What Piccolo Hearing does with Phonak
Phonak is one of the brands we fit most often, and it is also one of the brands people most often bring in from somewhere else. Both paths start the same way: a free hearing test at our Duluth or Houston clinic.
If the test shows a Phonak family suits your loss and your daily life, we order the aids, program them to your audiogram, and verify the result with real-ear measurement at the fitting. A thin probe microphone in your ear canal shows what the aid is actually delivering, instead of trusting the software’s first guess.
After the fitting you have a 45-day trial. You come back for adjustments as your ears settle, and follow-up care is included with aids bought from us. In-clinic cleaning, dome and wax filter changes, and minor repairs are handled on site. When something needs the factory, we coordinate the repair with Phonak and loan you a device when we can.
Bought your Phonak aids elsewhere, online, or from a clinic that closed? We can usually service and reprogram them. The exception is a locked model or a very old device that current fitting software no longer supports. We check that before anything else, and we tell you plainly if we cannot help.
One more thing to know. We fit most major brands. The recommendation you get from us comes from your test results, your budget and your benefit, not from a brand quota.
About Phonak
Phonak is a Swiss brand owned by Sonova, one of the large hearing-care groups. The same group owns Unitron, so if you have worn Unitron aids before, the two will feel related in the software and the accessories.
Phonak is known for its Bluetooth approach, which it calls universal connectivity. Instead of working only with one phone platform, current Phonak aids connect to iPhone, Android and most ordinary Bluetooth devices, including many laptops and televisions. It is also known for Roger, a line of wireless microphones that send a speaker’s voice directly to the aids in noisy rooms and classrooms.
Current Phonak families (October 2026)
We checked these on Phonak’s US site this month. Names change often, so if you were quoted a family not on this list, ask us where it sits.
- Audéo EON. The newest platform, in two receiver-in-canal models: Audéo EON Sphere and Audéo EON R. Both are rechargeable, with Phonak listing up to 38 hours on a charge for the R model, and both use the myPhonak app. The EON platform adds Auracast broadcast audio, which lets the aids tune into public audio streams in places that have installed it. There is also a CROS EON R for single-sided hearing loss.
- Infinio. The previous premium platform, still current: Infinio Ultra R and Infinio Ultra Sphere (rechargeable receiver-in-canal), plus Virto R Infinio, a rechargeable custom in-the-ear aid made from an impression of your ear. Virto is also offered in non-wireless and titanium-shell versions for people who want the smallest possible device.
- Lumity. Audéo Lumity (receiver-in-canal), Naída Lumity (a power behind-the-ear aid for severe to profound loss) and CROS Lumity. Lumity is often the family a plan benefit lands on, because it is a generation older and priced accordingly.
- Lyric. A deep in-the-ear device with no Bluetooth and no rechargeable battery. It is a different kind of product with its own fitting process, and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic for your ear canal.
Who tends to do well with Phonak
People who want one hearing aid that talks to everything tend to like Phonak. If you switch between an Android phone, an iPad and a work laptop, the universal Bluetooth approach matters more than it sounds.
People with severe to profound loss have a current power option in Naída Lumity. People who sit in meetings, lecture halls or busy restaurants may get real value from a Roger microphone, which we can demonstrate at the fitting.
None of that replaces the test. Two people with the same audiogram can prefer different brands, which is exactly why the 45-day trial exists.
Styles available
Phonak covers the three main styles. Receiver-in-canal is the small unit behind the ear with a thin wire into the canal, and it is the most common choice. Behind-the-ear with a tube or earhook is used for power fittings. Custom in-the-ear aids (Virto) are built from a 3D ear impression we take in the clinic.
Care and troubleshooting for Phonak aids
Rechargeable Phonak aids ship with a charger; Phonak’s portable option is called Charger Go. Put the aids in every night and keep the contacts clean. If one side does not charge, the usual causes are wax on the contact, a dome pushed up over the receiver, or a battery that has aged out. The last one is a factory repair.
The myPhonak app handles volume, programs and pairing. If the app cannot find the aids, restart the aids by placing them in the charger for a few seconds, then try again. Bring both aids and your phone to any adjustment visit so we can pair and update them with you.
Wax filters and domes are consumables. We stock them at both clinics, and we will show you how to change them so you are not driving in for a two-minute job.
Comparing Phonak with other brands
The most common comparisons we see are with Oticon, ReSound and Signia. The differences are real but smaller than the marketing suggests. What matters most is a correct fitting verified with real-ear measurement, whichever box the aids come in.
Costs vary by family and technology level, and your plan may cover more of one than another. Read our hearing aid cost guide and our insurance page, then book the free test at Duluth or Houston. Ask us for a written quote you can take home.