Oticon Reveal versus Phonak EON Sphere: Which one helps more for speech in noise?

Hearing speech and engaging in a conversation is the number one priority of people who use hearing aids. In this article, try to compare the two newly released hearing aids, Oticon Reveal and Phonak EON Sphere, based on the published information so far. I will update this article when I try both hearing aids and receive more feedback from my patients.

Related articles:

• Phonak EON Sphere - technology review

• Oticon Reveal - technology review

Phonak EON Sphere and Oticon Reveal are not really trying to solve the same problem in the same way. Let's take a look at the features of Oticon Reveal and Phonak EON Sphere hearing aids side by side:

	Phonak EON Sphere	Oticon Reveal
Fundamental philosophy	Separate speech from noise	Preserve speech + environmental context
AI approach	Dedicated HYPERSONIC AI chip + Spheric Speech Clarity 3.0	Dual AI: Speech AI + Context AI
Speech in difficult noise	Potentially the stronger choice	Extremely strong, but different approach
Multiple speakers / 360°	Excellent	Excellent
Natural environmental awareness	More selective/noise-reducing	Potentially stronger
User-intent sensing	Less central to processing philosophy	4D sensors are central
Wind	50 dB claimed reduction	40 dB claimed reduction
Connectivity	Excellent/universal	Excellent, including Auracast
CROS/biCROS	Yes	Yes
Physical size	EON is smaller than previous Sphere	Similar to Intent miniRITE
Best argument	"Give me the speech"	"Give me the whole sound scene, intelligently organised"
Remote microphone	Phonak Roger	Basic

Phonak's current EON Sphere uses Spheric Speech Clarity 3.0, with its HYPERSONIC chip separating speech from background noise in real time from any direction. Phonak reports up to a 10 dB SNR benefit in loud noise. (Phonak)

Oticon Reveal takes almost the opposite philosophical position. Its Dual AI has one system concentrating on speech and another specifically preserving contextual sounds around the wearer. That is very consistent with Oticon's BrainHearing philosophy. (Oticon)

If the patient's overriding complaint is speech understanding in very difficult, multi-talker noise, EON Sphere should probably be the benchmark against which Reveal is tested. That's because EON's entire Spheric Speech Clarity architecture is specifically designed around extracting speech from noise in 360 degrees. Phonak's published evidence also reports substantial improvements in speech understanding and listening effort. (Phonak)

But I wouldn't say EON is categorically "better" than Reveal. That would be too strong, particularly because Reveal is deliberately trying to preserve contextual information rather than simply suppressing the acoustic environment.

Phonak's EON Sphere puts greater emphasis on separating speech from competing noise, whereas Oticon Reveal takes a dual approach — enhancing speech while simultaneously preserving the contextual sounds surrounding the listener.

I would actually position them like this:

Phonak EON Sphere: "I want you to make the person I'm talking to stand out from the noise."

Oticon Reveal: "I want you to help me understand the person I'm talking to without disconnecting me from the world around me."

On the other hand, understanding speech in noise places a considerable demand on the auditory system and cognitive processing; reducing unnecessary background noise can make it easier for many listeners to focus on the conversation. So for patients with a moderate to severe and severe to profound hearing loss which likely have a bigger deterioration in their cognitive auditory system, removing the background sound might be a bigger help. In such a scenario, Phonak EON Sphere would likely do a better job for the patient in terms of understanding speech in a noisy environment.

What about the remote microphone?

You noticed that I had the option of a remote microphone at the end of the comparison table I made for Phonak EON Sphere and Oticon Reveal. The reason is that a good remote microphone can help improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) beyond any AI processing. This is simple acoustics. A remote microphone is closer to the speaker, hence can collect and transmit a cleaner speech sound to your hearing aid, regardless of the brand and make of your hearing aids.

What makes Phonak Roger remote microphones exceptional is that, unlike other remote microphones, the Phonak Roger remote microphones have their own processor and are equipped with a directionality sensor. This further improves the SNR.

Conclusion

In summary,  

Phonak EON = speech/noise separation and

Reveal = speech + contextual awareness

Both apparently competing premium AI hearing aids can both be excellent while sounding quite different to the wearer. My advice is to try both hearing aids and see which ones perform better for you given your lifestyle and the soundscapes that you usually are exposed to.

If you have a severe to profound hearing loss, you would be much better with Phonak EON Sphere hearing aids and a Phonak Roger on In V3 remote microphone.

Questions?

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you need further consultation about Oticon Reveal or Phonak EON Sphere hearing aids

Telecare Consultation (online)

20min

Book Now