The perfect marriage: The best Audiological Care & Phonak Infinio Hearing Aids
An Independent review by Hearing Healthcare Practice Patient, John Stanley, June 2025
1. Context
I’ve been using hearing aids for many years. My hearing loss is longstanding and severe: I have profoundly limited hearing in my left ear and reduced hearing in my right. This has shaped how I live and interact with the world.
My Widex Evoke hearing aids, supported by accessories, helped me enjoy audiobooks and phone calls and improved my experience with TV and mobile connectivity. However, challenging acoustic environments — restaurants, family gatherings, echoey rooms — remained stressful and exhausting.
Although Harpenden’s Hearing Healthcare Practice isn’t local to me, I’ve been under their care for several years. In May 2025, I consulted Natalie, and with her expert guidance, I was fitted with new Phonak Infinio hearing aids. I was cautious at first — my Widex aids were well-tuned — but the promise of clearer hearing in difficult situations motivated me to give the new system a real-world trial.
2. First Impressions and Fitting Process
The initial fitting was a revelation — within minutes, voices were clearer and sharper, yet not uncomfortable. Natalie had already customised the programme structure to suit my needs.
I’ve always appreciated the time the audiologists at Hearing Healthcare Practice spend with me, but Natalie’s attention to detail was exceptional. The fine-tuning and personalisation process felt collaborative and bespoke — not a preset solution.
3. Specific Challenges and Improvements
- Background noise, especially in social settings
- Echo and reverberation in hard-surfaced rooms
- Constant mental effort just to hear
The Phonak system addresses all three remarkably well. Conversations in cafes and pubs are now manageable — even enjoyable. Echo in my hard-floored home extension no longer drowns out voices. And the reduction in mental effort is liberating: I no longer have to “work” to hear.
4. Comparison with Previous System
My Widex system was excellent for its time — especially with COM-DEX for calls and TV-DEX for television — but it struggled with live sound in dynamic environments. The new Phonak system excels in those areas.
I still use Bluetooth speakers for media, and the sound quality is excellent, particularly for speech and classical music. Streamed music is slightly clearer and richer than speaker playback — a small trade-off. And now that streaming is in stereo, it’s even better.
5. Using the Spherical Sound Programme
The Infinio aids include a directional microphone AI-assisted programme (“Sphere”). Natalie adjusted the sensitivity threshold to suit my needs, and now I rarely need to activate it manually. It’s seamless — the system senses when it’s needed and adapts. This has made a real difference in crowded settings and noisy rooms.
6. Music and Media
Music has always mattered to me. In the past, limitations in streaming and speaker hearing led me to stop playing background music. That’s changed. I now often have music gently playing from my Sonos system as I work — a quiet joy that’s returned.
Streaming stereo sound is rich enough to bring back the emotion, memory, and connection I missed. Live concerts, which I still attend regularly, are a pleasure again. The “music” setting works excellently, with far less distortion and a natural soundstage.
7. Daily Life and Accessibility
The new aids are simple to use: automatic settings, smooth transitions between sound environments, no fiddling. The constant mental effort I used to expend — positioning, interpreting, anticipating — has faded. It’s like no longer limping after an injury: I can walk (or hear) naturally again.
I had initial concerns about rechargeable hearing aids, but they’ve proved reliable. I simply pop them on the charger each night. I’m mindful of the increased power usage with AI programmes, but the benefits far outweigh any battery cost.
8. Overall Impact and Satisfaction
The most astonishing outcome? I can hear in noisy places. That jaw-dropping realisation hit me after a lunch in a crowded restaurant where I held a normal conversation without frustration.
It’s not just technical — it’s emotional. For the past three years, I had deliberately shrunk my social world. I avoided places, gatherings, even conversations. It simply wasn’t worth the energy and frustration. Now, that sense of restriction is gone. The world feels open again.
9. Gratitude and Final Reflections
I want to highlight not just the technology but the culture of care at Harpenden’s Hearing Healthcare Practice. Natalie and her colleagues understand people. They take time, listen deeply, and deliver with skill and warmth.
That makes all the difference.
I’ve had both NHS and private audiology care over the years, but the team at Hearing Healthcare Practice sets the gold standard. My advice is if you’re at the start of your hearing journey, or wondering if a change is worth it — don’t give up. With the right technology, the right professional, and a little persistence, your world can grow again.
Thank you, John.
Are you ready to upgrade your hearing experience?
Contact the Hearing Healthcare Practice in Harpenden to book your personalised consultation.
If you would prefer an initial chat with one of our team, call us on 01582 767218 or email us at [email protected]
Click here to read more client stories.