Phonak Marvel 2.0 | Audeo / M90 / M90-R / Naida / Virto Black Hearing Aids

 

Marvel M90 Hearing Aids - Connectivity

For years they have been lagging behind the other manufacturers with regard to streaming technology. Most other manufacturers have brought out “made for iPhone” hearing aids, which have been very popular, however, Android users have always been left behind. Last year Phonak brought out the B-Direct which was, in my opinion, a half-hearted attempt to bridge the gap, resulting in a hearing aid that didn’t know what it was. Sacrificing functionality to add some very basic Android smartphone compatibility.

We can forget about all of that now, Phonak have redeemed themselves.  The Phonak Marvel seems to offer the best connectivity out of any hearing aid on the market now.  Any Bluetooth device, whether it be a smartphone, computer, etc can be streamed to the hearing aids, in stereo.

Most importantly, in my opinion, you no longer need to hold the phone near to your mouth! The Phonak Marvel has built-in microphones to pick up your voice so that you can hold a phone conversation through your hearing aids, without ever taking your phone out of your pocket. This to me is a far more intuitive option and I’m surprised that none of the other manufacturers of the made for iPhone hearing aids has done this yet.

Sound quality has been much improved for streaming. Commonly people found previous Phonak hearing aids a bit on the tinny side when streaming audio. Now the sound is much richer and more natural.

There is also has a satnav feature within the aid.  I personally use a maps app on my phone, I hadn't particularly noticed before that the phone reads out the directions as you go. I tend to just follow the line. It was a bit of a surprise when the voice appeared in my hearing aids. This wasn't especially useful for me, but if you have trouble hearing directions then it could be.

It doesn’t eat your battery either. Even using streaming, the new Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery will keep going for 24 hours on average, and importantly the battery will last 6 years before needing to be changed, compared to the 4 years maximum that the previous generation, the Phonak Belong, would last.

Marvel M90 Hearing Aids - What's new?

Yes, there is a but. As per usual, Phonak have focused on one particular area with their hearing aid development, and this focus has brought about great results. However, the improvements to hearing in background noise, commonly the most important thing that hearing aid wearers are looking for, has still not significantly improved since the previous generation of aids. Yes, they have a new operating system (Autosense upgraded from version 2 to version 3) that has somewhat improved other areas of the hearing aid, however, there has been no major overhaul of the overall hearing aid functionality since the Phonak Venture came out in early 2015.

Marvel M90 Hearing Aids - Main Technical Features

Here are the technical specs so that you can compare the various models (see charts below). The Phonak Marvel currently comes only in the Audeo shape, of which there are five variations.  These being:

Audéo M-312 – This is the model that takes the standard 312 battery. This is the slimmest and most discreet option.

Audéo M-312T – Same as the above but slightly larger as it has a telecoil

Audéo M-13T – Also has a telecoil but uses the larger size 13 battery

Audéo M-R – This is the rechargeable option, a little chunky, but likely to be the most popular option.

Audéo M-RT – Same as the rechargeable, but slightly larger again sue to the added telecoil.

Marvel M90 Hearing Aids - Conclusion

At the time of writing, this aid is the best option for Bluetooth streaming and is still sufficiently good as a hearing aid to be more than adequate for the hearing needs of most people. I enjoyed my time wearing these aids and am happy to recommend them. To find out if they would suit you, book an assessment with one of our audiologists either in one of our many clinics or in your own home.