Audien Hearing Atom Pro 2 vs. JLab Hear OTC

Audien’s Atom Pro 2 is an easy-to-use, budget-friendly OTC option with excellent battery life, but our hands-on experience and HearAdvisor lab results show weak speech clarity—especially in noise—leaving it a “you get what you pay for” choice for mild needs rather than a true disruptor.

The JLab HEAR OTC Hearing Aid offers an affordable and user-friendly solution for those with mild to moderate hearing loss, featuring customizable sound settings and a sleek design. Extensive testing reveals its effective performance in various environments, making it a reliable choice for everyday use.

Audien Atom Pro 2 achieved a SoundScore of 2.48/5 and a SoundGrade of C in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #45 of 61 OTC Hearing Aid devices tested. The OTC Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.47/5.

JLab Hear OTC achieved a SoundScore of 3.65/5 and a SoundGrade of B in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #26 of 61 OTC Hearing Aid devices tested. The OTC Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.47/5.

Audien Atom Pro 2 hearing aids lack an IP rating, so they might not be the best against moisture or dust. While using them they feel decently built and they do come with an excellent portable charging case.

The portable charger is flimsy and HEAR have a lower egress rating of IPX4. However, with some extra care and cleaning they should hold up to regular daily use.

They boast a 24-hour battery life, which is impressive for their small size. Recharging is on the longer end and can take up to 5 hours.

HEAR do not offer enough power for all-day use with a battery life of 10 hours (less with streaming). The battery life is however respectable for a wireless earbud.

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HEAR offer wireless connectivity for both iOS and Android users. I personally experienced stable streaming and phone calls with my iPhone 12.

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The JLab Hearing Health app offers a nice feature set for personalization. Some elements could be more user friendly, but it makes sense after a little troubleshooting.

I did not find Atom Pro 2 to be the most comfortable OTC in-ear hearing aids. This was likely due to their larger size and not being tailored to a standard ear shape.

HEAR are comfortable and had good retention in my ears. They completely seal your ear when worn properly but feel less “plugging” as they are lightweight.

The design of Atom Pro 2 falls between a custom hearing aid and wireless earbud. They are only available in a medical beige color, which is meant to match skin color, but will not suit everyone. The case does include a UV cleaning light which is a nice touch.

This is highly personalized, but HEAR look like modern earbuds and distance themselves from the negative stigma some attribute to hearing aids.

Audien Atom Pro 2 has a value score of 3.6/5 based on lab performance and public display price.

JLab Hear OTC has a value score of 5.0/5 based on lab performance and public display price.

I found Atom easy to use though they can be more challenging to insert and remove due to the small pull tab. Two features I really liked were the larger program buttons and easy to use portable charger.

I ran into a few issues with my initial Bluetooth pairing but HEAR and the touch controls work well otherwise.

Like many OTC products, Audien does not offer remote assistance from hearing experts, support is limited to email and phone customer support.

JLab falls short on actual hearing care as help is limited to their online Help Center and or standard Customer Support.