Phonak Virto Infinio

Virto Infinio is the latest custom in-ear hearing aid line from Phonak, part of its popular flagship Infinio family. It is powered by its ERA chip, which has been designed to provide top-notch sound quality, connectivity, robust reliability and battery life, and personalization. Launched in August 2024, the Virto Infinio line includes a rechargeable in-the-ear (ITE) device and battery-powered non-wireless completely-in-canal (CIC) and titanium invisible-in-canal (IIC) hearing aids. Although HearingTracker is still collecting data on pricing, it appears Virto Infinio is being offered at $2,500 to $4,000 per ear, depending on the style, technology level, and dispensing location.

Virto Infinio is powered by Phonak's latest ERA chipset, which employs APD 3.0 and AutoSense OS 6.0 with SmartSpeech technology. Using a brand-new audiological fitting model, this system uses Harman Curves—a tool typically found in headphones and loudspeakers—to find the ideal frequency response for the most natural and pleasing sound experience.

The technology found inside Phonak's ERA chip reportedly improves speech understanding by 16% and reduces listening effort by 45%. However, unlike the Audéo Sphere Infinio RIC, Virto Infinio does not have the DEEPSONIC dedicated AI chip and, therefore, can't lay claim to the same 10 dB speech-to-noise ratios (SNR) that have wowed people with Sphere.

However, the new product's processing capabilities and benefits are still impressive. With Virto Infinio, Phonak has introduced a new biometrical calibration process that results in a detailed map of your outer ear, predicting how sound is altered by the ear before it reaches the hearing aid microphone located near or inside your ear canal. The result, says Phonak, is a highly customized hearing option that minimizes sound leakage and optimizes sound quality.

Like most advanced hearing aids, Virto is fully automated, adjusting to the sound environment so you can hear conversations and reduce listening effort.

The Virto rechargeable ITE and battery-powered CIC offer four different technology levels: P90, P70, P50, and P30 (highest to lowest level of technology), while the Virto-I Titanium (also powered by a size 10 battery) is only available in the two highest technology tiers (P90 and P70). The Virto ITE and CIC is available with the choice of five faceplate colors and eight acrylic shell colors. As the name implies, Titanium IIC comes only in titanium.

Who is Virto Infinio for?

Phonak Virto is for people with most types of hearing loss, from mild to severe, who are looking for a comfortable and discreet in-ear hearing solution. The Virto R ITE is an exceptional, full-featured, rechargeable, wireless device that has essentially all the features you'll find in the Audéo R Infinio (see below), while the Virto CIC and titanium CIC are essentially invisible hearing devices with sophisticated processing but lacking in perks like wireless connectivity and rechargeability due to their diminutive size.

Let's take a closer look at the 3 products in the Virto Infinio custom in-ear hearing aid line.

Virto R Infinio ITE hearing aid

Looking like a cross-between a custom hearing aid and a high-tech consumer electronic earbud, the Virto Infinio ITE is an impressive and small hearing aid that provides exceptional connectivity and hearing-in-noise capabilities—and represents the first rechargeable hearing aid in the Phonak portfolio.

Virto R features a Snap-and-Charge system that, during charging, magnetically snaps the hearing aids into place, ensuring a full charge in just 3 hours. Plus, you don't have to worry about which hearing aid goes where in the charger, as the charging ports are interchangeable.

Essentially, the Virto R Infinio gives you almost everything that the Audéo Infinio R (non-Sphere) RIC gives you in a tinier ITE package. It connects seemlessly to iOS and Android devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, and other compatible devices. You can pair up to 8 Bluetooth devices and have 2 active connections, meaning you don't have to disconnect Bluetooth every time you switch devices. The hearing aids can be controlled via the MyPhonak app, an onboard push button, or via tap controls that allow you to accept/end phone calls or pause/resume streaming from connected devices. It also has dual microphones for directional speech in noise advantages and an accelerometer that can further help inform the hearing aid on how to process sound.

Finally, the wireless connectivity also allows for connections to Phonak's complete line of accessories, such as the Roger remote microphone and TV connector.

Virto Infinio CIC

Phonak's Virto Infinio CIC (Virto I-10 NW 0) is a completely-in-canal hearing aid that, like the Virto I Titanium below, uses a size 10 disposable battery and is designed for people looking for a discreet, nearly invisible hearing solution.

As with the Titanium IIC, this hearing aid does not offer audio streaming for music, phone calls, etc., and cannot connect to the myPhonak app. However, using the ERA chip, it has a fully automatic system and employs the advanced processing provided by APD 3.0 and AutoSense 6.0, Phonak's sophisticated sound quality and hearing-in-noise systems.

Virto Infinio Titanium IIC

Phonak Virto Infinio Titanium is the world’s only mainstream invisible-in-canal (IIC) hearing aid made of premium medical-grade titanium. In terms of its processing, it is essentially the same as the Virto Infinio CIC, except it accomplishes this in the smallest and most discreet custom hearing aid the company has ever produced, situated deep in the ear canal and out of sight. Manufactured with the latest 3D printing technology, Virto P-Titanium combines the superior strength and light weight of titanium with a comfortable fit in the ear canal. It is powered by a size 10 disposable battery.

Because of its size, Virto Titanium does not offer wireless audio streaming for music, phone calls, etc., or connectivity with the myPhonak app.

A new ERA of discreet solutions for Phonak

Phonak's previous generation of high-tech hearing aids, Phonak Lumity, did not include custom in-ear products. That means Virto Infinio—powered by the new ERA chip—has significant processing advantages over the company's previous in-ear custom products, Virto Paradise, which were launched in 2022.

Like the Audéo Sphere Infinio, which is the clear technology leader in the Audéo Infinio RIC family, the Virto Infinio R ITE is now the star and clear tech leader in the Virto family. It packs almost everything you'll find in the Audéo Infinio R RIC into a small, modern-looking, custom hearing aid. And although Virto Infinio hearing aids are too small to house the DEEPSONIC chip and its impressive DNN processing, all the Virto models use the ERA chip and represent an exceptional choice for anyone seeking a discreet, high-performance hearing solution with excellent sound quality and hearing in noise capabilities.