Phonak Hearing Aids
Phonak hearing aids are among the most advanced devices in the world, and we fit the full range independently from our London clinics. This guide covers the latest Phonak hearing aids, including the flagship Audéo Infinio Ultra Sphere, how the technology works, and the part no manufacturer will tell you: a Phonak device is only stage one. It cleans and amplifies sound so your brain can detect speech. Teaching your brain to decode that speech is stage two, the work of our Brain-Based Hearing Programme™.
A Phonak hearing aid is only stage one of hearing care.
Are Phonak hearing aids good? At what a device is meant to do, genuinely among the best. A modern Phonak device removes as much background noise as it can, lifts the voice out of what remains, and makes it loud enough for your brain to detect.
But hearing loss is not only a loss of volume. By the time you are fitted, a damaged cochlea has already changed the firing patterns sent up the auditory nerve, and the brain has quietly adapted to that altered input. So even after a Phonak device has cleaned and amplified the sound, the signal can still arrive scrambled. Louder, but not correctly decoded. That gap, between detecting speech and understanding it, is the whole story of this page.
Phonak cleans away noise and amplifies the speech so your brain can detect it. This is what the technology does, superbly.
The auditory processing protocol sessions in our Brain-Based Hearing Programme™ retrain your brain to decode the speech it can now detect.
Every model and feature below is described the same way: what the Phonak device does to get speech to your brain, and where the programme takes over to make sense of it.
The Phonak hearing aid models we fit
Below are the Phonak hearing aid models we fit today, from the flagship Infinio Ultra Sphere to custom and power devices. Each does the detection; each then sits inside the same two-stage programme.
The flagship. A dual-chip design pairs the ERA processor with a dedicated DEEPSONIC AI chip that separates speech from noise in real time and amplifies it for your brain to detect, the strongest speech-in-noise performance Phonak has built. That cleaned, louder signal still travels through a damaged cochlea, where altered neural firing patterns can scramble the speech before it reaches the brain. Once the Sphere helps your brain detect the speech, the auditory processing protocol sessions in our Brain-Based Hearing Programme™ retrain your brain to decode it correctly. That is how the Brain-Based Hearing Programme™ with Phonak works.
The rechargeable Infinio without the Sphere chip, running Phonak's ERA processor and AutoSense for excellent everyday clarity. It cleans and lifts the voice so your brain can detect it, and the programme then teaches your brain to decode what it now receives. A superb stage one for most listening lives.
Phonak's custom in-the-ear family, moulded to your ear in styles from a discreet in-the-canal device down to near-invisible. It delivers a clean, well-placed signal to the ear, and like every device it hands the brain a signal the programme then trains it to read.
The platform before Infinio, still widely fitted and still excellent, with AutoSense OS and SmartSpeech for clear speech. It does the detection well, and sits inside the same two-stage approach, the device to detect and the programme to decode.
Placed deep in the canal by an audiologist and worn continuously for months, completely invisible, using your ear's own anatomy for natural sound. It is a remarkable way to detect speech, and the decoding is still the brain's work, guided by the programme.
Phonak's power behind-the-ear range for severe to profound hearing loss, delivering the amplification a more significant loss needs. The more the cochlea has changed, the more the brain has to relearn, which is exactly what the programme is built to do.
Phonak styles available
Phonak makes its technology in every recognised style, so the device can be matched to your ears, your dexterity and how visible you want it to be. Phonak is rechargeable-first across most of the range, which keeps daily life simple, no tiny batteries to handle, just an overnight charge.
The slim, discreet, rechargeable style most people start with, and the usual starting point with Phonak.
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The Virto R Infinio family, moulded to the exact shape of your ear for a secure, personal fit.
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A smaller custom fit that sits inside the canal, for a more discreet look with nothing behind the ear.
Read moreThe extended-wear Lyric sits deep in the canal, worn for months at a time and completely hidden.
Read moreWhichever style you choose, it is the housing for the signal the programme then teaches your brain to read.
Phonak technology and features, each tied to the brain
Phonak's headline technologies are all about one thing: getting the cleanest possible signal to your brain. Here is what each does, and where stage two takes over.
DEEPSONIC and Spheric Speech Clarity
On the Sphere, a dedicated AI chip runs a deep neural network that separates speech from noise in real time and enhances it. It optimises what reaches the ear better than anything Phonak has built, but optimising the signal is not the same as the brain interpreting it correctly, which is the job of the programme.
AutoSense, Bluetooth, Auracast and Roger
AutoSense detects your sound environment and adjusts the device automatically. Bluetooth and Auracast stream calls, television and public-venue audio straight to your ears, and Roger microphones lift a distant voice across a noisy room. Each one gets a better signal to the brain; none of them teaches the brain to decode it.
Rechargeable, the myPhonak app and remote fine-tuning
Most Phonak devices are rechargeable, with a full day from an overnight charge. The myPhonak app handles pairing and small adjustments, and we can fine-tune your devices remotely between visits, so stage one keeps performing while stage two does its work.
Phonak in our Brain-Based Hearing Programme™
This is what no manufacturer or chain page can offer you, and it is the reason two people in the same Phonak device can have completely different experiences. The hardware is identical. The brain reading it is not.
Once your Phonak device is detecting speech, the auditory processing protocol sessions in our Brain-Based Hearing Programme™ retrain your brain to decode the signal it now receives, despite the firing patterns a damaged cochlea has changed. The work draws on neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to relearn, through structured listening and speech-in-noise practice, measured against real outcomes. It begins at the fitting and continues through follow-up and remote fine-tuning as your brain adapts.
Stage one gets the speech to your brain. Stage two teaches your brain to understand it. Real-world success needs both, which is why we never sell a Phonak device as complete hearing care on its own.
Why we are a good place to be fitted with Phonak hearing aids
For a decision about your hearing, who fits your Phonak hearing aids matters as much as the device. We are independent and not owned by Phonak or any manufacturer, so our recommendation sits with you and your ears. Our audiologists hold a minimum of an MSc in Audiology from leading universities and are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council.
Real-ear measurement is standard rather than an upgrade, fine-tuning can be done remotely, and every fitting of hearing aids by Phonak begins our two-stage approach, the device to detect and the Brain-Based Hearing Programme to decode.
Phonak hearing aids, your questions answered
Are Phonak hearing aids good?
Yes, and honestly so. At what a device can do, cleaning up noise and amplifying speech so your brain can detect it, Phonak is among the very best, and the Infinio Ultra Sphere leads independent speech-in-noise testing. The part no device can do on its own is teach your brain to decode that speech once a damaged cochlea has scrambled it. That is stage two, and it is why we pair excellent Phonak technology with our Brain-Based Hearing Programme™.
What is the latest Phonak hearing aid?
The current flagship is the Audéo Infinio Ultra Sphere, the 2025 Ultra refresh of the Sphere Infinio, with the dual ERA and DEEPSONIC chips. The Infinio Ultra R, Virto R Infinio custom devices, Lumity, Lyric and Naída complete the current range we fit.
What is the difference between Infinio and Infinio Sphere?
Both sit on the Infinio platform and the ERA chip. The Sphere adds a second chip, DEEPSONIC, dedicated to separating speech from noise in real time, so it is the stronger choice for busy, noisy environments. The non-Sphere Infinio is excellent for most everyday listening. Either way, the device is stage one; the decoding is stage two.
Is the Sphere worth it?
If your hardest situations are noisy ones, restaurants, groups, meetings, the Sphere's noise separation is a genuine step up and usually worth it. If your listening life is mostly quieter, the standard Infinio may serve you just as well. We will be straight with you at the assessment, because the right answer is the device that suits your ears and the programme that retrains your brain, not the most expensive box.
How do I pair Phonak hearing aids?
Most Phonak devices pair through the myPhonak app and your phone's Bluetooth settings. We set this up with you at the fitting and leave you with simple instructions, and we can adjust your devices remotely afterwards.
Do I need the Brain-based hearing programme as well as Phonak aids?
This is the heart of it. A Phonak device gets a clean, amplified signal to your brain, but a damaged cochlea has already changed the firing patterns your brain reads, so louder is not the same as understood. The Brain-Based Hearing Programme™ is what teaches your brain to decode that signal correctly. The device is stage one; the programme is stage two; the result depends on both.
Find the right Phonak device, and the programme that makes it work
A Brain-Based Assessment looks at both your ears and the way your brain processes sound, so the right Phonak model, in the right style, answers itself. Book online, call us, or send a short email.
Harley Street clinic
1 Harley Street, London W1G 9QD
Monday to Saturday, evenings until 7pm
0203 011 1280
[email protected]
Wigmore Street clinic
126 Wigmore Street, London W1U 3RY
Monday to Saturday, evenings until 7pm
0203 011 1280
[email protected]
This guide is for information and does not replace a personal assessment. If you have concerns about your hearing, please book an appointment or speak to a qualified audiologist.