wearers’ own voice and audio streaming in quiet with the ActiveVent versus the standard custom earpiece. This study supports the use of the ActiveVent and indicates it may be beneficial to those hearing aid wearers who need (or prefer) a closed coupling system but also struggle with the occlusion effect.

Hands-free connectivity for both Apple and Android devices

Phonak has been a leader in hearing aid wireless connectivity for many years, and that tradition continues with the Lumity hearing aids. As you would expect, Lumity is compatible with both Android™ and Apple^® products and other Bluetooth^® enabled devices such as tablets and laptops. It currently uses Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology, but is also compatible with many older Bluetooth phones. It incorporates both Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy protocols allowing for “universal” connectivity; however, this Bluetooth protocol does not include Auracast broadcast technology.

You can be actively connected to two different Bluetooth devices and pair up to 8 devices for direct streaming, in stereo, to your hearing aids. The hearing aids also act as a hands-free device, meaning that during phone calls, there is no need to speak directly into the cell phone as the microphones on your hearing aids act as the input.

Lumity, like its predecessors, the Marvel and Paradise hearing aids, also feature tap control (in 90 and 70 technology tiers) allowing you to accept/end a phone call, pause/resume streaming, and access voice assistants such as Apple’s Siri^®. While this is a handy feature, some wearers have noted that it’s not as simple to operate as they had hoped; using the tap control may take practice for some while others may choose simply not to use the feature.

Phonak offers a handy compatibility webpage to see if your phone is compatible with different models of their hearing aids.

myPhonak App: More controls, virtual consults with HCP, and health monitoring for Audéo Fit

The newest version of the myPhonak app, version 6.2.1, was released September 20, 2022 and has a few revisions and bug fixes compared to previous versions. The release of 6.2.0 provided a new separation of speech focus and noise reduction controls, as well as the ability to control StereoZoom 2.0. The app also allows for program change, volume change, and equalizer presets to change tone such as bass and treble.

The myPhonak app also allows for health tracking features, such as wearing time, daily steps, activity level, and distance walked. However, not all features, like the heart rate tracking are available with the Lumity hearing aids. For full health tracking features, you would need to purchase the Audéo Fit hearing aids.

Several hearing aid manufacturers are incorporating health features into their hearing aids. The thinking here is that improved hearing is only one part of a healthy lifestyle. Several studies have suggested a correlation between hearing loss and other chronic illnesses such as mobility, risk of falls, cognitive decline and dementia, and other deficits. Research has also suggested that older adults (50 and above) with untreated hearing loss may have a higher likelihood of physical inactivity compared to their hearing peers and those who wear hearing instruments.  As such, utilizing your hearing aids and the associated app to improve overall health outcomes is an intriguing thought.  At the very least, it might be fun to set goals and track them without the need for another gadget.

The app also accommodates remote care—allowing you to request a video appointment with your HCP to make hearing aid programming adjustments and even test your hearing through the hearing aids, if needed. Phonak, along with other hearing aid manufacturers, first introduced remote care out of necessity during the Covid pandemic but the option remains in place.

As detailed in this short video, you can also quickly and easily create your own custom programs using the myPhonak app. In this way, if you make adjustments to your hearing aids for a particular listening situation and really like the way it sounds, you can simply recall this program in the app without having to start from scratch again.

The myPhonak app is not highly rated on either the Apple app store or the Google Play™ app store showing ratings of 1.7 and 2.2, respectively.  Most of the complaints revolve around ease of use, maintaining the Bluetooth connection, and the hearing aids staying in the selected program. This type of lackluster rating for a hearing aid app, unfortunately, is not uncommon across brands—primarily due to connectivity issues. The latest version from Phonak, released only one month after 6.2.0, contains bug fixes so, perhaps, the overall ratings will improve.

Rechargeability for Lumity models

All Phonak Lumity hearing aids are rechargeable except for two models: the Naída L-UP and Sky L-UP ultra-power aids use disposable size 675 batteries.

Three different chargers are available for the rechargeable models, depending on which RIC product is chosen. The charger should be included in the price of the hearing aids.

The Audéo L- RL (Audéo Life) hearing aid is a “waterproof” version and requires the Phonak Charger Case Go, as the hearing aid utilizes inductive charging instead of charging contacts. This helps to ensure the case remains sealed against moisture. The Charger Case Go also provides portability as the case, once fully charged, will hold 3 additional charges for your hearing aids without the need for an electrical outlet.

The Audéo L-R and L-RT, along with the Lumity CROS, utilize the Phonak Charger Ease: a compact charger with magnets that help guide the instruments into place. The Phonak Slim Charger also utilizes these magnets and charging slots, making it easy to insert and remove the aids, as does the Phonak Charger Combi BTE 2 for Naída L-PR and Sky L-PR, a charger that offers improved reliability compared to the older Charger Combi BTE.

All chargers use a simple USB-C charging port and will take 3 hours to fully charge your hearing aids. Wearing time can be up to 16-18 hours of use on a single charge. However, keep in mind that actual battery life will depend on your hearing aid’s settings, how much time you spend streaming, and your listening environments.

Accessories

As with most Phonak hearing aids, you have a choice of several different accessories. These include the new RogerOn V2, TV Connector, the RemoteControl, and PartnerMic™. For people who have significant difficulty hearing in noise or are often listening in classrooms or meetings, the Roger microphones are also an option.

The Lumity hearing aids already have a built-in receiver for the Roger remote microphones; they simply need to be engaged to work. Phonak provides an informative website about Roger microphones if you would like to learn more.

All accessories listed below are optional and are typically an additional charge to the price of your hearing aids.

Roger On Microphone

With Phonak's MultiBeam 2.0 technology, Roger On V2 analyzes your environment and delivers clean speech directly to your hearing aids. With its Table mode, Presenter mode, and Pointing mode, Roger On is one of the most versatile remote microphones on the market; it can handle a large range of demanding listening situations and is compatible with many hearing aids and cochlear implants. With Roger On, you can listen to the TV with a docking station that is provided or enjoy music by plugging the cable into a smartphone. When connected to a computer via the USB cable, Roger On can now be used like a headset during online calls: it streams the sound from the online participant(s) to your hearing aids while at the same time picking up your voice and sending the signal through your computer.

TV Connector

As the name suggests the TV connector is used to connect your hearing aids wirelessly to your TV. It is intended to be a “plug and play” solution that can help improve your overall TV listening experience. The TV Connector streams the TV’s audio directly to your hearing aids within a range of up to 15 meters or almost 50 feet. What that means for you is that noise in the room will be less noticeable and you’ll hear the TV more readily, making dialogue and other sounds easier to hear.

RemoteControl

For those who may have difficulty utilizing the hearing aid’s on-board push-button control or lack the tech savvy (or willingness) to utilize the myPhonak smart phone app, a simple remote control is available. The remote may be especially useful for those Lumity wearers who still want/need to change volume and/or program but have dexterity issues (like a tremor) that make using push buttons and sensitive smart phone screens incredibly frustrating or even impossible to use.

PartnerMic

Above we discussed how directional microphones can help improve the signal (speech) to noise ratio (SNR) and why directional microphones are a great way to help improve hearing in noisy listening environments. However, some listeners may require even more help to follow the conversation. 

That’s where the PartnerMic comes into play. Ear-level hearing aids can pick up speech from those around you, but the person you want to hear may be several feet from you and sometimes at an even greater distances (think lecture hall). This means their voice will be diminished with distance and other sounds from the same direction will also be picked up by the hearing aid microphones. However, when a microphone is placed on the lapel of the person you wish to hear, their voice is much closer to the mic—meaning better SNR. This greatly improves the SNR and helps improve speech clarity and understanding.  Remote microphones, like PartnerMic, are simple, very effective, and increasingly popular tools to help you hear speech better.

The PartnerMic needs to be paired to your hearing aids, but once paired will work automatically when your turn it on. It has a range of up to 25 meters (about 82 feet) and provides up to 6 hours of use on a single charge. A full recharge takes approximately 2 hours.

LOTS of choices!

So, if you're a little overwhelmed with all this information, in the video below Matthew Allsop summarizes all the models and many of the features and options in the Lumity hearing aid line, comparing and contrasting why one might be a better fit for you.

Bottom Line on Lumity

The Lumity line of hearing aids are the latest flagship product offered by Phonak. They appear to have some improvements over the previous generation Paradise products especially in regards to how well the directional microphones manage noise. However, these improvements seem iterative—that is, there are no earth-shattering changes in this product compared to Paradise or the Marvel products.

Regardless, Lumity is still a very well-designed high-end hearing aid, and the numerous technology levels make it available at different price points. In addition, Phonak’s universal connectivity, hands-free calling, and other advanced technology features make it a very attractive product. For those who struggle to hear speech in noise and are in variable and challenging listening environments, this product should be a good fit for you. As always, here at HearingTracker, we highly recommend you discuss all your options with your HCP as multiple manufacturers have similar technology.