Phonak Bolero M90 Marvel

Phonak Bolero M90 Marvel hearing aid review

Bolero M90 and Bolero M90-PR hearing aids are the premium options in the Marvel family. Leading the innovation change is the new Phonak Bolero Marvel (Bolero M) hearing aids. These multifunctional hearing aids deliver excellent sound quality, are easy to use and provide a true sense of well-being. Unlike any other hearing aid, they connect directly to either your iOS or Android smartphone or other Bluetooth® enabled phones to stream any kind of audio.

You can enjoy true hands-free phone calls and stereo sound quality streaming for your music, videos, e-books, podcasts and so much more! With a simple plug and play solution, called Phonak TV Connector, you can also enjoy your favourite TV programs and movies. It’s just like using wireless headphones – except maybe even better. With Boleo M the microphones on the hearing aids can be used to send user’s voice to the caller. This means user can walk away from the phone and still have a clear conversation. The user can even answer, hang-up, or reject a phone call with the hearing aids themselves.

What makes Marvel hearing aids outstanding?

• Exceptional sound quality from the first fit
• Better speech understanding in noise
• Reduced listening effort in noise
• Connectivity to smartphones – iOS and Android, and a variety of everyday electronics
• Extra-long streaming time
• Top rated streamed sound quality combine excellent sound quality with direct connectivity, powerful rechargeable battery technology and smartphone apps – all in one. It’s no wonder that 95 out of 100 Hearing Care Professionals recommend an Bolero Marvel.

The New Phonak Bolero Marvel has an impressive range which includes Lithium Rechargeable, Lithium Rechargeable with Telecoil, size 13 battery with Telecoil, and size 312 battery model.

My favourite feature in Marvel M is AutosenseOS 3.0. which an automatic program that adjust the hearing aid programming depending on the environment that the user is in. This feature makes Phonak hearing aids a good option for people who may have difficulties manually selecting programs for different environments. However, the key factor for this feature to work is a thorough fine tuning of all these programs by the audiologist using Real ear Measurements at the fitting appointment. Unfortunately, not many audiologists perform these measurements for all programs as it may be considered time consuming!

Binaural VoiceStream Technology in Bolero M allows for features like StereoZoom and Speech in Loud Noise programs which can improves speech understanding in background noise significantly.

Rechargeability is a great feature of Bolero M – The Bolero M-PR provides 24 hrs of battery life. This may drop to 16 hours of life 4 hours stream per day. What makes the new Bolero rechargeable easier to use is that they turn on immediately after removing them from the charger case which removes the need for user to switch the aids on or off.

The Bolero M has access to Several Different Apps including the followings: The myPhonak App – This provides access to a patient portal for Phonak eSolutions and contains a hearing diary, and access to Remote Support with the audiologist. The Remote App – This can control Program and volume changes, allow user to adjust the environmental balance when streaming, and provide battery readout for rechargeable models. The Tinnitus app – This allows user to control tinnitus – masking sounds if needed. The Call to Text feature can turn user’s smartphone into a captioned telephone so the user can read the conversations as s/he hears them.

Phonak has changed their First Fit algorithm, to decrease high frequency amplification, in order to increase first user’s acceptance by improving the sound quality to a new user. Although this may make amplification more natural to an individual with a hearing loss in the high-frequencies and be preferred by a new user at their fitting appointment, it may not help if speech clarity is a priority. It is, therefore, important that the fitting is optimised taking into account client’s needs and preferences.

Review by Dr Moh Dadafarin, Clinical Audiologist, Melbourne, Australia September 2020