JLab Hear OTC vs. Oticon Reveal

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.

Oticon's newest receiver-in-canal hearing aid runs a dual AI system, Speech AI and Context AI, built to keep speech clear without stripping out the sounds around you.

JLab Hear OTC achieved a SoundScore of 3.5/5 and a SoundGrade of B in HearAdvisor lab testing. It ranked #36 of 65 OTC Hearing Aid devices tested. The OTC Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 3.68/5.

Oticon Reveal 1 miniRITE achieved a SoundScore of 5.1/5 and a SoundGrade of A in HearAdvisor lab testing. The Prescription Hearing Aid category average SoundScore was 4.19/5.

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.

Reveal offer the same excellent moisture and dust protection as Intent with an IP68 rating. The hearing aids appear well built though I found certain portions of the charger, like the lid, less robust than expected.

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.

With a battery life of up to 20 hours, longer without streaming, Reveal should last you all day. This is consistent with Oticon's previous Intent hearing aid.

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

Reveal offered easy and stable wireless connection. Their audio quality while streaming music, and during hands-free calling, was good and comparable to other prescription hearing aids.

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 the Companion app easy to navigate and use. Other prescription hearing aid companies offer more in-depth apps, but there is still plenty of opportunity to customize settings from your mobile device. The HearingFitness component is also a nice feature for those who like to actively track their progress.

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.

Oticon hearing aids like Reveal differ in design from other major manufacturers; however, they were very comfortable on my ears. Your hearing care providers can make numerous physical changes to prescription hearing aids in office to improve comfort on your ears.

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

Reveal are modern looking hearing aids though their size is slightly larger than many of the latest "micro" or "mini" designs. Regardless, I found them fairly discrete and Oticon offers plenty of colors, from skin tones to deep plum purple.

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

Oticon Reveal 1 miniRITE has no value rating available yet.

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

Reveal are easy to use and adjust either with the multi-function button or Oticon Companion app. I had no issues making adjustments with either.

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

Prescription hearing aids like Intent are fit by hearing care providers so you should receive quality care. The Oticon Companion app also opens the possibility for remote programming and virtual follow-up appointments.