Environment Manager for Halo iQ, Muse iQ, SoundLens Synergy iQ, Halo 2, Muse, and SoundLens Synergy Products

Environment Manager prioritizes speech in noise by making discrete adjustments per memory to Speech and Noise/Noise, LifeScapes, and Acuity Directionality, and adjusts the amount of gain adaptation towards music listening per memory. The activity level, music strength, and directionality (Omni, Directional, Dynamic, and Adaptive) settings can be selected independently per memory environment. Any noise control adjustments can be demonstrated live to the patient by simply talking or playing an audio file.

Acuity LifeScape Analyzer features seven automated sound classes: Music, Speech, Speech in Noise, Machine Noise, Wind, Noise, and Quiet - making it the most sophisticated and accurate classification and adaption system. By applying 5 dB more attenuation than previous environmental classification, it adapts more aggressively to machine and wind noise providing enhanced comfort in a variety of complex environments simultaneously.

ComfortComfort

Spatial HearingSpatial Hearing

Directionality and Ear to EarDirectionality and Ear to Ear

1. Connect and select the desired hearing aid(s) to adjust via Get Started.

2. Click on the Read Device Settings or Load a Previous Session radio button and then click Start.

3. Click Environment Manager.

4. Inspire automatically defaults to a binaural view if applicable. To adjust only the right or left hearing aid, click or .

   Note:  If fitting CROS/BiCROS devices, only the receiver aid can be adjusted, therefore, the side cannot be selected.

5. To increase or decrease the amount of adaptation in a specific environment, click on the cell to adjust and then click or , or click details to the left of Comfort and a pop-up window displays.
6. Click on the specific memory to adjust if applicable.
7. Click on the radio button representing the desired amount of adaptation in each environment environment.

   Field Name	Description	Details
   Speech and Noise/Noise	Indicates the desired amount of adaptation in environments with noise for the specific memory or all memories if linked. This feature is not available for Telecoil, Autocoil, Loop, or Music memories.	Based on the hearing aid connected determines the levels available. If levels Off to 4 display, the default is 3. If levels Off to 2 display, the default is 2. If levels Off/On display, the default is On. The amount of adaptation that each level will apply displays in a tool tip by pointing to the radio button.
   Quiet	Indicates the desired amount of adaptation in quiet environments for the specific memory or all memories if linked.	Based on the hearing aid connected determines the levels available. If levels Off to 4 display, the default is 3. If levels Off to 2 display, the default is 2. If levels Off/On display, the default is On. The amount of expansion that each level will apply displays in a tool tip by pointing to the radio button.
   Wind	Indicates the desired amount of adaptation in environments with wind for the specific memory or all memories if linked. This feature is not available for Telecoil, Autocoil, or Loop memories.	Based on the hearing aid connected determines the levels available. If levels Off to 4 display, the default is 3. If levels Off to 2 display, the default is 2. If levels Off/On display, the default is On. The Music and Stream Boost memories default to Off. The amount of adaptation that each level will apply displays in a tool tip by pointing to the radio button.
   Machine Noise	Indicates the desired amount of adaptation in environments with machine noise for the specific memory or all memories if linked. This feature is not available for Telecoil, Autocoil, or Loop memories.	Based on the hearing aid connected determines the levels available. If levels Off to 4 display, the default is 3. If levels Off to 2 display, the default is 2. If levels Off/On display, the default is On. The Music and Stream Boost memories default to Off. The amount of adaptation that each level will apply displays in a tool tip by pointing to the radio button.

8. Click Go Live to demonstrate any noise control adjustments.

   Note:  This button is only enabled during a live fitting for select products and for all memories except Disabled.

9. Begin talking to the patient.

   Note:  When the hearing aid(s) detects sound in a specific environment and begins adaptation, the input monitor activates. The animation will extend from the left to the right but will never exceed the selected setting.

10. Click Go Live again to stop the demonstration.

    Tip:  To play an audio file, click Media Player on the Inspire Toolbar. Audio files cannot be played during Go Live demonstrations.

11. Click Close to close the pop-up window.
12. To adjust the time constants for a specific environment, click on the words Wind and/or Machine Noise and a pop-up window displays.
13. Click on the radio button representing the desired time constant time constant.

    Field Name	Description	Details
    Wind Time Constants	Indicates how quickly the hearing aid(s) should reach the specified wind gain reduction for all memories.	This feature is only available for select products. The options available are Slower, Medium, and Faster. The default is Medium.
    Machine Noise Time Constants	Indicates how quickly the hearing aid(s) should reach the specified machine noise gain reduction for all memories.	This feature is only available for select products. The options available are Slower, Medium, and Faster. The default is Medium.

14. To increase or decrease the amount of adaptation in music, click on the cell to adjust and then click or , or click details to the left of Auto Music and a pop-up window displays.
15. Click on the radio button representing the desired amount of adaptation adaptation.

    Field Name	Description	Details
    Auto Music	Indicates the desired amount of adaptation toward music listening for the specific memory or all memories if linked.	This feature is only available for select products and is not available for the Music memory. Based on the hearing aid connected determines the strengths available. If strengths Off to 4 display, the default is 3. If strengths Off to 2 display, the default is 2. If strengths Off/On display, the default is On. The amount of adaptation that each strength will apply displays in a tool tip by pointing to the radio button.

16. Click Close to close the pop-up window.
17. To change the directional setting, click on the cell to adjust and then click or , or click details to the left of Directionality and a pop-up window displays to configure the directional setting and adjust the switching threshold and/or time constants.
18. Click on the specific memory to adjust if applicable.
19. Click on the radio button representing the desired directionality, switching threshold, and/or time constants directionality, switching threshold, and/or time constants, and check or uncheck Directionality Plus to enable or disable this feature.

    Field Name	Description	Details
    Directionality Mode	Selects the directional setting for the specific memory or all memories if linked. This feature is not available for Disabled, Telephone, Autophone, Telecoil, Autocoil, or Loop memories. Click to view static or animated visual representations of the directionality settings.	This feature is only available if the hearing aid connected supports a directional system. The settings available are OmniOmni(Maintains an omni directional mode.), DirectionalDirectional (Maintains a fixed directional mode.), DynamicDynamic (Automatically switches to a fixed directional response in loud environments and to an omni response in quiet environments.), and AdaptiveAdaptive (In noisy environments, automatically switches to a directional response then adaptively tracks and reduces the dominant noise source to maximize speech. In quiet environments, it automatically switches to an omni response.) (select products only). The default for Normal memory is either Dynamic or Adapative, depending on the hearing aid connected.
    Immersion Directionality	Denotes whether or not to recreate the acoustics of the pinna by adding a more natural, high-frequency directional response whenever the hearing aid is in an omnidirectional state. This feature is not available for Disabled, Telephone, Autophone, Telecoil, Autocoil, or Loop memories. Click for more information on this feature.	This feature is only available for select products. This checkbox is only available if Adaptive, Dynamic, or Omni is selected for Directionality and the default is unchecked.
    Directionality Plus	Denotes whether or not to increase the adaptation amount for Speech and Noise in three technology levels (up to 20 dB in the premium products, up to 15 dB in the high products, and up to 10 dB in the mid products) and reach the maximum adaptation threshold at 80 dB SPL. Click for more information on this feature.	This feature is only available for select products. This checkbox is only available if Dynamic or Adaptive is selected for Directionality and the default is unchecked.
    Switching	Indicates how quickly the hearing aid(s) should switch to automatic directional mode and reach the specified directional settings for applicable memories.	This feature is only available for select products. The options available are Slower, Normal, and Faster. The default is Normal.
    Directional Switching	Indicates how often the hearing aid(s) should switch to directional mode for all memories.	This feature is only available for select products. The thresholds available are Less Sensitive, Sensitive, and More Sensitive. The default is Sensitive.
    Time Constants	Indicates how quickly the hearing aid(s) should reach the specified directional setting for all memories.	This feature is only available for select products. The options available are Slow, Medium, and Fast. The default is Medium.

20. Click Close to close the pop-up window.
21. To enable or disable spatial hearing, click on the cell to adjust and then click or .

    Note:  This feature is only available for Muse iQ CIC and SoundLens Synergy iQ IIC products if fitting formula e-STAT AI was selected and/or Spatial Hearing was enabled in Inspire version 2019.0 or earlier.

22. Check or uncheck Ear to Ear to enable or disable this feature for the specific environment specific environment if applicable.

    Field Name	Description	Details
    Wind Ear to Ear	Denotes whether or not to automatically enhance comfort when wind noise is present but speech is absent for all memories.	This feature is available on all premium, high, and mid wireless products. If selected, which is checked by default, communication between the left and right hearing aids improves patient comfort in wind noise by ensuring that both devices make coordinated changes in response to the sound environment.
    Machine Noise Ear to Ear	Denotes whether or not to automatically enhance comfort when machine noise is present but speech is absent for all memories.	This feature is available on all premium, high, and mid wireless products. If selected, which is checked by default, binaural communication between the hearing aids provides more symmetrical noise reduction and increases patient comfort in environments with machine noise.
    Auto Music Ear to Ear	Denotes whether or not to automatically optimize sound quality when music is present but speech is absent for all memories.	This feature is available on all premium, high, and mid wireless products. If selected, which is checked by default, gain adaptation is applied to both hearing aids when music is detected.
    Directionality Ear to Ear	Denotes whether or not to automatically facilitate an optimal signal-to-noise ratio when speech is present for all memories.	This feature is available on all premium, high, and mid wireless directional products and only works if both the left and right hearing aids are set to the same 'Directionality' mode. If selected, which is checked by default, wireless communication between the right and left hearing aids improves the ability of the directional system to adapt to changes in the listening environment and to ensure that speech signals are always preserved binaurally. The system detects the direction of the signal source, compares the SNR between the right and left ears, and chooses the side with the better SNR to determine the directional focus for the hearing aids. If no speech is detected, the system adapts to provide the most comfortable listening setting.

    Note:  Ear to Ear is enabled/disabled based on the settings for Memory 1 but any change applies to all memory environments. Although Ear to Ear is automatically enabled for all active memory environments, setting any applicable activity level to Off, or setting directionality to Omni or Directional will disable Ear to Ear in that memory. This feature is not available for monaural fittings if the hearing aid has never been paired or when simulating one wireless hearing aid. For Halo iQ and Halo 2 products, Ear to Ear is available for hearing aids paired with a mobile device.