Elehear Beyond Pro vs. JLab Hear OTC

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.

Elehear Beyond Pro achieved a SoundScore of 4.78/5 and a SoundGrade of A in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #2 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.

Elehear Beyond Pro hearing aids have an IPx5 rating, meaning you will need to protect them from moisture and dust. However, they appear to be build from quality materials and come with a robust 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.

Beyond have a reported battery life of up to 20 hours per charge, which is enough to get most people through the day. The case also offers on-the-go power and can recharge Elehear in around 2.5 hours, longer if the portable-charger needs to be simultaneously recharged.

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.

Beyond are Bluetooth compatible with both iOS and Android devices, allowing for audio streaming and hands-free calling.

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

The Elehear app has a user-friendly interface and modern, appealing design. It includes practical features like volume control and a tone balance from Brighter to Deeper. At this time, Beyond are "preset-based", though you can get a more customized fit using their ElePro feature.

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 found Beyond Pro fairly comfortable in spite of their larger body size. Be sure to test various ear tips to find optimal comfort and hearing benefit. You may want to try the included tulip domes as the default closed domes plug your ear significantly.

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.

Beyond have a more modern receiver-in-canal design, although the body size is larger than many other hearing aids. While this should not effect comfort much, it may make them more noticeable based on your ear size and hairstyle.

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

Elehear Beyond Pro has a value score of 4.7/5 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 did not run into any issues while using Beyond Pro or the Elehear mobile app. First-time users may need some practice to get accustomed to inserting the receiver-in-ear style properly.

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

Unlike many OTC devices, remote support from licensed audiologists is available through the ElePro app feature. This offers several benefits, but one we particularly liked was the ability for Elehear providers to recommend program settings based on their app or web based hearing assessment.

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