Phonak Infinio Sphere 90 vs. 70: What’s the Difference?

If you’re comparing the Phonak Infinio Sphere Ultra 90 vs. 70, the biggest difference isn’t the hearing aid itself – both use the same Sphere platform and share most of the same features.

The Sphere 90 is Phonak’s Premium performance level, and Sphere 70 is the Advanced level. Sphere 90 gives you Phonak’s highest level of speech-processing technology, including Spheric Speech Clarity at full strength and Speech Enhancer, which is not available on the 70. The 70 still includes Spheric Speech Clarity, but at medium strength.

In a nutshell:

• Sphere 90 is worth the upgrade if understanding speech in restaurants, groups, and other difficult listening environments is one of your biggest challenges. And its Speech Enhancer feature helps with softer or more distant speech in quiet environments.
• Sphere 70 includes most of the technology found in the 90 and is enough if your listening environments are generally less demanding, or if keeping the cost lower is a top priority.

Here’s a closer look at what you get with each one.

Phonak Sphere 90 vs. 70 at a glance

Phonak’s own feature comparison shows that the 90 and 70 have considerably more in common than different. The differences are few but meaningful, and they boil down to how much each performance level can help when speech is difficult to hear in specific contexts.

The biggest differences between Phonak Sphere 90 and 70

Here’s a deeper dive into the three key differences between the 90 and 70 performance levels: Spheric Speech Clarity, Speech Enhancer, and Automatic Speech in Loud Noise function.

Spheric Speech Clarity: full strength vs. medium strength

Spheric Speech Clarity is one of the defining features of the Audéo Sphere Infinio platform. It uses Phonak’s dedicated AI-based processing to help separate speech from surrounding noise in noisy environments.

Both the 70 and 90 performance levels include Spheric Speech Clarity. The difference is that:

• Sphere 90 provides Spheric Speech Clarity at full strength
• Sphere 70 provides Spheric Speech Clarity at medium strength

Spheric Speech Clarity strength matters most when the sound you want to hear has to compete with other sounds around you. For example: talking across a restaurant table while other conversations, music, and room noises are happening.

Sphere 70 still gives you access to the Sphere technology, so you’re not missing out on Spheric Speech Clarity by choosing the lower performance level. Sphere 90 just gives you access to its strongest setting.

Sphere 90 includes Speech Enhancer

Another major difference is Speech Enhancer, which Phonak includes on the 90 but not the 70.

Hearing aid performance levels are usually discussed in terms of background noise. But Speech Enhancer can also help when the environment is relatively quiet.

For example, you might have trouble hearing:

• Someone speaking softly
• Someone talking from across the room
• A speaker whose face is turned away from you
• Speech that is quieter or farther away than the conversation directly in front of you

So the choice between Sphere 90 and 70 shouldn’t be limited to “Do you go to noisy restaurants?” Everyday difficulties with soft and distant speech matter too, and Sphere 90 has an edge over Sphere 70 for this specific context.

Sphere 90 has an automatic Speech in Loud Noise program

Phonak also includes an automatic Speech in Loud Noise program for the Premium 90 level that is not included for the Advanced 70 level. (But both levels include a manual Speech in Loud Noise program.)

Sphere 90 is worth it if you want your hearing aids to automatically recognize and respond to especially difficult listening situations, rather than relying on a manually selected program.

What Sphere 90 and 70 have in common

Sphere 90 and Sphere 70 both include many of Phonak’s advanced hearing technologies, including:

• Bluetooth connectivity
• Spheric Speech Clarity
• SpeechSensor
• StereoZoom 2.0
• Dynamic Noise Cancellation
• Motion Sensor Hearing
• Roger Technology
• Manual Speech in Loud Noise
• Manual Speech in 360°
• Tap Control
• SoundRelax
• DuoPhone
• Real Ear Sound
• UltraZoom
• WindBlock
• SoundRecover2
• WhistleBlock
• Tinnitus Balance
• 20 processing channels

Choosing the Sphere 70 does not mean settling for a basic version, because it includes most of the Sphere platform.

The core question is whether the Sphere 90’s additional speech-processing capabilities matter enough for the situations where your hearing needs the most help.

What do the 90 and 70 performance levels mean?

Hearing aid manufacturers commonly offer the same product with different technology or performance levels.

With Phonak, 90 is the Premium level and 70 is the Advanced level. The Sphere Infinio Ultra is only offered in 90 and 70, while the Audéo Infinio Ultra line also includes lower 50 and 30 levels.

A higher performance level doesn’t necessarily mean the hearing aid is more powerful in the sense of “making everything louder”. It’s more accurate to say that a higher performance level gives you access to more advanced sound-processing features, or a higher level of performance for certain features. For the Sphere 90 vs. 70 specifically, the important differences center on speech clarity.

Will you notice a difference between Sphere 90 and 70?

Whether or not you’d notice a significant difference between the 90 and 70 depends on where you have trouble hearing. The more often your most challenging listening situations involve background noise, competing voices, soft speech, or speech at a distance, the more likely it is the Sphere 90 will be worth it for you.

Who is the Phonak Sphere 90 best for?

The Sphere 90 is the better fit if you:

• Frequently eat in busy restaurants
• Regularly attend parties, family gatherings, meetings, classes, or group events
• Have a hard time following one person when several people are talking
• Often struggle with soft or distant voices
• Prefer to maximize speech-processing capabilities even if it costs more

Sphere 90 makes the most sense when its added capabilities correspond to listening problems you experience most.

Who is the Phonak Sphere 70 best for?

The Sphere 70 is the better fit if you:

• Want Sphere technology without paying for the highest performance level
• Spend most of your time in relatively manageable listening environments
• Only occasionally experience extremely noisy restaurants, events, or groups
• Don’t have much trouble with soft or distant speech
• Prioritize keeping your hearing aid cost lower

For someone who doesn’t spend that much in difficult listening situations, the Sphere 70 is a better value.

From our audiologist Kristen Conners:

“As far as different environments between the two technologies, we recommend the 90 product if a patient’s lifestyle is very active going into restaurant situations 2 to 3 times per week, work meetings, senior centers, and dining room rooms (this would include retirement homes where they’re eating meals in a large dining room daily).

We recommend the 70 product for people with quieter lifestyles. Maybe they go out to eat at quieter restaurants couple of times a month with a small group, or spend majority of their time at home.

Is the Phonak Sphere 90 worth the extra cost?

At Prescription Hearing, the Phonak Infinio Sphere 70 is approximately $300 less per device compared to the Sphere 90.

Ask yourself: Will the additional speech-processing capabilities of the Sphere 90 make enough difference in your daily life to justify the additional cost?

There’s no rule that everyone with a certain degree of hearing loss automatically needs the highest technology level. Your audiogram is only one factor in the performance level decision. Where you need to hear, who you need to hear, which situations are giving you the most trouble, and how much you want to spend should also inform your final choice.

How to choose between Phonak Sphere 90 and 70

To choose between the Phonak Infinio Sphere 90 and 70 performance levels, consider these four questions.

1. Where do you have the most trouble hearing?

Get specific about the environments you regularly spend time in, and how they affect your ability to hear.

“Background noise” is broad and could mean an occasional trip to a coffee shop or several hours every week in restaurants, meetings, church gatherings, clubs, or large family events.

Likewise, “difficulty hearing at home” could mean you hear nearby conversation well but regularly miss what your spouse says from another room or across the kitchen.

2. How often are you in your hardest listening environments?

A feature that helps you hear better in daily situations has more practical value than a feature that helps in situations you rarely experience.

Give more weight to situations from your typical day and week rather than infrequent events.

3. Is soft or distant speech a problem?

If it is, don’t just focus on noise reduction when comparing the 90 and 70. Phonak’s Speech Enhancer feature boosts soft and distant speech in quiet environments, and it’s a key difference between the two levels.

4. How much is the added performance worth to you?

The goal isn’t buying the highest technology level available. It’s choosing a hearing aid that gives you the right balance of performance, lifestyle fit, and cost.

For some people, that will be the Sphere 90. For others, the Sphere 70 provides the technology they need without paying for capabilities they’re unlikely to value highly.

Get help choosing between Phonak Infinio Sphere 90 and 70

If you’re still on the fence between the Phonak Infinio Sphere Ultra 90 and 70, Prescription Hearing can help you compare them based on your hearing evaluation, everyday listening situations, and budget.

Prescription Hearing offers licensed audiology support both in person in Palos Park, Illinois, and remotely nationwide. Our providers are happy to help you determine which performance level makes the most sense for how you actually hear and live. Contact us to book an in-person or online consultation.