When you are going to spend a lot of money on a hearing aid you want to ensure that you are getting exactly what you are paying for. Understanding the naming of hearing aids that Phonak uses will help you understand what exactly to look for.
The best hearing aid from Phonak in 2022 is a P90 aid. That would include the Phonak Audeo P90, Phonak Audeo PL90, Phonak Bolero P90, and the Phonak Virto P90 devices.
The two newest devices are the Audeo PL-R which is a behind-the-ear device that has a case designed to be sweatproof and has an extra measure of water-proofing. The Audeo Fit allows you all the benefits of any other hearing aid but also is a fitness tracker.
Phonak hearing aids have names that include 3 parts to them. Part 1 is a number that comes last. Part 2 is the letter and part 3 is the label (Audeo, Bolero or Virto). I will explain below how to interpret each.
Check out the prices of Phonak hearing aids and we will help you find a local provider.
Identify Premium, Mid, Basic or Economy level hearing aids
All manufacturers have a number in the name of their hearing aids. The higher the number of the device the better or more feature-rich the device is. Be aware that all manufacturers do not use the same numbers for indicating the same level of product.
Top-of-the-line (Premium) Phonak aid has the number 90 in them.
The mid-level line has the number 70.
The basic level uses the number 50.
The economy level uses the number 30.
It is always the consumer’s choice in which level they buy. This number is generally the bulk of the cost of the hearing aid. Better products took millions of dollars in research to develop them and so they cost a lot more.
Understand the Letter in the Hearing Aid Name
We already stated that the best hearing aids are P90. So what does the P stand for?
In his case, P stands for Paradise, the line of the circuit. The Paradise line is the newest Phonak line to be introduced. It was first launched in 2020 but since then they have come out with new models.
Older Phonak lines include:
M for Marvel released in 2019
B for Belong was released in 2017
V for Venture released in 2014
Q released in 2013
S for Spice was released in 2010
Find out about the history of Phonak products on their website. https://www.phonakpro.com/com/en/about-phonak/history.html
Difference Between Phonak Audeo, Bolero, and Virto Products.
The naming conventions (Virto, Bolero, and Audeo) that Phonak products have been using for the last few years indicate what style of the device.
Audeo Line
The most popular type of device for adults is the Audeo line. It is a receiver in the canal type of device. Basically, the microphone, battery, and computer chips sit on top of the ear, while a thin wire connects the speaker (also known as the receiver). The wire travels in front of the ear and goes into the ear canal where the amplified sound is played.
Generally speaking, this style of the device has the best cosmetics, is more easily repaired, and is the top choice of most hearing aid wearers.
Bolero Line
Bolero is the naming convention that Phonak uses for the traditional BTE (behind-the-ear) hearing aid. Over the last decade, BTE has fallen from the main product manufacturer sell to the least used product.
A BTE aid is very similar to the RIC style except it has the speaker/receiver in the portion of the aid that fits behind the ear. The sound is then conducted to the ear canal by a plastic tube. This would include the standing tubing option as well as the thin tubing option.
Virto Line
Virto indicated that the hearing aid fits inside the ear canal or the bowl of the ear. It is created by taking an impression of the canal and bowl and then the manufacturer builds a shell that will perfectly. If the aid takes up the full bowl of the canal it is called a full shell (FS). The next size down is called a half-shell (HS), then In-the-canal (ITC), and completely-in-the-canal (CIC).
Below you can see the popularity of the devices and how it has shifted over the last 2 decades.
If there is another number or letter in the name of the hearing aid it generally indicates the battery that the device uses.
R stands for a rechargeable battery.
312 stands for a 312 zinc-air battery.
13 stands for a 13 zinc-air battery.
If there is an additional T in the name it is to indicate that the hearing aid has a t-coil feature.
Check out the prices of Phonak hearing aids and we will help you find a local provider.